The City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Department is pleased to announce that mixed media works by the current City of North Charleston Artist-in-Residence, Caroline Self, as well as mixed media and fiber pieces by master batik artist Arianne King Comer will be on exhibit at the North Charleston City Gallery from December 1, 2016 through January 31, 2017. The artists will host a free public reception at the gallery on Thursday, December 1, from 5:00-7:00pm.

Life – In Sotto Voce – Mixed media works by Caroline Self
Caroline M. Self is a contemporary, abstract expressionist artist inspired by the vivid paint colors and textures made famous by Vincent Van Gogh and the unique abstractness of paintings by Wassily Kandinsky and Willem de Kooning. In her exhibit, Life – In Sotto Voce, she presents a reflective collection of new mixed media works that utilize color, shape, symbolism, and texture to create layers of thought and expression, softly daring the viewer to look further.

Self has painted for as long as she can remember, and her works have found homes from coast to coast. Most recently, her piece, Life, won a purchase award at the 41st Lyndon House Arts Center Exhibition juried by Jock Reynolds, Director for the Yale University Art Gallery.Caroline was the art education program specialist at the Lyndon House Arts Center in Athens, GA, for almost nine years before moving back to the Charleston area with her husband in 2016. In addition, she was a long-term substitute art teacher for the Normal Park Museum Magnet Elementary School in Chattanooga, TN. She has developed a unique track record of creating innovative classes, programs, award-winning camps, and exhibits for countless groups, children, and events.

Caroline currently offers residencies to North Charleston schools and community groups as the City of North Charleston’s 2016/17 Artist-in-Residence. As an art teacher, she enjoys sharing her art passion to create lasting, meaningful experiences. She believes that creativity, innovation, and adaptability are highly desirable skills and is excited to facilitate experiential learning using art to make connections through integration.

A Salute to the Color of Music – Mixed media and fiber works by Arianne King Comer
Master batik artist Arianne King Comer transforms music into visions in mixed media and fiber in her exhibit A Salute to the Color of Music. Her featured collection of collage and batik works honors significant pieces in African American music, with many incorporating notes from the selections into the imagery. The show also serves as an homage to the artist’s mother, who built a home significantly impacted by music, history, and art.

Arianne King Comer, a BFA graduate of Howard University, has been an artist in residence in the state of South Carolina since 1995. She works primarily with textiles, creating paintings, wearable art, installations, environmental art, and items for the home, and also serves as an art consultant, indigo and community arts advocate, lecturer, and teacher. In 1992, Arianne received a UN/USIS grant to study under the renowned batik artist Nike Olyani Davis in Oshogbo, Nigeria, where her passion for indigo manifested. She was owner of Ibile Indigo House on St. Helena Island, SC, from 1998 to 2004. Highlights from her career as an arts educator include joining The Charleston Rhizome Collective in 2007 to conduct a textile workshop in batik and indigo at the World Social Forum in Nairobi, Kenya, as well as serving as the 2006/2007 Artist-in-Residence for the City of North Charleston.

Arianne has been recognized for her talent and arts advocacy in numerous print and broadcast outlets including a PBS documentary, Messengers of the Spirit (1999), an Indigo Art segment on HGTV’s Country Style (2003), and a special segment in Charleston Magazine (2013). She is an active member of Alternate ROOTS, Charleston Rhizome, and a designer for Seeking Indigo. Her work is in several national and statewide traveling exhibitions and has been featured in numerous solo exhibitions, including My Spirit Speaks at the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, AL, and Voices from the Water at Dalton Gallery in Rock Hill, SC. Her most recent accomplishment is being invited to join the new Smithsonian African American Museum Gallery Store with her Wearable Art Line. Learn more about the artist at www.ariannekingcomerart.com.

The North Charleston City Gallery is situated in two corridors of the northwest corner of the Charleston Area Convention Center, located at 5001 Coliseum Drive in North Charleston. Parking and admission are free. Gallery hours are Tuesdays 12-5pm, Wednesdays 11am-5pm, Thursdays 11am-7:30pm, and Fridays 11am-5pm.  Inquiries regarding the artists or purchase information may be directed to the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843)740-5854. For information on additional exhibits, programs, and events, visit the Arts & Culture section of the City’s website at www.northcharleston.org.