Survey of Southern art lacks sense of place

An exhibition titled “Art of the South 2017” implies that the Southern states of the United States of America — that is, the states of the Old Confederacy that met its demise in 1865 — remain a unique place, worthy of being singled out for their culture and accomplishments, for some indefinable aura of special “Southernness.” The same principle applies to the Fellowship of Southern Writers — yes, there is such an organization — asserting that writers in the South embody an exclusive sense of style, viewpoint and subject matter that differs from the rest of the country and is somehow, perhaps even mystically, coterminous with the region. Can you images an exhibition called “Art of the North” or a group named the Fellowship of Northern Writers?

So what is the intent of “Art of the South 2017,” the third iteration of this juried show sponsored by NUMBER: Inc., the quarterly journal of the visual arts, launched in Memphis in 1987? The exhibition, offering 27 pieces by 20 artists, will be displayed through June 17 at the Martha and Robert Fogelman Galleries of Contemporary Art at the University of Memphis. A concurrent show is at Gallery 121 at Belmont University in Nashville. The works were chosen by Chad Alligood, assistant curator of special projects at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Dixon Gallery and Gardens, 4339 Park: “Their Line Has Gone Out Through All the Earth: Spring and Summer Flower Drawings by Carlyle Wolfe,” through Aug. 7. Artist reception at “Art After Dark” on Thursday. Exhibition features plants that flower from the months of February to August. 901-761-5250. dixon.org Eclectic Eye, 242 S. Cooper: Sandy Jason Stout, “Shotgun, Caesar, Tempest,” oil on canvas, 30-by-30-inches. From “Art of the South 2017” at the University of Memphis’ Fogelman Galleries.

Art in Bentonville, Ark.

I’ll say first that there’s not a bad piece in the bunch, though I’ll also say that, inevitably in a group exhibition, some work is more interesting or compelling than others and that as a whole the show is unexpectedly conservative. Does this factor arise from the nature of the pieces submitted for perusal by the juror or from his instincts and sensibility? After all, a juried exhibition is only as strong and various as the work submitted for competition. No material on hand or on the internet tells us how many works of art were submitted, nor — and this is a missed opportunity — is there a handout available or label information about where the

Deacon: “Geometric Abstractions,” through Aug. 3. Opening reception 6-8 p.m. Friday. 901-276-3937. eclectic-eye.com MCA Gallery in Playhouse on the Square, 66 S. Cooper: “Seascapes: Recent Works by Chloe York,” Friday through July 24. Paintings. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Playhouse on the Square, 66 S. Cooper. mca.edu Southside Gallery, 150 Courthouse Square, Oxford, Miss.:

artists live, their ages or where they studied. For an exhibition supposedly defined by a sense of place, it’s remarkably placeless.

Not that there aren’t noticeable Southern themes or motifs. Andrew Blanchard’s “Dixie Totem XII and XIV” build on

Summer Landscape Exhibition, through July 9 in the downstairs gallery. Artists’ reception 6-8 p.m. Friday. Artists include Allie Billmeyer, Neil Callander, Alice Connolly, Avery Cordray, Ansley Givhan, Philip R. Jackson, Mia Kaplan, Daniel Kelly, Chatham Kemp, Lucius Lamar, Terry Lynn, Laura Magbee, Robert Malone, Nicole Rottler, Brooke White, Claire Whitehurst, Carlyle Wolfe and Susan Woodard. Also, running concurrently Donna Woodley, “Ushika the Marketing Director,” oil on board, 10-by8-inches

iconic store signs and portable church signs coupled with in one a pickup truck and in the other a muscle car. Herbert Rieth’s “Battle Flag,” made of various fabrics and found objects, is a takeoff on the symbolism of the now widely disputed Confederate Stars and Bars. Brooke White’s breathtaking archival digital prints, “Kudzu Car” and “Sardis, MS,” situate their subjects deeply in the South.

Yet most of the work in “Art of the South 2017” seems to be art that happened coincidentally to be made by an artist living in a Southern state, with Oklahoma allowed in somehow. I’m not trying to have it both ways; rather, I think that the exhibition fudges its sense of

in the upstairs gallery, Jason Cimon (photography), Lauren Peterson (sculpture): “A Large But Finite Number.” 662-234-9090. southsideartgallery.com The Farmer, 262 S. Highland: Beth Okeon: Acrylics and multimedia on canvas, through Sept. 5. 901-3242221. Memphis Botanic Garden, 750 Cherry Road (Audubon Park): stated regionality, and if that’s the case, what’s the point? It’s a bit disconcerting that little space here is given to work that addresses environmental issues, the changing nature of Southern cities, the decline of rural hegemony or debates about racism, sexual and gender issues and the radically shifting political landscape. I miss some funk in this show, some risk, some flash and flare. I also miss abstraction — except for Nicholas Wood’s nifty little pastel and charcoal on paper, “Capsules D61 (Shadow).”

The riskiest that “Art of the South 2017” gets is with three 10-by-8-inch oil-on-board pieces that tempt us to the edge of racism and parody. Titled “Takalia the Tenured College Professor,” “Ushika the Marketing Director” and “Conisha the Civil Engineer,” each work depicts a young African-american making goofy, somewhat demeaning expressions while wearing underwear twisted around their heads or faces, as if it were 2 a.m. at a party that got out of hand. One gazes at these provocative portraits of a bacchanal run amok with a frisson of cultural recognition, complicity and embarrassment, and I’m glad they were included in the exhibition.

Best of Show, by the way, was awarded to Jason Stout, for his two oil-on-canvas works, “Shotgun, Caesar, Tempest” and “Nimbus, Kick, Stomp,” each an energetic nexus of neon colors, pop culture references and comics-like imagery.

Amy and Hartelust, Chloe Yorl: “Deconstruct/reconstruct,” through June 30 in the Visitors Gallery. Also, R.P. Funderburk and Liz Bass: “Birdhouses and Elves,” through June 29 in Fratelli’s Cafe Gallery. Handcrafted birdhouses and garden-themed ceramics. 901636-4100. Playhouse on the Square (Cafe Lobby), 66 S. Cooper: Jane Croy: “Do-overs,” through July 24. Renewed thrift store art. Jmcroy. com