Kesha Williams
February 05, 2014
Spirit Fruit," a retrospective show of sculptures by Alexis Joyner, an art professor in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts at Elizabeth City State University, is on display through the month of February. "Egg Lady," on the left, and "High Cotton," on the right depict common day activities– women toting baskets of eggs and women gathering cotton– that Joyner recalls from his childhood. These 14-inch tall sculptures were constructed from local wood sources. The hat of "Egg Lady" even includes tooth marks on the wood made by beavers that gnawed on a tree limb the sculpture was made from. Joyner often reminds students and visitors at the ECSU Art Gallery, that art often reflects the community we live in and illuminates the common or extraordinary tasks associated with our history. Joyner completed the collection of sculptures displayed over the past three decades. "Blue" is a sleek, seven-foot-tall blues musician wearing dark sun glasses, shows off an African print vest for gallery patrons. There are 30 sculptures in the exhibit. The sculptures remain on display in the K. E. White Graduate and Continuing Education Center Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. until noon other gallery hours are 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. To arrange a group visit beyond those gallery hours, call 252-335-3345. There is no admission fee.
