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Art, poetry draw record crowd to gallery
By Cynthia B. Coleman • Staff Writer
 | | With the background of Ashley Byran's colorful paintings, four friends, both old and new, join together for a mini-reunion. Connie Harris is the subject of one Bryan-illustrated Nikki Giovanni children's poems. Pictured are (l-r): Connie Harris, Nikki Giovanni, Ashley Byran and Barbara Buhr. (Recorder photos by Cynthia B. Coleman |
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WARM SPRINGS - When Martha Woodroof of the Virginia Foundation of Humanities found Warm Springs Gallery owner Barbara Buhr after Friday evening's opening reception, she tried to interview her for a National Public Radio spot about the event. But Buhr had to wave Woodroof away, still too overwhelmed by the evening's success to talk about it.
The collaborative exhibition three African American artists drew the largest crowd the gallery has ever seen for an opening. Many who attended called it a historic event for Bath County.
"People never show up early for these events," Buhr said, "But Friday, people were pulling up at quarter to six - just droves of people."
The gallery exhibited work by three artists: Ashley Bryan, painter and children's book illustrator; coiled-basket weaver Jery Bennett Taylor; and quilter Michael Cummings. World-renowned poet Nikki Giovanni was invited for two reasons: one, as the writer of children's book of poetry Bryan illustrated and second, to honor Bryan on his 85th birthday. Burt Carlson serenaded the evening on guitar.
 | | Because Ashley Bryan (l) celebrated his 85th birthday while in Warm Springs, Nikki Giovanni (r) prepared to read aloud a poem she wrote to honor her friend. |
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The only loss of the evening according to Buhr was the absence of Michael Cummings, who had a previous engagement. Cummings usually exhibits his quilts exclusively in museums. When Buhr approached Cummings about the show, he was hesitant until he found out Bryan was also showing his work. "To quote him (Cummings)," Buhr said, "he said that he would exhibit his quilts with me 'to honor an elder, to honor Ashley.' Personally, I felt very honored myself."
One poem in the book Bryan illustrated with Giovanni, "The Sun is So Quiet," is called "Connie," after a mutual friend of theirs, Consuelo Harris, the first African American librarian in Cincinnati, Ohio.
When Harris was asked about coming to the exhibit, she said she was a friend of Bryan and Giovanni, but she received a call from Giovanni asking her to come to Bath County. "Nikki said I needed to come with her to Bath County to see Ashley," said Harris, who is originally from Danville. "When I asked her what Ashley was doing in Bath County, she said she didn't know but come, because it is Ashley."
Somehow that feeling of "because it is Ashley" was telegraphed to the residents of Bath County and beyond, because citizens from all walks of life, from Bath County's various communities and every social group came to see him. And Bryan enchanted them all.
Much like the pied piper of old, Bryan can lead a group anywhere, to do anything. When everyone left the gallery and moved outside to hear the reading, Giovanni honored the 85 year old with a poetic tribute. Bryan returned the favor by reading a poem of hers with an expressive voice and grand motions of his arms and body. Much like a mother, who mouths the words her child says, Giovanni stood behind Bryan mouthing the poem's words and unconsciously imitated his gestures.
Bryan read the poem, "The Reason I Like Chocolate," but he didn't read it alone. He wanted everyone to hear Giovanni's natural rhythm in her children's poem, so he asked the audience to repeat the lines after him.
"The reason I like chocolate," Bryan chanted in a large, but child-like voice. People said the line back to him in the same manner.
"Is I can lick my fingers." Again, the audience echoed the words. "And nobody tells me I'm not polite."
Bryan worked this way through several poems with everyone giggling and chuckling, but making sure they repeated each and every word. The recitation ended with wild applause.
Bryan sold seven paintings and two drawings and all of the books brought there for him to sign, with people buying as many copies as they could find, as the books were scattered over the gallery. "I've had to order more books," Buhr said.
Though none of the quilts sold, Taylor sold seven of her coiled baskets, made in the Low Country style out of bull rush, pine needles and sweetgrass, with the palmetto leaf woven in-between the coils. Some of her baskets had rolling flourishes much like ruffles, but all were beautiful.
The idea behind exhibiting three African American artists began with Buhr traveling to Cranberry Isles, Maine, a town that spans several islands. She was told Bryan would wear her out, an idea Buhr scoffed at but later found to be true, begging him at one point to let her get some rest.
Buhr found that she loved his energy in both painting and in spirit. She had heard him read before and knew how exciting that experience would be and wanted to share that joy and excitement with Bath County.
After leaving Bryan, Buhr thought about the book he had done with Giovanni and since the poet already lived in Blacksburg it might be easy to get her to come up to Warm Springs. Once Giovanni heard Bryan would be showing his paintings and that he would celebrate his 85th birthday while there, she said she would come. The other two artists also came because of Bryan.
Even while signing books, Bryan charmed the crowd that flocked to the gallery, excited by his colorful and happy paintings of flowers. Buhr was overwhelmed with lines of people wanting to hand her money, checks and credit cards that she really had not prepared for.
"I have tried to paint the ocean," Bryan said about the subject of his paintings, "but the beautiful flowers stop me each time." Bryan began painting flowers after seeing a friend's garden of full of dahlias and could not resist putting them on canvas.
When asked about painting Bath County, Bryan said it is beautiful here, but so up. "Everything here goes up, straight up," he said, seeming at a loss for words for describing the vertical nature of the landscape surrounding Warm Springs. But then he continued. "And I paint up." Bryan told a colleague upon his return, who related it to Buhr, that he most certainly wants to come back to Bath County for the landscape and the people.
When all the excitement of the evening had passed as the gallery and grounds emptied out, Bryan and Buhr scrounged around at one of the tables, which earlier had been laden with food prepared by Buhr and her friends. To Buhr, the table seemed empty. But Bryan, always the happy optimist, exclaimed with joyful glee, "Look Barbara! They've left us shrimp tails."
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