Review

A review of Rare Visions — Detour Art

Belger Arts Center
Kansas City, Missouri
March 6 — May 3, 2009

Rare Visions and Roadside Revelations has always been my must-see show on Kansas City Public Television.  I am totally obsessed with outsider art and roadside attractions, and am always in need of a regular "fix" of taking another quirky art trip. To see the art closer and longer, I purchased the entire set of shows on DVD. (There also is a book.) This was a bit of a help to satisfy my lust for seeing these creations, but I always am yearning for more direct contact with the work. For more than 40 years I have wandered the alleys, dirt roads, and highways of North America, hoping to find the elusive holy grail of the art god — and a good cup of coffee and a slice of pie.

When I read that the Belger Arts Center was bringing a large collection of visionary roadside art inside one gallery, I was thrilled. Finally, I could see these American roadside creations without spending tankfuls of expensive fuel and limited time scavenging around the countryside to see the work in person. Plus, the weather is wonderful in the magnificent Belger Arts Center — no rain, tornados, wind, ice, etc.,  just the art and you! The television show is wonderful, but unless you can walk around, touch and see the small scratches, brushstrokes and details, you lose much of the humanity and wonderment of the work.

This exhibition is curated by Kelly Ludwig, author of Detour Art: Outsider, Folk Art, and Visionary Environments Coast to Coast, and Mike Murphy, co-host of the KCPT Rare Visions show.

My personal interest in this unique American artform began back in the fall of 1968 as I entered  my first year at Newark State College. I quickly became aware of an exciting world of wonder outside of my high school hallways. I started observing and searching for my own path, and it led me to the Campus Arts building. There I met dedicated and very serious folks doing work I had never thought of as productive. There were many new experiences in that wonderful cocoon of the Arts Department. The problems of the world were the problems of others; we all were busy following a strong primitive drive to "Make Something."

Throwing pots, blowing glass, sketching, sculpting, painting (and smelling the darkroom chemicals) filled our minds and spirits. This became our Life for many fast-moving days, months and years. We all existed only to create personal expressions of our Art. We found it very hard to leave our artwork and attend the required core courses. We would work late into the nights, experimenting and tweaking our obsessions. We all were hooked, and our life paths were altered forever. Sadly our college days came to an end, and we were dumped back on the streets of northeastern New Jersey to smell not art but the factories and the fumes of the big Esso (Exxon) refinery.

But what became of these budding artists? A few became teachers, many worked a job to get by and create their art in off-times, but some disappeared from sight. What became of the artists who fell off the radar screen of society? Searching for an answer, I packed my rucksack and hitchhiked the back roads of America on the lookout for artists who decided to jump into their art as a way of life. It was during these days that I discovered the treasures of roadside art and the weathered, obsessed folks who lived their lives by the side of the road feverishly creating their masterpieces. I don't know if it was only because they had a need to express themselves or take a break from the problems of other work, but their work is always strong and it is etched in my mind.

In discussions with the artists, I found the common thread in their varied creative spirits was that there is not a common thread. They are all over the place in their personal histories: factory workers, auto mechanics, salespeople, shoemakers, shoe shiners, farmers, construction workers, government employees, railroad laborers, crazy folks and other dreamers — some were very poor, some educated, young and old, regular and fancy, liberals and conservatives — but all dedicated to their projects. Words are blended with materials … rocks, glass, wood, rust, stone, paint, clay, cement, steel, and recycled scraps. Everyone becomes very animated when they speak about their artwork. Some art includes messages, and others blend the threads of Americana into a complex visual delight with no words. Roadside art has no rules for either the artists or the audience.

Viewers of this exhibition at the Belger Arts Center in Kansas City will understand the work without wearing a headset or following a curator on a tour. Everyone will have an opinion that is right for them. If you have never seen this work close up, it is worth a couple of hours of your time to check this show out. You will find several pieces that touch you personally. -re-