In the Spirit of Fall, Gourds and Harvest!
When one thinks of gourds, the first thing that comes to mind is probably something you put outside around your carved pumpkins at Halloween or decorations for your Thanksgiving table. But did you know gourds have been important to the practice of art since prehistoric times? For those of you who are unfamiliar, a gourd is a hard shelled fruit which has historically been used by many ancient cultures. Before the invention of pottery, gourds were used for both decorative and utilitarian purposes. In AAC’s latest exhibition, Gourds: Origins and Originals, eight different regional contemporary artists have explored various techniques and methods to create several original works of art all made out of gourds.
In various prehistoric cultures, gourds were used for storytelling and given as gifts, with some of them being quite elaborate in their ornamentation. Since gourds have tough exteriors, they are ideal surfaces for carving, engraving, staining, or pyro-engraving (burning). They also make good musical instruments, because of their ability to keep their shape when hallow. This exhibition contains a little bit of everything when it comes to objects you can make out of gourds! Some must-sees include Doug Retzler’s Gourd Funkalele, Percy Medina’s Globe and Nazca Lines, and C. Angela Mohr’s Gourdhead Doll.
The artists involved were influenced by various cultural traditions and significances when creating these works, in addition to their personal interests. The exhibition as a whole helps to illustrate the history of using gourds for tools and art, but also serves to bring gourds into an exhibition space as a modern medium for contemporary works of art.
This exhibition isn’t the only place where you will see gourds at AAC. If you have passed by us recently, you may be wondering what the large structures in the front are. This is called the Gourd Palace Spirit House and it’s a creation of artist Doug Retzler, mentioned above. We will be celebrating this structure as well as the upcoming fall season with our Harvest Festival on October 12th! There will be food and fun for the whole family so we encourage everyone to come out and enjoy the day with us. And if you haven’t already, pay us a visit and come see these fantastic and unique works of art here at AAC.
Written by Katherine Roper, AAC’s Marketing & Development Intern
