VA-based artist brings his evolving outdoor sculpture project to SECCA's scenic grounds over the course of 17 months.
On View August 2021 – December 2022 | SECCA Grounds
SECCA is proud to present Inside/Outside: Charlie Brouwer, an evolving sculpture exhibition running from August 2021 through December 2022.
Join us for Wander On with Charlie Brouwer, a mid-exhibition reception featuring a guided sculpture tour with the artist on Thursday, June 16 from 5–8pm. Learn more here.
Planning Inside/Outside has been a collaboration between the artist and Wendy Earle, Curator of Contemporary Art. The exhibition has a unique schedule: Every 40 days for one year, the artist installs outdoor sculptures on SECCA's grounds and indoor works and installations in spaces throughout the museum. Beginning in August 2022, the artist will begin removing some work each 40 days until the exhibition closes in December. Brouwer's reason for 40 day periods is connected with its special significance in sacred Jewish, Islamic, and Christian texts where it stands for "an important or long time" or "the right amount of time".
The Benediction Project is a community extension of this exhibition. Charlie installs his sculpture titled Benediction at a different place of worship in Winston-Salem every 40 days. So far the project has been hosted by Beloved Community, St. Paul's Episcopal, Augsburg Lutheran, Temple Emanuel, Community Mosque, First Baptist, and Burkhead United Methodist Church. Highland Presbyterian The Moravian Home Church are also on the schedule this year. There are still openings for more places of worship to participate. Contact Charlie at: cbrouwer@swva.net
This exhibition will not be the first time SECCA has worked with Charlie. In 2009 they worked together to present Rise Up Winston-Salem, a community based public art installation in Old Salem Museum and Gardens, part of SECCA's Artist In The Community exhibition series. The idea of borrowing ladders from a community, building a sculpture out of them about community interdependence, and then returning the ladders worked so well that Brouwer created similar projects with 12 other communities between 2009 and 2018.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I have been making art since 1968 and I feel like I am just getting started. My work ranges from small indoor gallery pieces to large outdoor sculptures to indoor and outdoor installations and public art projects. Drawing from personal experiences, beliefs, and feelings, I re-experience life through art by looking evidence of beauty, truth, goodness, honesty, mercy, hope, and generosity that transcends the doubt, darkness, isolation, suffering, and fear that are also part of life. Wood is my main material when constructing sculptures. In attempting to expand the possibilities of public art I have worn a backpack sculpture to a public art conference, made book sculptures for a library to be shelved and checked out, and made temporary installations about communities out of ladders they lent me.