Kenneth E. Parris III “104 Work Weeks: On Tour With the Merce Cunningham Dance Company”
Mayson Gallery
This event has ended.
Artist Kenneth E. Parris III, was on tour with members of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company for two years documenting their world tour through a series of drawings. Parris focuses on what happens on the road before and after performances providing an intimate glimpse into the lives of dancers and a more universal revelation of the human condition. From Nov. 20th - Dec. 15th Mayson Gallery presents the first exhibition of this series devoted exclusively to his paintings with an Artist Reception on Nov. 20th from 6-8pm.
After sixty years of artistic achievement, the Merce Cunningham Dance Company disbanded on New Year’s Day of 2012. The Legacy Tour, launched in January of 2010, showcased eighteen works in fifty cities around the world. Parris traveled with the company creating work centered on the dancers way of life. “This work serves as a permanent marker for the effort of the dancers during this historic tour,” he said. “For non-dancers it is a glimpse into the lives of performers on the road and an aspiring example of working cooperatively through a physically and emotionally challenging endeavor.”
Parris created an original series titled Drawing Dance, featured for twenty-three weeks on The New York Times ArtsBeat blog. Drawing exhibitions followed in New York City (Dec. 2011), Houston (May 2012), with a small selection of paintings added in Philadelphia (Oct. 2012). The work has received critical acclaim from the Walker Art Center Online Magazine, National Public Radio, and CultureMap Houston. Trend Hunter Art & Design wrote, “Like Caravaggio before him, Parris is a master of two dimensional cinematic lighting, which lends an undeniable sense of drama to the mundane.” The exhibition is on view through December 15th.
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Schedule
from November 20, 2013 to December 15, 2013
Opening Reception on 2013-11-20 from 18:00 to 20:00