Friday, January 20, 2012

Notes on Abandoned Rural America Exhibit


Why I Planned This Show

Throughout my life I have marveled at the beauty of nature, been drawn to the time-worn lines of character in the faces and hands of older folks, was inspired by the mysteries in untamed woodlands and wetlands. When I was a kid growing up in the mountains of Northeast Pennsylvania I would hike for hours in the woods to explore old trails where I would discover old rock structures thought to have been created by Native Americans for shelter. Old farmhouses are kind of like that to me. A wonder of people’s past lives, now devoid of human development, at the mercy of the elements and left to the wiles of nature’s transmutations. 

Some of the abandoned farm buildings were built so well that they would last for generations making one wonder why anyone would leave these houses empty and deserted. I can almost feel the spirits of the people who once settled in these rural buildings, visualize the children playing in the yards, husband chopping wood for the fire, wife preparing dinner for the family or working at the spinning wheel or sewing machine making clothes for them all. It occurs to me that the folks settling in these places had hopes and dreams for the future of their families and that they were possibly laying the foundation for future generations of their descendants to have an estate the family will always call their own and then have everything change direction forcing them to desert the homestead forever.

My grandparents came to America from the Ukraine and Russia in the early part of the twentieth century and worked hard to establish such a foundation for the Muzyka family. Unfortunately it didn’t work out that way and each of their children went their own way abandoning the family homestead. This has always affected the way that I view the loss of family ties and the vacant, sad and lonely structures that represent broken dreams. It is often said that the eyes are a window onto the world. I see the windows of these abandoned homes as eyes that have seen the lives of vibrant people gone away leaving behind the spirit of their hopes and dreams.

I‘ve invited 3 artist friends to participate in this opening exhibition. Possibly in the future, if this show is accepted and travels to other areas, I may be able to invite other artists to participate as well as add new works to the exhibition.
This book and exhibit is dedicated to the memory of all the dreamers and planners whose prospects for the future were irrevocably changed leaving behind an ethereal visage of what once might have been. 


Friday, January 13, 2012

The Seasons Section of ARA

Another book and show section for the Abandoned Rural America exhibition will be highlighting the seasons. Various photographs and paintings will be dedicated to showing the rural scene, especially containing old abandoned rural buildings during the 4 seasons. I believe that displaying the beauty of the rural landscape along with the vanishing culture puts an engrossing perspective on the imagery that we might otherwise overlook.

Here are the opening pages to the Seasons section:



Sunday, January 8, 2012

Abandoned Rural America Part 4

Traveling Section of the ARA Book and Exhibit

Here are the opening pages from the section on abandoned farmhouses outside of Georgia that are part of the exhibit. I:m also considering doing some large (24“ x 48“) posters for the show to be available for sale to exhibit attendees. I'm really interested in feedback on this as it takes a lot of ink and archival paper to produce these large prints and have them mounted to foam board etc. So, if you think that you or a friend may attend and be interested in seeing or purchasing an oversized poster on the show, please send me an email or make a comment on my blog site. Also, all 4 of us (me, Blake Smith, Don Jolley, and Chuck Dyer) would love to get feedback about the exhibit either through this blog or during the exhibit in Milledgeville - March 25- April 20 2012). Copies of the book will be for sale and I plan to include a copy of the DVD video to anyone who purchases a book. Not sure of the price yet but I will post it when it becomes available.

A teaser trailer of the ARA video can be viewed on YouTube here: AbandonedRuralAmerica–trailer
If the link gets broken you can view the trailer by doing a search on You Tube for Abandoned Rural America trailer.





Sunday, January 1, 2012

Abandoned Rural America update

Happy New Year everyone!
Here's hoping it is a lot more prosperous and uplifting than 2011.
These following pages are from the section of the Abandoned Rural America book about rural Georgia. By no means do they represent all of what is in the book, or images that will comprise the show. The exhibit will have much more imagery and information. If you click on any of these images, they should enlarge on your computer screen.