ARTSPACE at Untitled is thrilled to present “Unfiltered Views”, a collective exhibition by outsider artists: Marcia Ermey, William G. Grubbs, and Jerry Collins. This exhibition celebrates the originality and spontaneity of folk-art and its testimony to the importance of Art in Life.
We are following all the safety protocols, that’s why we have limited capacity on the opening reception. Get your free ticket today, from Eventbrite at: https://tinyurl.com/y62yrkvd
DIDACTIC BY LAURA WARRINER
“For many years, my husband Joe and I frequented antique stores and flea markets, always
scanning for forgotten handmade objects and furniture. Another love of ours was the SOFA
show, held every October at the Navy Pier in Chicago. It was the highlight of our year!
Through SOFA, I had the pleasure of being exposed to Aminah Robinson’s work. I instantly
related to her body of work, and i t moved me as nothing had before. In my mind, her work
was Art Brut, but I learned from talking with her she had attended the Columbus Art School
(now the Columbus College of Art and Design) . I was delighted to see how academia adopted
this style once known to me as unacceptable within these establishments. Regardless,
Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson led me to cherish what I currently refer to as Outsider Art.
Roger Cardinal, an art scholar and professor at the University of Kent in Canterbury,
England, originated the term “outsider art.” He describes the term as creative works
produced by self-taught artists (that is, artists with no formal art training) that do not
follow traditional or academic artistic conventions and convey “a strong sense of
individuality’.
Unlike Aminah, the three artists represented in this exhibition are genuinely Outsider
Artists. Not only in aesthetics but by classical definition as well. They have all come to
create this bold and extremely individual work on their own: no classical training, no ring
of the bell, just a desire to expose their inner voice.
William Grant Grubbs was born in 1882 and died in 1970, living most of his life in Stigler,
Oklahoma. Grubbs farmed, and when he became ill around 1952, it left him unable to
continue his life work. So at the age of 70, he began to paint the landscape surrounding him.
Catlyn Lester, his granddaughter, said she spent many hours on a screened-in porch
watching him paint. Since she was a young girl, she never thought to ask many questions
about his newly found interest. She was just around to witness the creation of his prolific
work. William did most of the paintings on Strathmore watercolor pads and even painted on
their covers. He never signed his paintings or even removed them from the pads.
Marcia Ermey was born in Jamaica and moved to the US in 1981, the same year she entered
the Air Force. Her artistic interpretation began as a child when she would create objects
out of bones collected from the woods nearby. Starting to draw since there was no access
to paints, Marcia gradually moved closer to acrylics and o i l s when she received her first set
of colored pencils. Marcia was an only child and felt that art was an ideal companion in her
quiet downtime. She sometimes focused more on life than her practice but was eternally
drawn back to painting. Art is in her essence and defines her personhood. Marcia would l i ke
to extend herself to other areas of her practice moving forward, going back to that gift as
a child to create objects and sculptures from things discovered nearby.
Jerry Collins was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and began creating artwork as a child. He
mostly drew animals on paper but quickly became interested in working with wood and
paints. When asked when he knew he was an artist, Jerry responded, “it’s been in my blood
since I was a kid .” Jerry began to work as a carpenter out of high school and held various
positions as a tradesman in multiple states. He finally settled in Oklahoma 15 years ago and
has sold his creations to every type of person you can imagine. Jerry likes to stand in the
street to sell his work, a grassroots type of salesmanship. One time he had a city bus driver
pull over and ask him if he could make her an elephant. Suggestions are welcomed from
patrons and help his imagination expand. A hummingbird here, a cross there, an octopus
even once was asked of the artist. This practice allows Jerry to create his world, authentic
connections with his fellow human, and a new commission around every corner.”