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| Holly Scoggins' 'Light From Its Load, The Spirit Flies' |
Or at least, it should be.
The Visual & Performing Arts Division of Gulf
Coast State College will allow visitors to explore artists’ interpretations of
“Redemption” through the remainder of the semester. An art exhibit on this
subject opens next Friday, Nov. 15, in conjunction with the premiere of the college’s
stage production of “Les Miserables.”
Victor Hugo, writing about his novel on which the
musical is based, said “Les Misérables” is about “a progress from evil to good,
from injustice to justice, from falsehood to truth, from night to day, from
appetite to conscience, from corruption to life; from bestiality to duty, from
hell to heaven, from nothingness to God.”
He continues: “The starting point: matter;
destination: the soul. The hydra at the beginning, the angel at the end.”
(Which is, in my opinion, just as good a description
of the artist’s visceral drive to create art as it is of one’s attempt to
redeem one’s soul.)
Throughout the story, characters struggle with their
perceptions of themselves and the most extreme of circumstances, and they pray
to be redeemed from the lives and choices they have made for themselves and
those closest to them.
“Redemption” will feature work by seven artists from
across the United States
who have, according to promotional materials, “contemplated the idea of
redemption through painting with results as diverse as the people who made
them.” Participating artists are Dina Brodsky, Gary Chapman, Megan Ewert,
Richard Heipp, Logan Marconi, Kymia Nawabi and Holly Scoggins.
“While some address redemption in its most literal,
theological meaning, others take a broader approach and focus on the idea of a
journey, transformation, or self-actualization and self-perception,” according
to a description of the show prepared by GCSC.
The exhibit will open with a reception, free and
open to the public, from 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 15. The work will be on display in
the Amelia Center Main Gallery (Room 112) until Dec. 5. Gallery hours are 10
a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and admission is free. For more details,
email professor and ceramics artist Pavel Amromin at pamromin@gulfcoast.edu.
In some views, redemption must be earned through
self-sacrifice. Others see it as a gift freely given to those who truly seek it
— redeemed by grace, not works, as the Good Book says.
However, these particular works promise a wealth of
redeeming value. Give them a look, and let me know if they transport you to a
better place.
Peace.
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