I didn’t know what to expect on the first opening of the Gallery but I certainly didn’t expect the warm groove of this occassion!  For over 30 years, I have been going to openings of other galleries as audience, participant, curator and once and a while, subject and this show “Rock &” had something that no other show I have ever been involved with had: in a word, it was  fun!  The show itself is an innovative amalgamation of sculpture, painting, and performance with visitor/participants bringing their own ideas about what rock is to the event.  One participant, Jim, brought a spread of delicious looking dips of various color, small nut-like kernals, blue chips and black grated topping with the invitation to make an art piece out of what wasn’t food at all but different clays, stones,gravel and shale.
Music seemed to appear out of nowhere and at one point, I was chatting with painter Nadia Petrov and a banjo-player joined us plucking softly some traditional songs.  Suddenly, it seemed at the same time that Nadia and I recognized a tune and found ourselves singing along to all three stanzas of “You are My Sunshine, my only sunshine…”  Then one of the artists, LDDD summoned the crowd into the main gallery which was now illuminated only by a reading light and the red glow of the space heater.  He slowly started to recite a chanting poem about rocks, dreams and art while a digeredoo and two drums kept him company.  Another artist, Are The, made his way to his installation of sharp chirt rocks and lay down on it in the darkness.  The gallery space had become a cave and we were huddled round a propane bonfire  looking towards an opening, guided by prophets.
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I don’t think that there was a plan per se for any of this spontaneity- it all just sort of happened.  There will be a  second opening this Sat April 3 from 2-7.
Video of performance by LDDD, Are The and company can be found here:
are the rests on Esopus Chirt installation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8eyiZxGxTU
