Now that was a night! Storms and high temps had been predicted for weeks. Storms and high temps were still the prediction when the day arrived for the METAMORPHOSIS Artist Reception for Debbie and Richard Reed; and yet, as so often is the good fortune that smiles on Hyde House, the storms did not develop and the temps dropped. The evening that unfolded was sublimely perfect for the indoor/outdoor reception.
For the full year of weeks and months that preceded the opening of METAMORPHOSIS, while the artists Debbie and Richard Reed were making art in their studios, the village of artCentral was twirling, twirling, twirling with the making of preparations to support our exhibiting artists and their talents.
In my Hyde House office as well as my remote studio office, I was on the phone and at my keyboard, setting calendar dates and timelines, prepping the Gallery Agreement and documents for the artists and confirming support by the exhibition’s underwriter, SCHMIDT CPAs and ADVISORS. Having created the graphics for the exhibition posters and invitations, I purchased a supply of stamps while Joseph Perdomo, owner, at Carthage Printing did his excellent (as always) printing job. While artCentral volunteer-extraordinaire, Lora Waring, labeled and stamped the invitations for mailing, Maddie Capps, Kalee Hinspeter and Jason Shelfer, members of artCentral’s board of directors, stepped up to help me with the media distribution in Carthage and Joplin as our board media guru, Wendi Douglas, made sure the news of METAMORPHOSIS went out to media near and far.
When the date drew near for delivery of the art work, my husband David Greenwood-Mathé, artCentral’s prepitor/art handler, and I spent extra evening hours at Hyde House—he patching nail holes and removing marks and smudges from walls and woodwork that he thoroughly touched up with paint, while I did the dusting and sweeping and mopping and tidying up in general to have the galleries looking their very best. They were sparkling when we finally sighed and said, “Ready!”
Debbie and Richard delivered their 36 paintings and 40 pottery works (plus 10 more filled with Richard’s carefully cultivated miniature succulents), and the work we think of as fun really began for David and me. We truly love doing exhibition installations together! David, an artist himself with fifteen years of experience as a Kansas City gallery owner, and I, as an artist with a passion for seeing and arranging art holographically, are a well-paired team. We begin with a total review of the art on hand then look and listen for the conversations between the artworks—conversations of color and/or content—making sure the conversation flows easily from one wall or pedestal to the next and from the downstairs galleries to those upstairs.
METAMORPHOSIS opened elegantly for Weekend Gallery Hours, 12:00-5:00 p.m. on the first Friday in August. For all the Fridays and Saturdays for the exhibition’s run, artCentral members (many of them artists) served as Gallery Docents. On Fridays which are always my day to docent, I was blissfully assisted by artCentral’s newest intern Sierra Hicks. Saturday docents include Jordy Vulpine, Heather and Sierra Hicks, Beth Kang, Jason Shelfer and Aurelia Burr.
The Missouri Arts Council has certified artCentral as an ArtSafe Space with CDC protocols observed by all who visit Hyde House. Masks are to be worn and social distancing is to be practiced as we all do our best to keep one another safe and healthy.
For the mid-August Artist Reception following CDC protocols, artCentral board president Betsy Flanigan was the Reception impresario assisted by board members Alexandra Burnside and Kalee Hinspeter. Board member, Doug Osborn, made sure to replenish the house libations and have them well chilled to accompany the individually packaged table fare. Bren Flanigan hosted the beverage table while Kerry Sturgis and David welcomed guests on the front porch. My friend Lori Bigley was a marvelous help writing invoices for the evening’s brisk sales. (Shhhh! Don’t tell! For Lori’s September birthday, her husband David purchased Debbie’s painting of a chicken Lori had admired.)
Now that was a night! The weather turned out just right. Lots of folks came to share in the celebration and many bought favorite artworks while Debbie and Richard spent the evening visiting with guests and talking art.
The exquisite METAMORPHOSIS Exhibition will continue on view through September 18, 2021, at Hyde House, 1110 East Thirteenth Street in Carthage. Admission is free. The public is invited. For more information call (417) 358-4404 or visit ArtCentralCarthage on Facebook or online at artcentralcarthage.org.
