The Coleman Center for the Arts
Richard Curtis, Mockingbird: Mapping Sights and Sounds
The Coleman Center for the Arts is pleased to present, Mockingbird: Mapping Sights and Sounds, a new exhibition by former Coleman Center resident artist Richard Curtis. The exhibit will be on display from October 4th to to November 29th. A reception will take place on Friday, October 7th from 6 to 8 PM. Food will be provided by TNT BBQ, and the event is free and open to the public. Please come and join the fun!
Curtis employs the central metaphor of a mockingbird across multiple mediums. The artist himself took on the persona of a mockingbird as he collected sounds, stories, and objects from around York and Sumter County.
Curtis frequently asked residents what was the sound that they associated most with their sense of home. Answers ranged from the train, a central sound in York and Livingston, to the sound of the front door closing. Curtis then imitated these sounds along with others that he found while staying in York. The sounds were compiled into recordings, or abstract songs. These recordings will be available as an album at the reception.
In what the artist refers to as memory bundles, Curtis has assembled found remnants into nest-like objects. The bundles offer the viewer possible narratives of the objects’ past lives and significance to the community.
The bundles mimic more ephemeral nests assembled throughout York over the course of the summer made from such varied objects as tailpipes, shoes, grass, and children’s toys. While these temporary sculptures in many cases lasted only for days, photographs remain on display in the gallery. Overall, Curtis’s work offers a reflection of various fleeting elements of the visual and sonic aspects of the community.
Curtis received an MFA from the Art Institute of Chicago, and is currently teaching art at the University of North Alabama in Florence. This project is made possible by funds from the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the Alabama Power Foundation, the Daniel Foundation of the Alabama, the Coleman Center for the Arts, and the generous contributions of our individual supporters.