“Two Worlds Collide,” by Camille Maren.
The title conjures up old maxims about greener grass. It also suggests cosmic imaginings way outside the earthly realm. In one very real case, “the other side” means life in solitary confinement, away from light, air, and basic human interaction.
In this ambitious multimedia exhibit, more than 30 exhibitors answered the “Other Side” theme — everyone from well-known regional sculptors Lucy Clark and Anita Funston to emerging 2-D artist/portraitist Harley Hamlin, a Transylvania County native currently serving a sentence at Lanesboro Correctional Institution.
In his handwritten artist’s statement, Hamlin talks about decades lost to drug use and his final redemption through art. “I was sent here because of gang activity, then forced to join a gang just to survive. When I had had enough I left … knowing [that] turning my back on a gang would be just as dangerous as being in one. … Drugs are no longer part of my life. … I’ve found the one thing that keeps me sane … is the only thing I’ve really been good at, the talent that I never knew — tattooing, drawing, anything art-related.”
The Other Side at Transylvania Community Arts Council, opening Friday, May 5, 5-7pm, through May 26. 349 South Caldwell St., Brevard. 828-884-2787. www.tcarts.org.
