THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 10, 1995 TAG: 9512070171
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY MARY ELLEN RIDDLE
LENGTH: Long : 114 lines
YOU ARE cordially invited to soar: to rise above the usual level.
As we approach the anniversary of the first flight on Dec. 17, why not celebrate the remarkable feat by doing a little soaring at International Icarus 95 this month?
As you enter this art show, you will experience a creative explosion unleashed by one of humankind's greatest wishes: to fly.
Expressed within Icarus 95 are interpretations of this dream. It's a dream powerful enough to fill several rooms in two galleries, including the wall, floor and ceiling. It's a dream that inspires floating pictures in dozing heads, athletic prowess in diving bodies and souls to skyrocket within spiritual realms.
We do have it over the birds in this kind of flying, because the sky is certainly not the limit.
At Icarus, poems speak of gliding geese and floating figures, of doves and owls and flaming wings.
A leafy wood spirit guards the gallery's contents, while an undulating cedar shape balances an alabaster ball at its tip. Flying things tease us from the ceiling.
As we view the countless interpretations, the theme forces us to ponder flight, recalling darkened trips in rocket ships beyond the tallest magnolias; little legs pumping faster, faster, until we flew beyond the fragrant lilacs; hearts fluttering while we witnessed a newborn face; or the sound of the kitten's first meow.
Icarus 95 is the third part of a 10-year countdown to the 100th anniversary of Wilbur and Orville Wright's incredible accomplishment. It seems more people want to fly this year, because entries are up.
And we are not just soaring with the honorable ``Wright territory'' clan. It's a worldwide competition.
More than 180 visual art entries have arrived at the Ghost Fleet Gallery. Work flew in from Japan, Korea, Argentina, Canada, Israel, Russia, Greece, Saipan and the United States. The visual art category includes two- and three-dimensional art and several performance pieces. Artists have expressed themselves in clay, metal, stone, wood, paper, paint, computer art and a multitude of other media.
A chapbook of juried poems was published, featuring 25 thought-provoking works. These were selected from 179 literary submissions. Dr. Shelby Stephenson, a published poet who teaches at Pembroke State University, judged this category.
Seaside Art Gallery co-owner Melanie Smith puts half the entries in her gallery each year. ``I'm very happy with them,'' she said. ``I think we've got a bit more variety. The quality is very good this year.''
The children's work is always a thrill at Icarus. Though the entries are few, this year's work is rich, colorful and illustrates a remarkable grasp of design.
And, apparently, flying stimulates generosity, too, for winning artists also have a chance to soar with some handsome cash prizes totaling nearly $4,500. Sponsors include a multitude of local, state and national businesses and groups, many of whom have pledged support for the 10-year countdown.
The hand of Icarus is far-reaching. The show's committee is a subcommittee of the First Flight Rotary Club. The Icarus Committee also supplies funding for an aviation portrait to be painted each year.
``It's a beautiful encounter with history and art,'' said Ghost Fleet Gallery co-owner Pat Eure. ``Icarus is taking off from the floor. It's going to the ceiling of the gallery now.''
Eure's husband, Glenn, actually heard some artists arguing over ceiling space.
Literal expression of flight takes the form of hot-air balloons, paintings of hang gliders and airplanes moving through a snowy mountainous passage. You can feel the cold air hit your lungs as it carefully soars.
A golden bird is silhouetted against a golden sun; a carved white stone contrasts against a praying turquoise angel, while Xerox bugs enliven a page.
We soar where and how we need. Visiting artist and former Manns Harbor resident Al Gray chose to create a sculpture for Icarus.
To Gray, a cedar, driftwood-like shape and two alabaster balls - one large, one small - represent his interpretation of soaring and gliding. The small ball is perched at the top with a much larger one offering balance from below. ``No matter how much we soar and glide, we're always tied in,'' he explained.
Make sure you stop by both galleries for a complete look at Icarus 95. If an artist submitted more than one work, each gallery will showcase a piece. The rest were divided by Pat Eure and Smith in a remarkably easygoing fashion. Flight also inspires sharing.
Keep your eye on this show. It will surely grow in capacity as we soar toward the Wrights' anniversary in 2003. In the meantime, like a cathedral bursting with hot-air balloons, Icarus 95 throws open its doors at both the Ghost Fleet Gallery and Seaside Art Gallery in Nags Head.
The air is alive with flying things.
It's an ``electric environment,'' Pat Eure said. ``It does for the artists what Icarus says: to fly, to be freer than they've ever been.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos by MARY ELLEN RIDDLE
Aiming for the sun, the spirit of Icarus is captured in a sculpture
on display as part of the International Icarus 95 show.
Melanie Smith, left, of the Seaside Art Gallery, and Pat Eure of the
the Ghost Fleet Gallery, both in Nags Head, divide the exhibit for
showing at the two sites.
Al Gray's alabaster ball and cedar sculpture represents his
interpretation of soaring and gliding. The small ball perched at the
top is balanced by the much larger one below.
Pat Eure examines a bird-like fishing lure that is one of 180 worts
of art submitted for exhibit in the Icarus '95 art show. The art of
flight is celebrated in the annual exhibit that fills several rooms
in two galleries, including the wall, floor and ceiling. Icarus 95
is the third part of a 10-year countdown to the 100th anniversary of
Wilbur and Orville Wright's first manned flight.
by CNB