"On the Other Side" Exhibit, Spiva Art Gallery

"On the Other Side"

After viewing the Spiva Art Gallery’s show, “On The Other Side”, I have formed my own opinion on what is being displayed there.  When I first saw the pieces at the gallery I was very impressed.  I think the variety that the gallery had was very good.  By putting together pieces that dealt with the tornado that happened this year, with other very unique pieces gave me a huge range of emotion and respect for the work.  When I saw a piece that was a picture like oil painting of torn books and rubble from the tornado it immediately reminded me of everything I saw that day, mostly the people that were hurt and the ones that were helping, and it stuck with me.  Then, there was a small clay sculpture depicting an angel covering people from falling rocks, this was another one that suck with me.  The detail and time taken out of that artist’s day to create that was a lot, and it showed.  Overall, the Spiva Art Gallery was a very good experience and I play on going back to see some more art work.  We have a lot of talented artists that need to be exposed to the world more than they are being.

Many artists from Joplin and its extended areas created the pieces in this show. The artworks displayed in the exhibition were created within the last six months.

The Spiva Art Gallery exhibit, “On the Other Side,” was created essentially for the people of Joplin. Each piece, whether it is debris; a scene depicted through clay; or a simple pencil drawing, signifies the emotions and repressed feelings which cannot be expressed through verbal communication. The numerous works were made to show the how the people of Joplin are responding to the May 22^nd tornado, which is clearly seen in a tree with no limbs but is completely covered in green sprouts, a crumpled up one way sign that has been mounted on a crude wooden cross, and a rendition of Edvard Munch’s The Scream taking cover in the depths of a bath tub. All the pieces of art seem to convey a sense remembrance, even a sense of unity, which shows how the city has banded together as an effect of the storm. In short, this exhibit is showing what all of the residents have been through and brings the outside closer to the soul of each that was affected by the Joplin Tornado.

 On the subject of form and concerning how it contributes, this could be taken a couple ways. First, it could be taken as how the form of the Spiva Gallery's actual architectural design contributed to the exhibition. In this case, I think it contributed a good vibe. You first walk in and are greeted by the guy behind the desk that informed you about what was being shown and what not. You then turn right down a hallway, with a piece of art beckoning you towards the end. You meet up with this art piece, greet it with your observant eyes, after which it welcomes you and introduces you to the room full of art that awaits your acquaintance to the left, in a very spacious series of rooms. Another way to take this is the gallery's interior design. This would include light, color pallet, floor type, etc. In this consideration, it contributed a good canvas for the exhibition. The lighting fell on the pieces very well and softly lit them without glare. The walls had a good undistracting neutral colors. I didn't notice the floor because, well, I was too busy looking at the art, which means the gallery did something right there too. 

"On the Other Side” is a very inspirational addition to the gallery. The title can be taken to allude to many different ideas, but one that is definite is the rebirth of Joplin after the May 22^nd tornado. Throughout the gallery, there are numerous pictures, paintings, installations and collages that all refer to how the creator’s story relates to the bigger story of coming together for the greater good. The art that has come out of the incident here has proceeded to allow the community of Joplin to push to the other side of disaster and emerge reborn stronger and more cohesive than ever before.