Artspace ? Frank Poor | Triangle Arts and Entertainment

Traces

Traces

Frank Poor

Exhibition Dates:?October 5 ? November 10, 2012

Opening Reception:?First Friday Gallery Walk, October 5, 6-10pm

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(Visual Art/Mixed Media)

Location: Artspace, Gallery One

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Raleigh, NC??Artist Frank Poor?s interest in architecture ? and more specifically, the changing southern landscape ? began when his childhood home, Woodstock, GA, once a small town of approximately 500 people, experienced a boom in the 1970s and 80s. Buildings went up and the town grew to 30,000 residents seemingly overnight. Contemporary structures replaced old, historic architecture.?The rural built environment that had grown organically and over time to reflect local needs was replaced with homogenous contemporary structures that bore no relationship to place.

Much of what Poor viewed as meaningful was torn down and replaced. In most cases, the new homes and businesses were transitory. For Poor, the growth became equated with impermanence, characterized by dated construction built with cheap materials.

Small towns across the country can tell tales similar to the one Poor experienced in Woodstock.?These towns, particularly those in the southeastern United States, have become central to Poor?s recent mixed-media works. The three-dimensional basswood sculptures presented in?Traces, use the language of southern vernacular architecture (through both form and photographic imagery) to explore memory and loss.

Though originally trained as a sculptor, photography has become the foundation for much of Poor?s recent work. In 2009, when he began his current series, he predominantly relied on found or historic photographs. More recently however, he shoots his own images. Though Poor currently lives in Rhode Island all of the photographic imagery in?Traces?was taken in the southeast, namely Georgia, where Poor was raised, and Alabama. Capturing his own photographs allows Poor to more aptly portray his vision of a particular moment in time and place.

The process of finding or shooting photographs is a method by which Poor gathers information ? research to aid in his investigations. He notes, ?photographs are bits of evidence;? they are artifacts that suggest a narrative, but only tell part of the story. As an artist, it is his job to extrapolate upon these photographs, and pull together all of the fragments to develop a comprehensive vision. The photographs are just one component, one tactic, in communicating his idea. The images, at times printed onto wood veneers (cherry, knotty pine, birch, etc.), and more recently printed onto transparencies, are incorporated into three-dimensional architectural forms that Poor constructs of square basswood dowels. The pieces range in scale from as small as nine inches to as large as seven feet. Most of the forms hang on the wall, though larger works are placed on the gallery floor.

Artist Biography

Frank Poor was born in Woodstock, GA, in1962. He earned his BFA from Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, and his MFA from Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI.

His work has been widely exhibited including in recent solo exhibitions at the Newport Art Museum; Welch Gallery at Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA; and at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.

About Artspace

Artspace, a thriving visual art center located in downtown Raleigh, brings the creative process to life through inspiring and engaging education and community outreach programming, a dynamic environment of over 30 professional artists studios, and nationally acclaimed exhibitions. Approximately 95 artists hold professional memberships in the Artspace Artists Association. Thirty-five of these artists have studios located at Artspace. Artspace is open to the public Tues.-Sat., from 10 a.m. ? 6:00 p.m. and on the first Friday of each month for the First Friday Gallery Walk until 10:00 p.m. Admission is free; donations appreciated. Guided tours are available. Artspace is located in Historic City Market in Raleigh at the corner of Blount and Davie Streets.

Artspace is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County, the Raleigh Arts Commission, individuals, corporations, and private foundations.

For more information, please visit?www.artspacenc.org

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