By Brendan Mullins
The windows at Ashmore Gallery in Savannah are covered with brown paper right now. The building looks as though it has been closed down for good, and the front doors remain locked.
You wouldn’t be able to tell from the outside, but indoors, “The Sketchbook Show” is being prepared.
Over 100 artists are participating, and their backgrounds are as diverse as the work they have chosen to submit. Along with local Savannah artists and students, the gallery will hold work from artists based all across America — some from as far away as Belgium, Greece, Australia, Brazil and the UK.
Only a week ago, in the center of the first floor, a table was piled high with envelopes and packages all bulging with artwork to be hung. Several interns have been taken on by the curators at the Ashmore to help with the workload.
They’ve been hanging the work in close proximity, floor to ceiling with only enough space for the labels underneath each piece. This has created a vibe in the room unlike any other gallery show in town. When the show opens, people will have to crouch on the floor inspecting the intricate line work of artists like Steven Darden or Chelsea Swift, or crane their necks upward to take in the bright colors and bold outlines of the Chicago-based Luke Pellitier.
The way the show will be presented to the public is artistic in and of itself: one entire room filled top to bottom with torn out pages from sketchbooks. During the three-hour opening reception, it will be impossible to see and fully appreciate each and every one of the over 2,000 pieces, but they will all be experienced.
Each artist chooses the price for their work. Some of it is pretty expensive, but a lot of the pieces might as well be free. With $20 you might walk out with 20 original pieces of artwork. There are more pieces up for $5 than for $80, and a few of the artists ask nothing more than a cold beer for their work.
Ashmore accepted almost all of the work that was submitted. While I was in the gallery, a kid walked in with his artwork in hand. It was a small Hello Kitty notebook filled with scribbles made in ballpoint pen. One of the curators flipped through page after page, shut the pink, sparkly cover and asked him how much he wanted to sell them for.
Justin Harris, one of the show’s organizers, promises the event will be like walking into one giant sketchbook. From doodles to serious drawings, “The Sketchbook Show” will offer a spot on the wall for everyone at Ashmore Gallery January 18 at 6 p.m.
“The Sketchbook Show” will run through January 23.
