September 26,1978
Oorvf. -Trorn X.
ficial structure of architec
ture.
Hartigan's paintings are
huge and mural like. Her sub
jects stem from various
fantasies, literary and mytho
logical inspirations, and Harti
gan's own interpretation of
what she calls "street life."
The artist is well known for
wandering about her neighbor
hood in Baltimore, in search of
subject matter. She observes
still lives in windows, gathers
a dirty sandle from a gutter
and browes about the window
of a local porn shop, carrying
her own interpretations back
to her studio. According to
Hartigan, "It's a little bit like
James Joyce wandering
through Dublin, getting differ
ent impressions in different
places." When asked if she
enjoyed painting images of
decadence, Hartigan respond
ed;
Vulgar is the usual term. /
don't like good taste in my
subject material, / like what is
raw. Good taste is too finished,
you can't do anything about it.
/ don't like to praise, / like to
change. Ifs like /am doing
something about something.
/ am taking something that
isn't beautiful and making it
beautiful. If something is
beautiful all you can do is sing
a hymn to it, and I'm not
that great a hymn singer.
/ feel like / am making life.
Hartigan's interest in the
vulgar not only provides for
interesting subject matter,
but allows for a social com
ment as well. She recently
completed two paintings,
From Coquina Beach to Hanging Rock
They were wonderful days.
The sun was hot, the water
was warm, and we had the
best bodysurfing waves of the
semester. No, not the Guilford
College lake. The Cape
Hatteras National Seashore,
where the Biophile Club had a
weekend field trip.
Leaving school in a staggered
start on Friday, September
15, the three carloads of
people and gear arrived at the
North Carolina coast by early
Saturday. One group, which
did not get lost, arrived in time
to set up camp in the dark
and wait to tell the others
where camp was. After
bedding down rather late
everyone was up between 7
and 8 in the morning.
The beach was deserted of
other bathers. Unfortunately
for the 12 Biophilers, however,
there were several off-road
vehicles zooming past our
blankets loaded with fisher
men casting their lines into the
waves. Dodging them on our
Purple Passion and South
Broadway, which evolved out
of her observations of the
window display of stripper's
paraphernalia in the local
porn shop, in painting this
vision Hartigan was not
glorifying the image but attach
ing a statement to it.
/ certainty don't think that
its either a tribute to vision
or a tribute to women to have
a shop filled with zippy under
wear. / feel as if in a magical
way / am lessening their
power by taking this away
from them and making some
thing marvelous out of it. /
don't feeiput down by it then
As an artist, Hartigan does
not appreciate any oppression
of women, but neither does
she expect to be accepted in
the art world purely because
of her gender. She is a dedi
cated professional who is
committed to her art. Harti
gan does not agree with the
developing school of feminist
and "women's art," which
was begun by Judy Chicago
and other feminists within the
art world. This new trend
suggests that women artists
should be able to study in
feminist institutes where they
are free of male pressure and
judgement. It is Hartigan's
belief that women must be
She's not a star.
She has ridden sidesaddle to churches,
is no frequenter of palace or barn. Now
celebrate her, for that light which is anguish will
again and again illumine her our shores, coming to her
as downy bird, but she will not forget the eagle.
Her eyes are not glass children. Let not that firebrand
stolen from the summits mark her brow.
Frank O'Hara, Portrait of Grace
I way back to camp we had
lunch and took off. We spent
the afternoon at Jockey's
Ridge, (a gigantic sand dune),
Coquina Beach, and a bird
walk at the Pea Island Nat.
Wildlife Refuge.
. After a dinner where we
made too much macaroni and
cheese and not enough
dessert we settled down for a
peaceful evening. Several
people spent the evening
at the beach while others
sang, played guitar, and went
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Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C
able to compete openly with
men, within the established
social framework. In response
to Miriam Shapiro's concept
of separate feminist art
schools, Hartigan states;
/ think that it is denying
yourself a great amount of
human experience to cut your
self off from our fellow
human beings who are men. /
don't think that you can fight
that (sexism) by isolating
yourself. To fight you have
to get in there and fight. You
fight by joining and proving.
You have to do the very great
es* possible work you possibly
can and you have to be around
m>>n and have them learn to
respect you and see your
work and know what its like.
You just can not make a
special private dub out of
being a woman.
In both her painting and in
her life, Grace Hartigan's
purpose is to expose what is
true. She is dedicated in
her medium and within her
committment to society.
She is a true artist in every
sense of the word. And she is
only the first in the series
of visiting artists, who may
hopefully be able to live up
to the fine precedent that
she has established.
for walks. Sunday started
later than Saturday, with
everyone piling out of bed by
around 9 o'clock. After break
fast we headed for where the
sun rose and spent the morn
ing on the beach. By about
one o'clock we had all
piled into our cars and were
headed back for Camp
Guilford.
We all had a wonderful
time; maybe you will join us
on our next trip on October
7 to Hanging Rock State Park?!
editors*.
you can't
make a
newspaper
alone!
Cafes and Crafts
Come to Winston-Salem
The 15th annual Piedmont
Crafts Fair will be held this
year on Friday, Saturday,
and Sunday, November 3, 4,
and 5, 1978, at Memorial
Coliseum in Winston-Salem,
N.C., 10-9 p.m. on Friday and
Saturday, and 1-6 p.m. on
Sunday.
This 15th exhibition of crafts
for sale, sponsored by Pied
mont Craftsmen, Inc., is
devoted to bringing wide public
attention to the exciting,
high quality work being created
today in the field of craft
art.
Over 100 juried members of
Piedmont Craftsmen, Inc. will
exhibit and sell a wide range
of contemporary and tradition
al craft work. In all instances
the booths will be manned by
the craftsmen themselves,
so spectators and buyers can
discuss the crafts with their
designers and creators.
Last year's Piedmont Crafts
Fair was recognized nationally
as one of the most outstand
page seven
ing in quality, variety, atten
dance and sales. From the
enthusiasm already expressed,
we expect the 1978 Fair to
have even greater significance.
Some 50 different crafts will
be represented. These include
pottery, weaving, glass,
wood, jewelry, enameling,
photographs, prints, batik,
iron work, leather, stitchery,
and quilting.
In addition to the crafts
men's exhibits, there will be
live entertainment, a sidewalk
cafe, demonstrations by
master craftsmen, and
educational exhibits.
Winston-Salem Memorial
Coliseum, site of the Fair, is
located on North Cherry Street
just north of the city center.
Within walking distance is a
Holiday Inn motel with a
restaurant, as well as several
other eating places. Other
motel and hotel accomodations
are located in the center of the
city as well as on the out
skirts.