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Visions of Violins: Art project unveiled at Gallery Night combines musical, visual art
by Lee B. Roberts
Journal Times
Those who brave the elements for this weekend's Gallery Night will be rewarded with the opportunity to take part in the public unveiling of Racine's latest community art project, "Visions of Violins."
This project, which is a fundraiser for the Racine Symphony Orchestra in its 75th Anniversary Season, involves the work of 21 local artists who designed and painted real violins.
These musical works of art will be auctioned off on May 11 prior to the RSO's final concert of the season, but in the meantime they will reside in eight Downtown art galleries, for all to behold. Participating artists range from professionals to high school students, and their designs feature everything from abstract impressions to detailed portraits and multi-media presentations.
Patricia Lee Raichert, created a less literal musical vision with her "Rhapsody in Blue" - an elegant, three-dimensional, abstract interpretation that brings movement and color to the violin. There are also plenty of designs that reach beyond musical themes to subject matter such as movies with music by John Williams ("Star Wars," "Harry Potter." etc.); Bucky Badger and the Old Reef Point lighthouse.
For Rebecca Wrucke, the blank wood of the instrument brought botanical thoughts to mind. Wrucke, who has painted two violins for the project, devoted each to a different family of plants, painting a flower from those families on one side of each instrument, and the fruits and vegetables from that same family on the other side. "The Lily-lin" depicts a lily, along with asparagus, onion and garlic; while "The Rose-a-lin" has a rose on one side, and apples, cherries, pear and plum on the other.
"I like art that exemplifies beauty," she said. "I want people to be able to look at it and be reminded of something that is beautiful."
Wrucke said she feels honored to be a part of the "Visions of Violins" project, which she hopes will increase appreciation for symphonic music - something she has studied and enjoyed throughout her life.
As members of any kind of arts community do, visual artists understand the struggles involved in the effort to excel in the arts - including the isolation, the lack of monetary reward, and the fear of missing the mark, she said.
"This project is our statement of solidarity and support for all of us in the arts," she said.
Challenging work
For Wrucke, the biggest challenge of painting the violins, was figuring out how to hold the instrument under the light as she painted. The project posed other challenges for artists as well, according to Karen Johnston, an RSO board member who coordinated the project.
"The primed surface (of the violin) is different from painting on a canvas, and there are violin parts to work around that, in some cases, forced design changes," said Johnston, who also painted a violin.
Such challenges didn't deter the artists, though, from creating a very diverse body of work that tells an amazing array of stories, she said.
"Their willingness to share their time and talent in a way that benefits the symphony speaks to their generosity," Johnston said of the artists. "And, I think it's wonderful that there are six high school students among them."
One of those students, Anastacia Stevens, said she enjoyed having the opportunity to combine two art forms - music and visual art - into one project.
A lover of classical music who has played violin for six years, Stevens said she incorporated the images of Mozart and Beethoven into her design - called "Maestro Madness" - because she felt the composers exemplified the concept of being artists within the musical field.
Her overall design expresses the idea of bending musical notes, and reality, into a new art form, said Stevens, a senior at the REAL School, who plans on majoring in art in college.
"It comes from a reference point of being able to hear music at that level of creation," she said.
Stevens said she also appreciates the chance to have the work of a high schooler be part of Gallery Night.
"A lot of times, high school students are not taken seriously in the art world, because they are still developing as artists," she said. "I think it is a good idea for students to be involved with something like this where they can interact with professional artists and the community at large, and perhaps get the chance to be taken a little more seriously."
Out of the box
Patterned after similar projects, done by orchestras in larger cities, "Visions of Violins" is a very creative way of raising funds for the Racine Symphony, said Jennifer Samuelson, the RSO's executive director.
"It is not just another $150-a-plate, black-tie dinner," she said. "Everyone has been so anxious to be a part of the project, from the artists to the galleries, to our board and musicians. We haven't had a large-scale fundraising event for several years so our expectations and hopes are very high."
In addition to "Visions of Violins," Downtown's Gallery Night will feature the work of other local artists, as well as that of regional and national participants. Visitors can stroll from gallery to gallery, free of charge, and enjoy refreshments and conversation along with the art.
"Gallery Night has become such a great social event," said Denise Roberts McKee, of the Working Dog Gallery. "It's not just about coming to see the art. Some people come down by themselves, or they in come in twos, and end up meeting other people they know down here and traveling on to the next gallery with them. It is really a big social happening."
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| Visions of Violins: If You Go | Visions of Violins: Gallery Night list |
