Smith House Galleries Features Virtual Exhibition: Animal Instinct, Works by Maune, Merkel, and Morey
September 23, 2020
For Immediate Release September 22, 2020
Contact: Ann Leatherwood 540.801.8779 Ann@valleyarts.org
Smith House Galleries Features Virtual Exhibition: Animal Instinct, Works by Maune, Merkel, and Morey
HARRISONBURG, VA – Arts Council of the Valley (ACV) announces a virtual Smith House Galleries exhibition in October, Animal Instincts, featuring paintings by Dietrich Maune and Julia Merkel, with photography by AJ Morey. Animal Instincts opens Oct 1 at valleyarts.org/current-exhibition. The exhibition features artist talk videos and a Facebook album (showing works and detailing how they can be purchased), with visits encouraged during First Fridays Downtown, 5 to 8 pm on Oct 2. ACV's Lead Sponsors are Atlantic Union Bank (First Fridays Downtown) and Kathy Moran Wealth Group (Smith House Galleries 2020 Art Series). Maune explains that his animal subjects “carry meaning to which we can connect through our lives and our relationships with them. "The compositions are about relationships," he continued. "Our relationships with others and the world around us, and relationships which exist within the animal world which we observe from a distance.” Merkel began painting cattle, eventually turning to horses, which she describes as her “real love.” When her children were young, Merkel began exploring mares and foals as subjects. “The overlap and intersection of legs and bodies parallels the metaphysical relationship between mother and child,” she noted. “Where does the mare stop? Where does the foal begin? And whose legs are whose?” Rounding out the Animal Instincts trio, photographer Morey has been drawn to images of animals since childhood, although she began working with a camera only after she retired. -more- “What I love about photography is its accidental capacity,” Morey said. “I don’t want posed or policed pictures. I want real creatures in an unstaged moment. I want that moment to be the first sentence in a story that invites more story, and a photograph that shows me more than I first saw.” The online Animal Instincts exhibition will be available through Friday, Oct 30, 2020. To inquire about purchasing exhibited works, email firstfridaysdowntown@gmail.com. ----- About Arts Council of the Valley Now celebrating its 20th year, ACV is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to cultivating the arts and connecting communities in the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Since its establishment, ACV has grown into a multi-faceted community organization that fosters innovative partnerships among area businesses, civic organizations, schools, and artists. Today, ACV manages the Smith House Galleries, funds local art projects through its Advancing the Arts grant program, and coordinates monthly First Fridays Downtown community gatherings. To learn more, visit valleyarts.org
Contact: Ann Leatherwood 540.801.8779 Ann@valleyarts.org
Smith House Galleries Features Virtual Exhibition: Animal Instinct, Works by Maune, Merkel, and Morey
HARRISONBURG, VA – Arts Council of the Valley (ACV) announces a virtual Smith House Galleries exhibition in October, Animal Instincts, featuring paintings by Dietrich Maune and Julia Merkel, with photography by AJ Morey. Animal Instincts opens Oct 1 at valleyarts.org/current-exhibition. The exhibition features artist talk videos and a Facebook album (showing works and detailing how they can be purchased), with visits encouraged during First Fridays Downtown, 5 to 8 pm on Oct 2. ACV's Lead Sponsors are Atlantic Union Bank (First Fridays Downtown) and Kathy Moran Wealth Group (Smith House Galleries 2020 Art Series). Maune explains that his animal subjects “carry meaning to which we can connect through our lives and our relationships with them. "The compositions are about relationships," he continued. "Our relationships with others and the world around us, and relationships which exist within the animal world which we observe from a distance.” Merkel began painting cattle, eventually turning to horses, which she describes as her “real love.” When her children were young, Merkel began exploring mares and foals as subjects. “The overlap and intersection of legs and bodies parallels the metaphysical relationship between mother and child,” she noted. “Where does the mare stop? Where does the foal begin? And whose legs are whose?” Rounding out the Animal Instincts trio, photographer Morey has been drawn to images of animals since childhood, although she began working with a camera only after she retired. -more- “What I love about photography is its accidental capacity,” Morey said. “I don’t want posed or policed pictures. I want real creatures in an unstaged moment. I want that moment to be the first sentence in a story that invites more story, and a photograph that shows me more than I first saw.” The online Animal Instincts exhibition will be available through Friday, Oct 30, 2020. To inquire about purchasing exhibited works, email firstfridaysdowntown@gmail.com. ----- About Arts Council of the Valley Now celebrating its 20th year, ACV is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to cultivating the arts and connecting communities in the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Since its establishment, ACV has grown into a multi-faceted community organization that fosters innovative partnerships among area businesses, civic organizations, schools, and artists. Today, ACV manages the Smith House Galleries, funds local art projects through its Advancing the Arts grant program, and coordinates monthly First Fridays Downtown community gatherings. To learn more, visit valleyarts.org
