Lately, Thursday night has become Luncheria night (more on that later), but this Thursday was special - the last [tag]Art Thursday[/tag] of the season. For three or four years now [tag]Christiansted[/tag] galleries and other businesses have been staying open late, and restaurants offering specials, for gallery-goers on the first Thursday of the month, November through May. Many of the participating galleries schedule special openings or shows for Art Thursday, offering wine and cheese and an opportunity for St. Croix’s art-lovers to get together and enjoy the wide array of talented local and visiting artists.

Untitled ~ Christina Frederick Gasperi,
Wayfindings at Maufe Gallery.

- Photo by Michael Dance

After some delicious sushi at the Deck Bar, we headed up Queen Cross St. mingling with friends and fellow art aficionados. Appropriately, we found our way to [tag]Maufe Gallery[/tag] and [tag]Christina Frederick Gasperi[/tag]’s opening “Wayfindings”. Christina describes wayfindings as the process by which we find our path through a combination of observation and intuition. There were some powerful pieces, most composed on driftwood or weathered barn boards and fence wood. My favorite was a composition of weathered cattle skulls, covering most of one wall, positioned in the shape of an angel, or possibly a cross. The piece was untitled, so let the viewer decide. From across the room, I could have sworn they were sections of actual skulls, but closer examination showed they were all painted on, you guessed it, wood. Other pieces were reminiscent of hand-painted signs on the sides of buildings, very much like what you might find around some corner on St. Croix, or elsewhere in the islands.

Christina’s show will be up until May 24th, she’s considering a “closing” sometime before the show actually comes down. Following her at Maufe will be [tag]Nii Ahene[/tag], an African artist now on St. Croix. Ahene’s multi-media work will be split between Maufe and [tag]Walsh Metal Works Gallery[/tag]. The opening at Walsh is scheduled for Friday, May 25, followed on Saturday, May 26, by the opening at Maufe.

Other Galleries and Shops participating in this years Art Thursday include: Whim Museum Store, IB Designs, The Goldworker, Maria Henle Studio, Danica Art Gallery, Yellow House Gallery, D&D Studio, Crucian Gold, and Twin City Coffee House and Gallery. The [tag]Christiansted Gallery Walk[/tag] will resume in the Fall on the first Thursday in November.

Tags: St. Croix

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 3rd, 2007 at 9:57 pm and is filed under Island Buzz, St. Croix, Virgin Islands. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.