Opening Date: Friday, October 1, 6-9 pm – free and open to the public
Opening will be streaming live at www.michaeldickins.com/RTWB
Exhibition on View: October 1-29, 2010 – free and open to the public
NEW Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Saturday noon to 6pm
Location: The Harlow Gallery, 160 Water Street, Hallowell, Maine 04347
Raising Two White Boys in the South is a collaborative, multi-media installation created by artists Michael Dickins and Dawn Martin Dickins. This installation is a reflection of contemporary Southern thought that has been influenced by deep-rooted tradition, a troubled past, and a desire to both embrace and dispel common stereotypes.
The artists currently live in a small, rural, north Georgia town that is predominantly white, conservative, and Christian. According to the Dickins’, “We started this project as a way to understand and discuss topics such as diversity and southern identity with our children. The main question we started with was, “How can we expose our children and educate them about other cultures, races and ethnicities while living in a homogeneous community?” The 2009 US Census Bureau reports Maine’s population as 96.1% white. This compelling and relevant exhibition promises to to resonate with Mainers interested in contemporary art and issues of diversity alike.
The installation will consist of 64 16″x16″ wood panels on facing walls in a 13′x5′ grid pattern. 52 panels are drawings that feature the alphabet with their corresponding images (Dawn) and notable Georgians throughout history (Michael). 12 panels will be blank and provide surfaces for video projection. The installation also features two 24 min. sound scores that feature environmental recordings integrated with soundbites of speeches, music, newscasts and readings from the Georgians featured in the portraits.
The public is invited to meet the artists at the exhibition’s opening on Friday, October 1st from 6-9pm at the Harlow Gallery, located at 160 Water Street in downtown Hallowell. The opening will be streamed live on Michael Dickins’ website at www.michaeldickins.com. While visiting Maine, the Dickins will be working with art students over a four-day residency at the University of Maine at Augusta coinciding with the exhibition opening at the Harlow Gallery. For more information on the project visit www.harlowgallery.org.
Captions for Image: “Examples of some of the 52 is this panel (above) by Dawn & Michael Dickins, to be exhibited in “Raising White Boys in the South” coming to the Harlow Gallery in October.”
