This fall, Walnut Gallery will be transformed into “Roil” – an art installation experience by artist Jamey Grimes. The installation opens Thursday, September 8, with a gallery talk and reception at 7 PM. Admission is free and open to the public. “Roil” will remain on display until October 22. The event is sponsored in part by our community partners: Holiday Inn Express & Suites, The Mary G. Hardin Center for Cultural Arts, The Etowah County Board of Tourism, and Downtown Gadsden, Inc.
“The term “roil” refers to a turbulent swirling of water,” Jamey Grimes explains in his artist statement. “Multiple surfaces collide in a whirlpool of light and shadow. This environment is intended to be both stirring and serene. “Roil” contemplates my relationship to natural forces, both real and imagined.” The installation becomes an environment all its own by surrounding visitors in sweeping nets of honeycomb-like material (pictured right).
Artist Statement
“My desire to make objects is fueled by encounters with Nature and playful experimentation with synthetic materials. Reflecting on my own vivid experiences with Nature, I realize that imagination plays a powerful role, making my observations unique. My response to various materials relies on similar unique and imaginative observations. As I find unlikely relationships between memories and materials, metaphors open and expand this dialogue.”
About Jamey Grimes
Jamey Grimes is a native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he is a full-time instructor in the Department of Art & Art History at the University of Alabama. He also teaches drawing courses through Auburn University’s Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project. Jamey has shown his artwork extensively, including exhibitions at the Dunedin Fine Art Center (FL), the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts (DE), the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (MI), Sculpture Key West (FL), FAT Village (Ft, Lauderdale, FL), and the Rymer Gallery (TN).