My Visit To An Art Museum
Over the amount of time given I had the privilege to visit the Cabarrus Arts Council. The North Carolina Arts Council wanted to spread the awareness of art in as many counties as possible, and the Cabarrus Arts Council came to be a direct result of those wishes in 1980. The Cabarrus Arts Council is located in downtown Concord, it was made to improve its community through the promotion of art, it also planned on uniting the community as a whole all the while increasing awareness.
I found this place when I was in middle school, we were on a field trip to the courthouse located in concord a block away from the Cabarrus Arts Council. We finished early and it was decided that we would walk over and enjoy the artwork that was held in the Arts Council. The exhibitions change every eight weeks when I visited for this project they had an exhibition for pottery at the time. I went with a friend and we were the only ones there, it was extremely quiet you could hear a pin drop. I felt very uncomfortable in the environment, the staff were nice, it’s just being in a quiet place like that isn’t my scene. I did feel disconnected from the experience because we were the only visitors in the entire place, I felt a rushed although that could just be my personality shining through.
As I was scanning the pottery was at my disposal a piece made by Daniel Johnston caught my eye. The piece that caught my eye was a large jar with a very intriguing external design, in this piece of artwork, he uses a wood-fired salt-glazed stoneware and local clay from his very own Seagrove. Wood ash from a wooden stove are used to create the glaze, as well as a variety of local elements, which are used from his clay back home. Johnston believes that when using clay from his local area it connects him to the other potters that have used the very same clay from the very same place.
The piece of artwork grabbed my attention due to the fact that I found it unique to the other pottery pieces. I found it especially interesting how it looks as if someone poured syrup down the side of the jar when they made it. The specific glaze and movement of the lines in the artwork make it look as if I could taste the sweetness dripping from the artwork. I like the contrast between the dark and light colors, although the shades of colors are contrasting there is enough balance that it still allows for a more aesthetically pleasing design. The design is smooth texture due to the glaze even though it may not look it due to the contrasting lines on the outside, making me fall in love with the piece even more. I find the shape of the artwork to be very symmetrical and the unity from top to bottom, at the top it starts out dark, shifts to light and then fades to dark once again. It may not look it but there is so much going on in this single piece of art.
Personally, I don’t believe that this piece of artwork will have any major impact on the community. This is not because of the artwork or the artist in the slightest, I think that it is the Cabarrus Arts Council and its location. I have come to the conclusion that it doesn’t get enough exposure, I could tell this when I walked in and it was empty. Although I do feel as I got to be part of a community experience because I know that the Arts Council is an older part of the downtown Concord area. I have been there before and I still had to look it up on a GPS that goes to tell you it is hard enough to find especially when there are other major buildings and organizations right beside it like the police station and the new courthouse.
I would love to share this artwork with other people. I would do this by moving this piece to my home town. There is a museum there known as the Eastern Cabarrus Historical Society Museum, but I don’t believe that it receives enough exposure either to make a difference in the community. I honestly think it would gain a lot of exposure and impact the community in a positive way by bringing awareness to art as a whole, hopefully opening people’s eyes to the museum down the road and the Cabarrus Arts Council.
