“Dancing in Your Sleep” Art Exhibit by Carrboro Artist Maggi Ann Grace

Dancing in Your Sleep - Art Exhibit by Maggi Ann Grace

Carrboro artist Maggi Grace is exhibiting her work at Carrboro Town Hall at 301 W. Main Street. Her exhibit, “Dancing in Your Sleep” will run from January 14 through February 28, 2005. A reception, free and open to the public, will be held at Town Hall 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday, February 11.

Grace is both a writer and a visual artist; she holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing, and has taught poetry and fiction in classrooms, summer camps, prisons, at professional conferences, and in shelters for battered women and the homeless.

You Can't Get There From Here

“Dancing in Your Sleep” includes Maggi’s abstract and figurative paintings using acrylics, inks, and natural objects. Often whimsical, sometimes surreal, this exhibit explores the boundless metaphors of both our wakeful and dream lives. From courting frogs in “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” to stones and handmade paper in “Unity,” her range of styles reflects the way she bridges the visual and the literary.

As a teacher, Grace includes in her classes students who have developmental or physical disabilities; she feels that each student provides an opportunity for everyone to learn, to expand their perceptions, and to break down their biases. “Not only do we learn how other people see and think about the world, but sometimes we must face some tiny assumption we have made about the best way to go about the writing or painting,” Grace said. “I always learn so much from my students. One student was unable to sit in a chair, and I realized I should invite the entire class to bring a blanket and sit on the floor, if they wanted to.”

Transformed toilet tank top

Maggi also creates unique mosaic designs for stepping stones, wall hangings, iron masks, whimsical bookworms, lamps, garden art, and even toilets transformed into altars and tank tops. You can see a sampling of the variety of her art on www.maggigrace.info. She is currently at work on a non-fiction book about her recent journey to India for her partner to have heart surgery. (www.howardsheart.com)

Artist’s Statement

If You Invite It In

As both a writer and visual artist, I hold a deep regard for the creative process common to all art forms. For 15 years I have taught poetry and fiction. Since earning my Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from UNC-Greensboro, I began studying with local visual artists, each adding a new dimension to my work. Soon it became clear to me that writing and visual art and creative movement all bloom from the same internal source. I now incorporate writing and art into images and experiences that beg to cross genre and medium.

My abstract and figurative paintings use acrylics, inks, and natural objects. Often they are the result of (or the seed of) an original poem. I create mosaics for stepping stones, wall hangings, iron masks, bookworms, lamps, garden art and toilets transformed into altars.

A bookworm

In January 2000 I left my last “real job” in corporate America when it became clear to me that my art could never be the center of my life by riding on the fringes of my time. To increase flexibility in my schedule for “earning potential”, I began helping people organize and manage their home businesses and offices. When I chose Tesserae (the word for the small cubes of mosaics) for my business, and Putting it All Together as my slogan, mosaics suddenly became the perfect metaphor for our hectic lives. Whether regarding a client’s office or the art I am creating, it is always about design, finding just the right fit, the right blend and contrast of colors to make something meaningful and useful. It is about working with what we have, and putting it all together.

I now teach Playing with Paint and Poetry in the Round in my home studio through the ArtSchool at the Carrboro ArtsCenter. My studio is also available to individuals who I work with one on one to explore the creative process that spans all art forms, the self-healing nature of art, regardless of age, experience or perceived talent.

Thank you for taking time to stop by and share in my work!