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STATE the Label Reopens Shop
CREATIVE CLOTHING LINE EXPANDS INTO INTERIORS AND ARTWORK
imUii!IU!lll¥ calendar picks
By Jessica Smith arts@flagpole.com
Recognized for its distinctive designs that
balance whimsy and practicality, locally
based clothing brand STATE the Label
specializes in garments that are sewn,
hand-painted and printed in-house. Made
from natural fibers like organic cotton and
linen, items typically have boxy, billowy,
loose-fitting shapes to allow for movement,
play and comfort. Bold splashes, stripes or
polka dots of color add an element of art to
each piece. With principles of sustainability
always at the forefront, the studio takes a
zero-waste approach to design, and repur
poses fabric scraps into accessories and
children’s clothing.
STATE the Label has gone through its
fair share of changes since its founding
in 2010 by designer Adrienne Antonson.
While living and working on an alpaca
farm in Vashon Island, WA, off the coast of
Seattle, Antonson began felting alpaca wool
that eventually became incorporated into
an upcycled clothing line. After a few years,
she traded life on the farm for the big city,
gaining invaluable knowledge of traditional
fashion manufacturing and first-hand expe
rience working at the Textile Arts Center in
Brooklyn.
After operating as an online store
for roughly six years, STATE opened its
first brick-and-mortar storefront in the
Boulevard neighborhood in 2019. When
the COVID-19 pandemic hit the following
year, however, STATE quickly restructured
its shop into a studio, and buckled down on
in-house production and online sales.
Since closing its doors to the public,
business and ambition have steadily grown
behind the scenes, with staff going from
four employees to now 10 and counting.
Venturing beyond clothing, the label
launched a new interiors and furniture line
this past season that offers a variety of
rugs, pillows, seating, blankets, towels and
other home goods—all one of a kind, made
to order or a limited batch.
STATE’s recent relocation from 585
Barber St. to the building next door at 625
Barber St. provides an additional 1,000
square feet to better accommodate its man
ufacturing needs. The new space not only
welcomes visitors back to shop in-person at
long last, but also creates a unique oppor
tunity to simultaneously launch a small art
gallery, The Valton.
“The idea of The Valton developed very
organically when thinking of the new space
and all of its potential,” says employee Tulsi
TenEyck. “The gallery feels like a natural
extension of our company—using our work
and space to put a spotlight on and collab
orate with other artists, designers, makers
and performers.”
The Valton officially debuted on Dec. 8
with an exhibition of works by its name
sake, self-taught folk artist
Valton Murray. Over the
course of his lifelong career
as a visual artist, Murray
has created countless paint
ings inspired by memories
of his childhood, family,
landscapes and everyday
activities. Frequently depict
ing homes and old barns, his
rural scenes vibrantly buzz
with flower patches in full
bloom and tree branches
busily reaching for the sky.
Before moving to
Winterville in 2018,
Antonson and her husband
headed south from Brooklyn
to Thomson, a small Georgia
town near Augusta. While
living there, she first met
Murray, a native of nearby
Mesena, whose work was
on display in Mac on Main Art Gallery, a
co-op her parents belonged to at the time.
Immediately enamored by his artwork,
Antonson has since amassed a small per
sonal collection and has sold several of his
pieces through STATE’s website.
“The idea of the gallery was inspired by
the feeling of loving and sharing work and
concepts from unique and fresh perspec
tives—whether that’s folk art, sculpture, a
puppet theater, pop-up nail art, a museum
display of an impressive collection, any
thing that strikes a cord,” says TenEyck. “It
only felt natural to name it after Valton,
and thankfully he gave us his blessing. We
plan to have an annual show of his work,
and hope that we can continue to be a place
where people discover work they may never
have seen otherwise.”
The team at STATE intends to utilize
the gallery space by presenting a variety of
pop-up vendors, special events and tradi
tional exhibitions by both local and visiting
artists. Art shows will rotate every 6-8
weeks and will be accompanied by either an
opening or closing reception. The team wel
comes proposals of artwork or events, and
inquiries can be sent to thevaltongallery@
gmail.com.
Valton’s paintings will remain on view
through January. The Valton can be vis
ited during STATE’s new business hours,
Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and
Sunday from 12-4 p.m. Visit statethelabel.
com to see what’s in store. ©
ART | THURS, DEC. 15
Andrea Wellnitz
tiny ATH gallery • 6-9 p.m. • FREE!
Tiny ATH gallery is hosting the work of
local textile artist Andrea Wellnitz for the
month of December, with a Third Thursday
art party on Dec. 15. Wellnitz works in
multiple mediums. Most recently, her work
has focused on wet felting, a technique
using wool that she discovered during a
trip to Austria. In wet felting, felt pieces are
blended together to create more cohesive
pieces. Many of Wellnitz’s works toe the line
between garment and sculpture, influenced
by the ebb and flow of the natural world, as
well as her personal life experiences. Her
current exhibition, “The Journey,” explores
these sources of inspiration to their full
extent, featuring three-dimensional felt
pieces as well as shibori dye, a Japanese dye
ing practice that emphasizes imperfection
and serendipitous design. [Patrick Barry]
MUSIC | FRI, DEC. 16
Karl Blau, Night Palace,
Kiran Fernandes
Flicker Theatre & Bar • 8 p.m. • $10
Artists are seers of paths, and although
many see what is necessary to realize an
artistic vision, few can reliably do so. Karl
Blau, however, is not only a seer of paths
but a taker of them, following his odd muse
up mountains and
down river valleys,
following a golden
thread of vital, home
made music over 25
years and 50 albums.
Blau found a dedi
cated following in
the rich indie under
ground of Anacortes,
WA, communing
with the likes of The
Microphones’ Phil
Elverum and the
band LAKE. Having
since moved to
Philadelphia, Blau has
continued touring and
recording at a pace
incomprehensible
to most. Karl Blau
will grace the stage
of Flicker along with
Avery Draut’s dreamy
ensemble Night Palace
and the intricate folk
of Kiran Fernandes. [PB]
MUSIC | SAT, DEC. 17
Take 6
Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall • 7:30 p.m. •
$30-60
It’s “The Most Wonderful Time of
The Year!” No, it’s not just a (debatably)
true statement, but also the name of the
Christmas program presented by one of
the most renowned vocal groups in history.
Take 6 is an a cappella sextet composed of
Claude McKnight, Mark Kibble, Joel Kibble,
Dave Thomas, Alvin Chea and Khristian
Dentley. Since 1980, the group has received
10 Grammy Awards, 10 Dove Awards, two
NAACP Image Awards, a Soul Train Award
and many more accolades for its vocal ren
ditions of gospel, soul, jazz and R8jB. The
group has received praise from many prom
inent musicians throughout its career and
played shows around the world, including
a performance for then-president George
W. Bush at the White House. Take 6’s music
often involves a spiritual bent, and this per
formance’s Christmas repertoire is sure to
cover the classics as well as contemporary
hits. [PB]
MUSIC | SUN, DEC. 18
Riley Downing
The World Famous • 8 p.m.
The world-weary voice of Riley Downing
is a complex beast, weaving in and out of
country landscapes with the confidence of
a man who knows what it’s like to live the
experiences he sings about. As a member
of New Orleans roots group The Deslondes,
Downing bares his soul as a songwriter and
poet. In Downing’s first solo album, 2021’s
Start It Over, Downing delivers his songs in
a sturdy package with hints of gospel and
Delta blues. Whether he’s playing solo or
with a band, Downing always promises a
great show. [PB]
MUSIC | MON, DEC. 19
Good Grief Trio
Marigold Auditorium • 6 p.m. • $15
Of all the Christmas acts that pass
through or pop up in Athens, this one is
more than a one-off novelty band. The Good
Grief Trio is composed of some of the best
musicians Athens has to offer, with Greg
Hankins on piano, Luca Lombardi on bass,
and the incomparable Seth Hendershot on
the drums and occasionally crooning away
on “Little Birdie.” They’ll be playing through
Vince Guaraldi’s masterpiece of both tele
vision scoring and popular jazz, A Charlie
Brown Christmas. If by the end your hunger
for masterfully performed jazz classics isn’t
sated, stick around for a second set, when
the trio will play through the entirety of
Miles Davis’ album Kind of Blue. The band’s
shows are already sold out at Hendershot’s
for the weekend of Dec. 15-17, but tick
ets are still available at the time of this
writing for the Dec. 19 show at Marigold
Auditorium. [PB] ©
Karl Blau
8
FLAGPOLE.COM ■ DECEMBER 14, 2022