Outsider exhibit celebrates spirit of art

From unbridled artistic vision, in a world unencumbered by rules, outsider art is born.

It's ultimately work with soul and spirit, created with no boundaries and formal limitations from a place of pure passion, and for Marina Batson of Danville, her first encounter with a piece by Jimmie Lee Sudduth led her to embark on an enchanting 20-year odyssey that she likely hopes never comes to an end.

"They touched me in a way that nothing else had," said Batson, who for almost two decades has been collecting pieces created by self-taught artists. "There's such an honesty about the work. It didn't fit into the normal, it's something that's special, free from rules."

A number of the most prized pieces from her collection will go on display Sunday at the Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History as part of the exhibition "Outsiders," which also features selections from the museum's permanent                 collection.

"Outsiders" showcases why the Maine-born Batson has been drawn to outsider art, especially that of African-American artists from the South, whose works tell their stories in a primal, free-form way.

It runs in conjunction with "Elijah Gowin: Lonnie Holley Series," an exhibition of photographs that allows the viewer to see the world of outside art through the eyes of another, erasing a wall, so to speak, and opening the gateway into the artist's world.

Born in Europe in the 1930s as Art Brut, originally created by those who were mentally challenged, outsider art  has grown over the years as more artists find their unique voices.

"The work is inspired by their desire to create," said Lynne Bjarnesen, executive director of the museum.

That sheer desire, along with  the free-form expression that comes from art without boundaries, has not only also expanded the number of artists, but also the audience for outsider art.

"The art world started embracing outsider art about 10 or 15 years ago," said Bjarnesen, who said religious beliefs are often among the issues explored.  "There's so much expression. It's the basic essence of art."

For Batson, the joy comes not only in collecting, but also in getting to know the artists who created the works, making her purchase of them more significant.

Crafted on pieces of plywood and paneling, cardboard, craft paper and other canvases including traditional, the works in "Outsiders" include sculptures and carvings, paintings and found art.

One piece, a wooden fish with tin teeth and beer can tab scales, reads on the back, "I cotched this fish last nite in a dream."

Another features a family of snake handlers, each crudely carved person holding a serpent above their heads, arms stretched to their fullest.

The exhibit features works by Jimmie Lee Sudduth, Lonnie Holley, Sybil Gibson, Raymond Coins, Bernice Simms, Mose Tolliver and others, and the unconventional collection showcases ultimately that art is in the eye of the beholder.

"This touched me greatly, and I didn't ask why," Batson said.

The show was curated by Sean Jones, the museum's former arts program coordinator, who has since left to pursue his own art career in Richmond.

Kristen Quarles replaced Jones.

"Outsiders" runs through March 9 at the Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History, 975 Main St.

Lonnie Holley

Born the seventh of 27 children, Lonnie Holley's early life was marked by sorrow as he struggled in foster homes and odd jobs, according to a biography on the Web site www.marciaweberartobjects.com.

But it was ultimately art, born from another tragedy, the loss of his sister's children in a house fire, through which he found his salvation.

Because the family couldn't afford memorials, Holley carved the children's tombstones from sandstone, kicking off a diverse career that led to continued carvings  - a piece appears in the museum's "Outsiders" exhibition - along with paintings and found art installations that reflect an innovative love of art and nature.

"I asked God to give me something so that I may go to the top in life, and he did. I use the setting sun, the stars, the hills - all that has affected my imagination and what I put in my work," Holley told G.H. Vander Elst on the Web site.

Through the eyes of photographer Elijah Gowin (son of nationally known, Danville-born photographer Emmet Gowin) Holley's world is a lush mixture of trash and treasure, an all-encompassing canvas that reflects the artist's diversity and vision.

Just before his land - and gallery - was to be razed by a bulldozer, erasing decades of work along with the trash, Gowin and his camera captured the essence of Holley's work and spirit through the lens of his camera.

The documentary collection, "Elijah Gowin: Lonnie Holley Series" - on display in the Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History's Schoolfield Gallery - is a perfect foil for the "Outsiders" collection, as it sees Holley's own works in their natural environment, and takes us there through the sophisticated art of professional photography.

"It's in one way the antithesis of outsider art," said Lynne Bjarnesen, the museum's             executive director.

The show, featuring a series of photographs Gowin took in 1997, will also remain on             display through March 9.