The Child Within reception was so fun! Our Locust Street Elementary students brought a new level of energy to the night and it was great seeing artists of all ages chat and interact.

Juror’s Statement

Children’s art is fearless, bold and bright. Often as adults, we wish we could return to this methodology of art making, but we struggle to put our fears, perfectionism, and self-judgment aside. In allowing adult artists to collaborate with a Locust Street Elementary School student, the work represented in “The Child Within” was created with a child’s spirit in mind.

Before reviewing the work for “The Child Within,” I wrote several criteria before selecting the work to include in the show. Since the goal of the show is to promote collaboration among a Locust Street artist and an adult artist, I looked specifically for works which were an interpretive response to the Locust Street artist’s work, rather than a direct copy. Additionally, since a second goal of “The Child Within” was to showcase excellent craftsmanship and skill, I also avoided work that was attempting to mimic the naïve style of a child.

The works selected for “The Child Within” represent a wide range of interpretations based upon their collaborator’s original art. Some works include a specific visual reference to the work of the Locust Street artist’s work, and some, a subtle hint. All of the works, however, honor the spirit and intent in which the original work was created.

Award recipients include:

James Reece, 1st place winner

The juror said: This is a beautiful example of a collaboration between child and adult artist. The artist who created this meticulously crafted quilt was able to expand upon the vision of the original artist with gorgeous color and imagination.

Michelle Marcum, 2nd place winner

The juror had this to say: At first glance, this piece is very similar to the artwork on which it was based. It appears that the artist who created this painting carefully imitated the texture of the paint found in the original work. However, when examined closely, the true collaboration is revealed: the painter created two subtle eyes and a set of teeth in order to invent a new found creature.

Gennie Pfannenstiel, 3rd place winner

The juror said about this work: This is a celebration of the work on which it was based. The rich color and variety of materials creates a lush and riotous collaboration with the original work.

The show is colorful and fun and will be up through the end of October, be sure to come by and see it for yourself!

By: Liv Jackson

Rainey Bailey King’s artistic process is abstract and fluid, and it allows for an exciting array of very different pieces to come to fruition. An excellent representation of such creations is his piece entitled “Fake News”.

King submitted this piece to Columbia Art League’s exhibit “Truth”, which challenged artists to experiment with their definition of the word and examine how truth perpetuates throughout everyday life.

“When I saw the little back story for the “Truth?” exhibit I thought it would be a really good one to submit, so I kind of wrapped it up and got it framed up and everything,” says King.

This was only his second time bringing a piece to Columbia Art League. He explains that he brought another piece in in 2017, but that his artistic style differs so much from one work to another, one may not know the two were made by the same person at first glance.

The background of “Fake News” was created with spray paint. King makes his backgrounds separately and will set them aside until he discovers what belongs on top. The creation of the base of the canvas is often emotionally driven.

What he chooses to layer atop the passionate backgrounds may vary totally in content matter. For this in particular, he printed out a photo of Donald Trump’s open mouth giving a speech, cut it out, and applied it to the corner. From that sprouts a speech bubble, filled not with words, but with a golden spot.

King had noticed an uptick in the usage of the term “fake news” by politicians and the media, but the gravity really resonated with him when he saw it tattooed across his friend’s knuckles. These observations led to the creation of the visually intriguing piece.

The piece has controversial undertones, but leaves interpretation up to the viewer.

“You can’t just look at it and really know the direct opinion,” he says. “It’s very questionable, and I like that.”

Another stylistic decision was very intentionally made by the artist concerning the framing. The colorful piece hangs inside a very ornamented, gilded gold frame. King says this was a decision he made to evoke a sense of the era of High Renaissance.

“[This was the] highest point where, politically, there was a lot of control, [relating to] church and state stuff,” says King.

This tone of the “border of control that is politics” shines through both the framing and the content of the painting. It also plays with the interesting theme of “Truth?”, asking the viewer to posit their own opinions of the current climate surrounding free speech in the United States.