Saturday, May 3, 2008

Sanctuary

"Sanctuary" is an intriguing sculpture by Ted Whisenhunt, associate professor of art at Judson College in Marion, and it earned a blue ribbon at the March 2008 Arts Revive show in Selma.

Any idea about the background for the theme?
The "little house" has a pole inside that is topped with an upside-down, blue bottle. Why are the outside poles painted white on the bottom?

I really don't know what the artist was thinking when he designed this, but being a native of Alabama, I might have an idea!

Oh yes! Whisenhunt not only teaches art. He is lead singer and a musician with the Kudzu String Band.

9 comments:

  1. very cool installation!

    Looks like a house in the forest where one could have peace and quite.

    Some people paint the bottom of their trees with white stuff to protect them.

    Could also be a political statement about those people who prefer to be surrounded by a total lack of diversity?

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  2. WOW! I LOVE that string band! SUPER!

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  3. I may not get it, but it looks neat, and I would probably stare at it trying to figure it out.

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  4. It's quite a striking piece,certainly different

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  5. I would expect that without the white paint on the sticks, it seems too wild and disorderly to be a sanctuary. I think the work captures the theme well.

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  6. Thanks for your comments. I think the theme has to do with folklore and superstitions of the Deep South. The bottle on the pole in the little house probably represents a bottle tree, which was used to ward off evil spirits. The poles represent trees.

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  7. To me it says 'prison' not Sanctuary. So inclosed. the whole outdoors is sanctuary to me. MB

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