Anonymous Ancestors at the Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage

 

(Above: Anonymous Ancestors at the Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage. Click on any image to enlarge.)

 

Today was the eighth time Steve and I have installed my solo show Anonymous Ancestors.  Each time, the venue has presented its own unique challenges.  The Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage was no exception despite it being the smallest space for the exhibit. The challenge came in the required hanging system.  The former gas station (now a historic building) uses patented STAS minirail.  This hanging system is actually very easy to use and it protects the historic walls (which would have been difficult anyway ... white-painted brick walls and hard boards to block the pane glass garage door!) 

 

Yet this sort of hanging system does prevent me from creating vignettes of framed pictures.  For the show at City Gallery at Waterfront Park in Charleston, Steve and I hung 309 pieces.  (CLICK HERE for a blog post showing this very large solo show.)  Knowing that we would be dealing with perlon cords and zipper security hooks, I knew to bring only the larger pieces and more furniture than I've ever used.

Even without all the altered photographs, this show looks wonderful!  There's something very special about having such a small, intimate space. What was once a garage is now quite convincingly a stereotypical Grandmother's Victorian inspired parlor filled with family pictures, photo albums, seating, and even the specter of inhabitants through the positioning of the art garments.

For this show, the artist books are better on view.  I even brought wooden music stands/lecterns for a few of them.  The excellent lighting will allow visitors to browse through the pages.  Sure ... these books have been in almost every other show but I don't think people really paid attention to them due to the hundreds of framed photographs on the walls.  

Every show really has been different but every time has also been a successful transformation of the available space.  This show definitely has its pluses!  I hope people can attend my Artist Talk on Saturday, August 26th at 11 AM!  

 

Please scroll down for more images! The signage for this show reads:

To stand within Susan Lenz’s installation, Anonymous Ancestors, is to become immersed in the myriad of family stories handed down through generations. Each snapshot is a frozen moment on life’s time-line. Letters and words clipped from vintage print material allow one’s mind to wander, envisioning forgotten friends, past holidays, ancient occasions, former cars, and hilarious fashion trends. Yet, all the images are anonymous. The photos come from yard sales, auctions, and thrift stores. Who are these people? Who really knows? They are distant aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents, siblings, and in-laws. They are society’s family tree, our collective wall of ancestors.

This installation was made possible through the support of family and friends, including Kayleigh Vaughn and the staff and board of directors at the Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage; Springboard for the Arts and the Hinge Art Residency program, Fergus Falls, MN; Bill Mishoe’s Estate Services, Columbia, SC; Steve Dingman; all those who have donated vintage materials to Susan’s studio practice; and the many anonymous individuals who stared out of their half-forgotten pictures with inspiration.