Newspaper Page Text
ir.a:mnniir» art notes
Places of Peace
PETER LOOSE DEDICATES EXHIBITION TO ART ROSENBAUM
By Jessica Smith arts@flagpole.com
A friend to all creatures great and small,
Peter Loose’s new solo exhibition
“Places of Peace” thematically focuses on
birds as a source of both inspiration and
healing. Currently on view at tiny ATH
gallery through November, the show
is dedicated in memory of the late Art
Rosenbaum, a widely revered artist, musi
cian, folklorist and educator.
Though Loose was never officially
enrolled among Rosenbaum’s students at
the Lamar Dodd School of Art, he learned m
many lessons from him. With his wide s
range of interests and genuine curiosity in «
other people, Rosenbaum not only made ee!
Loose feel seen and supported, but actively
demonstrated through his work how valu
able vernacular artists and musicians are to
the fabric of American culture.
The evening Loose received the news of
Rosenbaum’s death, he was sitting in front
of a big blank bulletin board and felt moved
to process the grief through painting. This
moment became “Ascension,” a scene in
which all sorts of creatures—birds, fish,
turtles, snakes, butterflies—encircle a glow
ing, sky-bound firefly. On the back of the
painting reads the message “They gather in
the light of Art Rosenbaum. Great stories
and songs were always nearby. So much love
for his life.”
The exhibition’s large paintings—such
as the rooster and blackbird that appear
on this week’s cover of Flagpole—exem
plify Loose’s distinctive style. Whether it’s
on canvas, window screens, cork boards,
furniture, found objects, instruments or
even old cars, his work is immediately iden
tifiable by wide ribbons of saturated color
and hundreds of tiny dots that pulsate with
movement.
Fluttering across the walls in between
the large paintings are small cut-outs of
birds in a variety of colors, each with out
stretched wings and a red heart over their
breast. These birds belong to “Places of
Peace,” an ongoing series Loose began in
response to the U.S.’s invasion of Iraq in
2003.
“I was watching television one night
during [the George W. Bush administra
tion], and it was a night of ‘shock and awe.’
That was the headline for three nights of
bombing in downtown Baghdad,” says
Peter Loose and Camille Hayes
Loose. “I was so destroyed by it. I’m getting
to be part of witnessing this, but what if it
were the other way around? I felt every per
son in their apartment building, every child,
every pet, and it just absolutely killed me.”
Creating the small birds as a symbol for
peace and hope, Loose began distributing
them to friends and family as a way to bring
good vibrations into their homes, instead of
shock and awe. The flock has grown to over
1,200 birds today, with each one represent
ing an effort to reclaim space.
The exhibition “Places of Peace” marks
Loose’s official return to Athens as a resi
dent after living nearby in Hull for the past
30 years or so. After working as a naturalist
for a Maryland state park and the Audubon
Society, Loose first moved to Athens in the
mid-’80s to work at the Sandy Creek Nature
Center. It was here that his love for wildlife
soon intersected with a newfound interest
in art-making as he led children’s activities
and decorated the space. He left Sandy
Creek after roughly a decade in what he
jokes was a “jump off the cliff moment for
sure,” but he quickly found his footing while
pursuing life as an artist.
From his one-of-a-kind sculptural dul
cimers to his bird-shaped birdhouses, ani
mals serve as a constant source of creative
inspiration. Loose and his wife, Sandy, have
looked after many critters over the years,
such as tortoises, snakes, chickens, goats,
dogs and cats. Generations of children have
grown up reading Bongo is a Happy Dog
(1997) and Bongo Has Many Friends (2001),
a pair of illustrated books the couple cre
ated together about their beloved dog who
brought a lot of joy into the lives of those
around him.
“He was just a little scoundrel Athenian,”
Loose says about Bongo, who once per
formed a duet with Michael Stipe and was
a dear friend to visionary artist Howard
Finster. “He was comical and funny. He had
a toy piano that he just thought was the
best and wanted to play it for people.”
Beyond his work as an artist, Loose is
also an art collector and curator who has
been instrumental in preserving stories and
increasing the visibility of other folk artists
over the years. Launched in 2015, the “The
Great Folk Art Parade” was envisioned as
a touring and ever-changing exhibition of
hundreds of works that celebrate Southern
self-taught artists both past and present.
After debuting at the Oconee Cultural
Arts Foundation in Watkinsville, the show
traveled to the Hambidge Center in Rabun
Gap and Steffen Thomas Museum of Art in
Buckhead. Using his and Sandy’s expansive
personal collection as a base, Loose would
then personalize each installment and
invite artists of the surrounding area to sell
works at the receptions. This model pairs
well-known figures such as Finster, St. EOM
and R.A. Miller alongside largely undis
covered artists, reminding viewers to look
within their immediate community and cel
ebrate any creativity that may be happening
under the radar. Loose hopes to keep the
parade marching along into the future.
Offering a glimpse into just how massive
his collection has grown, Peter and Sandy
will host Bongo’s Yardfest Art and Estate
Sale at 302 Oak Drive in Hull on Saturday,
Nov. 19 and Sunday, Nov. 20 from 7:30
a.m.-6:30 p.m. The event will offer a variety
of pottery, paintings, carvings, textiles,
vintage baskets, instruments, furniture and
other eclectic treasures.
Tiny ATH Gallery will host open hours
for “Places of Peace” on Nov. 17 from 6-9
p.m. in conjunction with Third Thursday, a
citywide initiative established in 2012 that
encourages established venues to stay open
late once a month for an evening of gallery
hopping. Loose plans to add various new
pieces to the wall for the occasion, since
nearly everything sold on opening night,
and multi-instrumentalist Steve Milsap will
provide live entertainment. Loose’s exhibi
tion can additionally be viewed by emailing
curator Camille Hayes at tinyathgallery@
gmail.com to set up a private appointment
weekdays after 5 p.m. ©
YOUR SECOND-FAVORITE
JARRETTMARTINGROUP.com
706-316-2900
afflCREATER ATHENS
KELLERWILLIAMS. REALTY
Jarrett Martin, REALTOR®
229-869-5734
Haley Paulk, REALTOR®
706-201 -7047
follow us on Instagram Ajarrettmartingroup
12 FLAGPOLE.COM ■ NOVEMBER 16, 2022