R. Grey Gallery Presents the Traveling Exhibit - Thomas Mann

Storm Cycle, An Artist Responds to Hurricane Katrina
Themes of the heart and devastation told through assemblage

Opens First Thursday,
June 5th, 2008

Boise, ID- R. Grey Gallery will present the traveling exhibit Thomas Mann: Storm Cycle, An Artist Responds to Hurricane Katrina set to open to the public on June 5th and run through July 25, 2008.  The exhibit has traveled across the United States for the past few years and has been brought to Boise by the R. Grey Gallery.

New Orleans artist Thomas Mann has created Storm Cycle- an exhibition of the heart- depicting his interpretation of Hurricane Katrina.  Nineteen, three-dimensional panels with titles as direct as Will It Float?, Markings No.1: I Will Shoot Your Sorry Ass, Local Hero and Angel are branded both as a heartfelt aftershock diary and an implacable documentary of the devastated emotional and material landscapes left behind by the hurricane. 

Each of the panels has been created from debris gathered in the streets of New Orleans post-Katrina and reference shattered walls, abandoned pets, rescue boats landing on roofs and ghostly presences.  Each panel also houses a removable wearable jewelry object, taking the shape of brooches and pins and incorporating photos depicting the artist’s hometown scene.  The panels are accompanied by narratives written by Thomas Mann describing his emotions and the reason for each one’s inclusion in the exhibition.

In addition to the traveling exhibit, Thomas Mann will also be teaching a two-day workshop on June 7th and June 8th entitled The Found Object Sandwich-The photo assemblage brooch, where students will create their own found object creation using items that they bring to the class.  For more information on the workshop, contact Robert Kaylor (208) 385-9337 or robk@rgreygallery.com. 

thomas mann

Brooch: We Live in Bowl
Materials: Steel, aluminum, paint.

“We Live in a Bowl”
New Orleans has been a “strategic” city on the North American continent since its inception in 1718. It has served as the pivot point and staging area for the conquest of the interior of the continent by the major European countries of France, England and Spain as they competed to acquire colonies in the New World.

New Orleans was sited on a high point in the swamp, a ridge or small bluff, at a critical turn in the Mississippi River that offered harbor and the ability for defense. This little high spot eventually became overcrowded and the city went looking to produce more “land” for the city to grow into.
thomas mann

Brooch: Fabricated Assemblage
Materials: Acrylic, steel, paint, bronze.

Markings No. 3 “X”
All of the homes and businesses in the flooded areas of New Orleans were meticulously inspected by teams of specialists from all over the US. They arrived in New Orleans to perform their difficult task in the early days after the storm.

After inspecting a dwelling they would “mark” the structure with a special graphic to indicate who had done the inspection, the date, whether there were bodies present or not, whether there were pets present or not, etc.

They spray painted an X and then indicated in the quadrants of the X the info as above.

I found these markings to be visually interesting and full of import. I especially like the ones with the contrasting color combination. New Orleanians are very fond of painting their homes in bright tropical colors and this made for striking color sequences. 
thomas mann

Brooch: Photo Assemblage Brooch “Angel”
Materials: Bronze, glow in the dark acrylic, photograph.

“Angel”
I found this collapsed neighborhood church at the corner of Peniston and Barrone streets.

It was probably suffering from termite problems as well and the shock of the storm winds literally blew it down.

But, standing in the midst of the ruins was a statue of an angel, missing a wing but upright and present.

I found it inspirational. 
thomas mann

Brooch: Power Down – a “construct” brooch that depicts the fractured system.
Materials: Bronze, silver, acrylics, and micarta

“Power Down”
When the lights go out so does everything else powered by electricity. A month after the power goes down your refrigerator has passed through the science experiment phase and has entered the demonic wormhole arena.

Think of everything that we depend on for our sense of civilization and you’ll soon realize that a significant proportion of that “civilization” is powered by electricity. New Orleanians who returned to the city from their evacuation locations came back with generators if they could. I loaned the two I had to friends who were beginning their restoration efforts. One of them was still using it 5 months later. It drove his power tools, recharged his cell phone, made his coffee and cooked his dinner.