News from the Visionary!
AVAM remembers visionary whirligig creator, Vollis Simpson (1919–2013)
Photo of Vollis Simpson
It is with a very heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of our beloved visionary artist and friend, Vollis Simpson. The creator of our national museum's first sculpture commission: the colorful, 3-ton "Giant Whirligig" located at the heart of AVAM's 1.1 acre urban campus is dedicated to Life, Liberty & Pursuit of Happiness. A North Carolina farmer and house mover, Simpson became the world's most famous whirligig maker, beginning with his multi-decade "Whirligig Park" in the fields of his farm in Lucama, North Carolina. On Friday May 31, 2013, Vollis Simpson passed away peacefully in his home at the age of 94. In 2011, Simpson received the honorable "North Carolina award" from his home state, and last month the North Carolina legislature approved a measure to name whirligigs the state's official folk art.
"Vollis' sense of humor, love of his pets and family, color and the wind, lives on in testament to his genius for engineering and delight in making people smile. He will be dearly missed by all of us here at AVAM." –Rebecca Hoffberger, proud friend and admirer of Vollis Simpson.
KINDNESS WORKS
Oakland Mills students contribute their voices to the Kindness Works project.
AVAM's educational outreach to Howard County schools to help end bullying
In salute of Howard County's community response to the plight of young people devastated by bullying, the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) has engaged National Art Honors Society students from five Howard County high schools in creating canvas quilts that express acts of kindness, courage, and responses to bullying. The quilts represent a collective voice of pro-civility, composed of individual expressions. This special Outreach Howard project, titled KINDNESS WORKS, is made possible through the generous funding of the Howard County Arts Council.
The resulting collaborative project will consist of five, 5'x5' quilts, which will be displayed at The Mall in Columbia beginning on March 28th and running through April 7th, with an additional exhibition planned at the Howard County Center for the Arts running from June 3rd through July 2nd. There will be a reception at the Howard County Center for the Arts on June 20th from 6:00pm - 8:00pm. Both exhibitions, and the reception on June 20th are open to the public. Schools participating in the KINDNESS WORKS project include: Hammond High School; Long Reach High School; Oakland Mills High School; Wilde Lake High School; and Howard High School.
KINDNESS WORKS EXHIBITION DETAILS:
JUNE 3 – JULY 2, 2013
HOWARD COUNTY CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Reception: June 20, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
8510 High Ridge Road
Ellicott City, MD 21043
More info: http://hocoarts.org/center_for_the_arts.php
UPCOMING EVENTS:
The Sketchbook Project's Mobile "How To" Tour @ AVAM!
Don't miss The Sketchbook Project @ AVAM on August 22!
- When: Thursday, August 22 - before Flicks From The Hill
- What Time: 4pm–8pm
- Cost: FREE!
- Where: Outside of AVAM
AVAM is excited to announce that we've been selected as the first stop on The Sketchbook Project's Mobile "How To" Tour this summer! SEE The Sketchbook Project's Mobile Library, a 16-foot interactive art exhibition on wheels, when it stops at AVAM on August 22 before our free Flicks From The Hill screening of The NeverEnding Story! You'll have a chance to get an official Library card, then get access to an entire library of artist-created sketchbooks that you can explore.