Gallery Day April 17, 2010

Gallery Day Reception

Saturday, April 17, 2010

12 - 5 PM



Terry McCormick Gallery

Contemporary Fine and Folk Art

2522 North 18th Street

Milwaukee, WI 53206



Featuring the works of:

Shana R. Goetsch, George Ray McCormick, Sr., Ras `Ammar Nsoroma, and Evelyn Patricia Terry



Come celebrate the life and work of Prophet Blackmon from 4 - 5 pm, Saturday, April 17, by sharing stories and artwork. The three pieces in Terry's collection are on exhibition; go to this site for more information on his career; http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/entertainment/88562967.html



For additional information, please contact:

Evelyn Patricia Terry

414.264.6766

terryevelyn@hotmail.com or visit:

www.evelynpatriciaterry.com

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About the Artists

Shana R. Goetsch is showing found object/mixed media paintings, which reference the idea of resurrection. The pieces allude to passageways between one form of "life" and the next. Goetsch's work frequently involves themes of social justice, empowerment, loss and bereavement - she began painting in 1989, after the murder of her mother. Often using words, cultural references or found objects, she interjects personal voice, history and meaning into her pieces. Goetsch, in 2009, worked extensively with the Riverwest Artists Association, serving on the board and both the gallery and programming committees. She received her BFA in painting from MIAD, in 2008, and is joining the Maryland Institute College of Art's Master of Art in Community Arts program in June. One of Goetsch's pieces pictured is "Your Eyes."



George Ray McCormick, Sr. made his transition in 2009. He was a self-taught folk artist whose work spanned many media. He left a large number of drawings and sketches as well as many welded sculpture pieces, carvings and paintings. Many McCormick artworks adroitly combine carving, painting and welding. He exhibited throughout Wisconsin and was also invited to exhibit at the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival in Washington D.C.; in Chiba, Japan; and the Kentuck Art Festival in Northport, Alabama. One of his bird carvings became part of the White House's permanent collection. McCormick's last body of work, "The Rooster Series," is on view along with several of his larger welded bug pieces.



Ras `Ammar Nsoroma deals with combining topics like African Spirituality with liberation such as in the painting and oil pastel, “Maat and African Liberation.” He is best known for completion of over fifty murals throughout Milwaukee and in other places such as Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. One of his most visible murals is the painted bas-relief of Milwaukee's Underground Railroad history located at the entrance to the Marquette Interchange just off Fond du Lac Avenue. It features the images of Caroline Quarles and Joshua Glover - two slaves who escaped to Canada. Nsoroma will also be present to do his phenomenal pastel portraits for only $50.



Evelyn Patricia Terry, a full-time professional visual artist, has been producing pastel drawings, paintings, public art, installations and found object work for over thirty years. After the death of McCormick, her long time personal friend, she decided to create the Terry McCormick Gallery to honor McCormick's memory and their combined passion for the visual arts. Terry attended both the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, earning BFA, MS and MFA degrees respectively. She is in the collections of three Wisconsin museums including the Museum of Wisconsin Art, where her pastel from the Pandora's Box series is being shown in the Permanent Collection galleries through 2010. Her latest work centers around completion of the series, "Play the Race Card." Terry is inspired to put a constructive spin on universal race talk - facing the controversy head on. She says, "Maybe some day that race card game will be old, just maybe - but until then, play to your heart's content." Invite Terry to speak at your school, place of business or organization about her aesthetic vision.



Additional information about McCormick's artwork

Evelyn Patricia Terry is pictured with McCormick’s "Untitled" bug sculpture - a mixture of woodburned carved basswood and welded metal. It expands on McCormick's smaller “Bug-in-a-Jar” concept and is $300. All the smaller bugs that were in the Terry McCormick Gallery have been sold. There are several larger bugs ranging from $100 - $300. Also only six yard sculptures remain available for $200 each.



One of the pivotal artworks in McCormick's life is the painted woodcarving that he stands beside below, "Climbing Out of Hell." McCormick succinctly captured, in visually powerful subject matter, his evolution from earlier bad choices. These bad choices resulted in consequences, which catapulted him into “the active pursuit of a meaningful spiritual life.” While studying the work of Reverend Josephus Farmer, McCormick decided to carve completely through "Climbing Out of Hell" - creating, physical instead of visual, positive and negative spaces in the wood that were subsequently incorporated into many of his later works. “Climbing Out of Hell” (31" x 24 3/4") is $5,000. Symbolizing a major breakthrough and turning point in McCormick's life - both aesthetically and spiritually - it was chosen for the 2008 Charles Allis exhibition catalog cover, "Journey From the Secular to the Spiritual, Works by George Ray McCormick Sr.," authored by Dr. Jeffrey Hayes.