Paul Villinski at the Taubman Museum of Art

Taubman Museum of Art.

One of my favorite local outings is to head downtown to the art museum. The Taubman Museum of Art is located in downtown Roanoke, Virginia, at 110 Salem Ave SE.

There are numerous parking garages and lots (many of which are free during the daytime on weekends) and also on-street parking (For all you parallel parking experts out there. Don’t count this Florida native into that mix!). The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday. While there are occasionally exhibits that require an admission fee, entrance to the museum and all the other galleries are free!

Miss Sunshine’s fall travel soccer season usually keeps our weekends tied up. I hadn’t realized how long it’d been since we’d visited the Taubman and was pleased to see many new exhibitions.

 

Paul Villinski: Farther

As promised in the sneak peek last Friday, today I’m sharing some of the pieces from my favorite gallery. An exhibition by the artist Paul Villinski titled Paul Villinski: Farther.

Woven Belts.

This is only a small fragment of this piece. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to write down the name of this piece. I think it is a part of Quilt and Comforter. This piece is a segment of a large piece with woven belts. In some places, there are items inserted into the weaving, such as liquor bottles and books.

I chose to focus on this area because it includes a children’s book called I Can Fly. I thought it was interesting to have a children’s book and a bottle of vodka below.

Also, most of his works include an element of flight, so I was drawn to this view based on that fact as well.

Aerialist.

One of the things that I admired in Villinski’s work was his choice of items in which to create his works. This piece titled Aerialist is a set of wings made from knives.

 

Gyre.

This piece is titled Gyre. The aluminum cans are found on the streets of New York. The butterflies are cut out by hand or with a laser cutter. Butterflies feature significantly in many of his works. They are a symbol of transformation and rebirth.

 

Marfa.

This piece is titled Marfa.  It is created from found wooden objects (a weathered ladder, door, and chair) and aluminum (found cans), wire and soot.

Burst.

In the background of the photograph of Marfa, you get a glimpse of the installation of Burst. This art piece covers an entire wall in the gallery. I’ve only captured a tiny segment of it.

The birds in Burst are created from discarded vinyl LP records.

Wishful Thinking.

Who can really say why you are drawn to some art pieces? When I saw this piece titled Wishful Thinking, I was really hoping that my photography skills would do it justice. There was just something about the way it was suspended there, with its shadow cast by the lighting in the gallery, that made this piece so beautiful to me.

However, what do you think of this piece?

Lepidopterist.

This piece is titled, Lepidopterist. It is, perhaps, my favorite piece. Although I’d struggle to choose between this and Wishful Thinking. A Lepidopterist refers to a person who studies and/or collects butterflies and moths. This piece is a self-portrait of the artist.

Did you enjoy these Paul Villinski works?

If so, which piece is your favorite?

This exhibition runs at the Taubman Museum of Art until July 15, 2018. It’s been on display since June 16, 2017.

Now can you see what I mean about my weekends being tied up in the fall!

I can’t believe that this was my first time seeing this exhibition.

Also on display at the museum is Villinski’s piece titled Passage, which is a large-scale sculpture of a balsa wood style plane covered in butterflies.

If you are planning to be in the area, I highly recommend stopping into the Taubman Museum of Art. Hopefully, you can make it while the Paul Villinski exhibition is still on display.

Let your light shine!

Amy