-Caveat Lector- Baltimore's American Visionary Art Museum Outsider art inside: 'We Are Not Alone' (CNN) -- "Outsider" or "visionary art" are terms used to refer to work by artists whose inspirations are found outside normal experience and formal training. Such work -- sometimes created in a trance-like state and often defying normal expectations in its sophistication -- has confounded and fascinated collectors. It is, for example, the focus of a 1990 work of dance theater, "Praise House," staged by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and her New York-based company, Urban Bush Women. Now, the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore offers "We Are Not Alone: Angels and Other Aliens," an exhibit of work by some 100 artists. Their link is a self-taught aesthetic of companionship -- visible and invisible. ALSO * Exhibition roundup: What's showing now MESSAGE BOARDEyes on exhibitions: Seen any good exhibits lately? Share your opinions on the message board Light and shadow This exhibit focuses on fantasy and fun, says museum founder-director Rebecca Hoffberger. But she says it also explores the more serious of its theme, with works that are sublime, peaceful, angry or disturbing. Outsider artists often tell of frightening sensations and images to which they're responding on canvas and in sculpture. Their frequent dependence on found materials can deepen the primitivist character of their work. But the complexity of their motifs can be arresting. The "We Are Not Alone" exhibit features interpretations of "visitations" of the sci-fi kind along with its images of faith. On the more whimsical side are some alien bunnies made of thousands of bottle caps by Grace and Clarence Woolsey; a 1976 black Cadillac Fleetwood covered with 5,000 spoons and forks said to have been bent by the mental power of Uri Geller; and "The World's First Robot Family," made of 100-percent recycled material from junkyards by DeVon Smith. Among darker works are August Walla's pictures of otherworldly protectors he felt were with him in his asylum confinement. There are soot-and-spit sketches by James Castle of three imaginary figures. And there are 27 of more than 120 drawings by Virginia housewife Betty Ann Luca, who says her alien encounters started when she was 7 years old. Text often figures into outsider art -- as do long, apocalyptic titles. These trends are represented in the exhibit, in part, by Norbert Kox's "Made in America: U.S. Upperman, the Man of Steal , Prince and Power of the Air, Usurperman, Usurper of the Role ... ." The work uses a numerological code that adds the characters in "Jesus Christ" and "Lucifer" to 666, a number linked in the biblical book of "Revelation" to Satanic forces. As daunting as some newcomers to visionary art find such work, Hoffberger says the show is "a reverent look at what's reality for different people." "We Are Not Alone" is curated by Susan Subtle Dintenfass and includes some 260 works. The majority of the pieces are by American artists but 34 come from the Outsider Collection and Archives of Dublin, Ireland; the Art Brut Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland; and Austria's Gugging Art Center. "We Are Not Alone: Angels and Other Aliens" runs through September 3, 2000, at the American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Highway, Baltimore, Maryland, (410) 244-5858. http://www.cnn.com/1999/STYLE/arts/12/01/avam.alienangel.exhibit/ We are about to go on a Journey. All Aboard http://sites.netscape.net/gsussnzl/poleshift DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
