By Gregg Found
Carrboro Commons Writer

Long before being displayed for the gaze of the town, any gallery of drawings, sculpture or photography on public exhibit in Carrboro must be investigated by seven pairs of critical eyes.

The Carrboro Arts Committee, a seven-member town government advisory board tucked away next to such giants as the Planning Board and Transportation Board, rules all things public art in Carrboro.

Carrboro residents Margaretha Richardson (left) and Helen Galbreath relax at the Carrboro Century Center in front of the Emma’s Kids exhibit. The display is a fundraiser for Emma’s Kids, an orphanage in South Africa for children with AIDS.
Gregg Found photo

Art submissions to the committee fluctuate wildly, but even with an empty inbox as of its Monday deadline, the group said the arts will go on.

“We didn’t get any submissions this month,” said committee member Sharmin Mirmin, a musician. “But that’s ok – we also booked other submissions through February.”

The committee is charged with deciding which exhibits to display in two high-traffic Carrboro locations – Town Hall and the Century Center. They review art, decide when to present it, and then put it on display for six to twelve weeks.
The process isn’t always as smooth as it seems.

A lack of entries can leave committee members scrambling to make sure the walls are covered. The committee itself is searching for three more members to fill out the vacant seats in the 10-member group. And identifying the criteria used to judge art has been tenuous.

“Basically if it’s creative and unique and interesting,” said committee member Michael Maher, who admitted: “It’s hard to define that really.”

Not that artists applying to the committee should worry too much about rejection.

“I don’t think we’ve ever told anyone that, ‘No, we can’t have your stuff,’” Maher said.

Instead, the committee plays part-cheerleader, part-jury as it simultaneously pleads for submissions and appraises the art it receives.

“We started out begging people to show their art,” said committee chair and local artist Victoria Ralston. “And now we’re here, booked into next year.”

Their requirements keep the door open for many submissions. Age of the artist, type of work and previous art experience are nonfactors in the eligibility standards for submitting work. The only art disqualified is art that has either already been on public display in Carrboro or is not “gallery ready,” meaning framed, wired and ready to exhibit.

“We basically look at it and all vote on it if we think it’s something cool to bring to the town,” Maher said of the decision-making steps. “If it’s from around here, it gets bonus points. Uniqueness, quality of the work, just creative sort of gusto you might say. If someone’s motivated and they’ve put together a body of work, that’s great.”

A collection of Korean rice paper paintings that a Carrboro woman found in her grandmother’s attic was a great combination of local and international flair, Maher said.

However, the committee requires submitted art to be more than just a one-hit wonder. Ten pieces are required from each artist, which Maher said is both to make sure the display space is filled and to verify the quality of the artist.
“If you just submit one painting, that’s not a body of work,” he said.

The committee aims to give attention to less recognized artists and topics more so than the well-knowns. On display now is a gallery depicting Emma’s Kids, an orphanage in South Africa. The pieces are on sale for $25, and all the proceeds go to Emma van der Merwe in Meyerton, South Africa, to help maintain her home for children with AIDS.

But without a clear charge or list of directives, the group is still feeling out the process – and each other.

“There’s a lot of energy of the people on the committee,” said Maher, who runs Rotini, a Carrboro gallery featuring pop-pluralism art, a mix of design art, lowbrow art, hip-hop art and graffiti art.

“It has been a really unusual and very interesting thing,” Ralston said of the combination of Carrboro arts aficionados on the committee.

What Maher said they’re really trying to do is showcase art not just from Carrboro, but from the Triangle, which he called “a hub for the creative class.”

“We’re all in the same place,” he said. “I don’t care if someone’s wearing a powder blue shirt or a scarlet red shirt or a navy blue one. It’s about attracting people that have creative talents.”

For a schedule of art showings by the committee and for more information on Emma’s Kids, visit http://www.carrboro.com/artcommitteecalendar/ or call Kim Andrews at 919-918-7367.

Caption: Carrboro residents Margaretha Richardson (left) and Helen Galbreath relax at the Carrboro Century Center in front of the Emma’s Kids exhibit. The display is a fundraiser for Emma’s Kids, an orphanage in South Africa for children with AIDS.