\u201cAmerica is your neighbor \u2014 the person who serves you coffee, does your dry cleaning, delivers your Amazon boxes,\u201d Whyte told The Post and Courier. \u201cI wanted to show average everyday people that portray the spirit and the grit of America.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Support Community-Funded Arts & Culture Journalism:<\/strong> Arts and culture coverage at The Post and Courier is made possible by community support. The Arts & Culture Lab allows us to invest in meaningful reporting that highlights creativity, history and cultural expression across South Carolina. Your contribution helps ensure this work continues. Individuals from San Francisco, Sante Fe and New Orleans \u2014 and places we\u2019ve probably never heard of \u2014 are on display right alongside South Carolinians, their daily lives now works of art to be admired.<\/p>\n “Captain” by Mary Whyte. 2022. Watercolor on paper.<\/p>\n Provided<\/p>\n Also on display is Whyte’s \u201cLife Series,\u201d a five-piece watercolor collection with layered, dreamlike imagery exploring memory, aging and the passage of time. In between each of the five works, Whyte drew life stages of a sunflower directly on the museum walls in charcoal.<\/p>\n Distinct from her work based on specific individuals, the \u201cLife Series\u201d is a collage of recollections, intentionally fragmented. She created it without rules or limitations, Whyte said in her artist statement, embracing a sense of freedom she connects to the ideals of expression and self-determination that shaped the nation\u2019s founding 250 years ago.<\/p>\n Ordinary moments<\/p>\n Whyte has a distinct ability to reveal humanity within ordinary moments, like that of McClellanville oysterman Jeff Spahr lugging a heavy haul in \u201cOyster Bank.\u201d She tagged along with him for a harvest day, hearing the wind blow through the marsh grass and his boots sucking into the pluff mud.<\/p>\n Charleston artist Mary Whyte’s new exhibit, “Salt of the Earth,” is on view at the Gibbes Museum until Sept. 27.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alice Keeney\/Provided<\/p>\n \u201cAs we ran the boat through the creeks, it seemed to me that she really enjoyed taking in the environment around her,\u201d Spahr said. \u201cAnd I can only imagine she was maybe saving that feeling for later when she painted.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s been oystering for 25 years, learning from those who have been doing it twice as long as him. Being part of this show celebrating the American way makes him feel like he\u2019s playing his part in honoring the past and making the future better.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important to recognize the evolution of community and its impacts on our society,\u201d Spahr said. \u201cI think Mary has gone outside the traditional boundaries of a geographical community and created a larger group that represents part of America, and I\u2019m happy to be part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking forward<\/p>\n As the nation marks a milestone anniversary, Whyte\u2019s work serves as a reminder that the soul of America continues to live in the hopes, struggles and determination of persevering people.<\/p>\n “Eden” by Mary Whyte. 2023. Watercolor, acrylic and charcoal on paper.<\/p>\n Provided<\/p>\n \u201cThe exhibition presents an honest vision of America at 250 and what we collectively continue to strive for in terms of respecting one another, placing the value and well-being of our fellow citizens at the forefront of our minds and working together to advance and inspire dreams,\u201d said Alex Rich, president and CEO of the Gibbes.<\/p>\n
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