Up & Coming Weekly

Shadow Series Comes to Museum of Art by ASHLEY YOUNG “In the Shadow Series I am attempting, like children, to combine the shadows of the eye and spirit, giving mental and spiritual experiences a form of tangibility — a virtually impossible task which will probably remain forever as visual speculation without hope of fi nding an acceptable solution,” said Stanley Greaves, in a statement about his work. “Unlike literature and drama, in painting, exploring this realm of emotional, often irrational, states of the mind becomes a diffi cult enterprise well understood by the Surrealist School,” said Greaves. According to Greaves, the tool of exploration that must be used here tends to become visual allegories or other forms of symbolism that are used in a highly personalized manner. The paintings hold some form of narration, however, there is no defi nite ending. Shadows Move Among Them displays conjecture, or the formation for the expression of opinion or theory without evidence for proof, the drama to spaces and dimensions that reach outside the space within the picture. Both the fi rst and second series of Shadows Move Among Them are dedicated to Edgar Mittelholzer, a Caribbean author, who wrote a novel entitled Shadows Move Among Them. Greaves’s fi rst set of artwork in the series was shown on the island of Barbados. “At the end of this, the second series of the Shadow paintings, I am left to consider that coming to terms with the intangible is still elusive — the true history of mankind perhaps. My perception of the intangible becomes a vision lying on the edge of some strange horizon and my search will have to follow the lead of the spectrum shadows becoming shadows of the soul,” Greaves said. Greaves’ works will be on display at the Fayetteville Museum of Art from May 8 through July 11 and the museum has been working with Greaves on this exhibition for more than a year and a half. Greaves was originally a patron of the museum and through dialogue and submission of an application the studio reviewed his work and decided to display it. The artwork will essentially be exploring two dimensional shadows of the human condition and will consist of twenty-three pieces. On Saturday, May 8 at 7 p.m. the premier party for the exhibit will take place at the Fayetteville Museum of Art. “This is another example of bringing contemporary work of a living artist to our community and the diversity within our community,” said Michele Horn, assistant director and curator for the Fayetteville Museum of Art. Greaves is a native of the Republic of Guyana and he served as the fi rst head of the Division of Creative Arts at the University of Guyana. All artists can ask to have their artwork displayed by sending a copy of their portfolio to the museum and a request form. If chosen, the artwork will be on display generally for six to eight weeks. ASHLEY YOUNG, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or editor@upandcomingweekly.com. RSVP Thanks Seniors, Honors Volunteer a STAFF REPORT Judy Dawkins knows the power of positive thoughts and of positive contributions. Following her retirement from the federal government a number of years ago, she began a second career as the director of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, or RSVP. Since that time, she has seen retirees, like herself, step out into the community and do everything from helping children learn to read to taking meals to shut ins. On Friday, April 23, Dawkins was joined by more than 475 volunteers at the RSVP annual volunteer appreciation luncheon at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church. The event is designed to thank the organization’s senior volunteers and to honor one of its own for their dedication and contributions to the community. Both were done in style. In 2009, the 515 volunteers registered with RSVP logged more than 104,187 hours of service to the community. Their time is equivalent to 50 full-time employees, which saved local organizations more than $2,031,646.50. Volunteers with the organization must be at least 55-years-old and elect to serve in one of the 76 agencies served by the organization. Joining Dawkins in thanking the volunteers were Kim Hasty, who served as the mistress of ceremonies; the Rev. John Cook, Sheriff Moose Butler, Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, of the XVII Airborne Corps, N.C. Rep. Rick Glazier, Mayors Ethel Clark, Eddie Dees and Tony Chavonne, Billy King, chairmen of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners and Robert Hines of the United Way. 10 UCW MAY 5-11, 2010 Janice Burton, associate publisher of Up & Coming Weekly presented the Up & Coming Weekly Spirit Award, which honors the outstanding volunteer of the year, to Jim Stitt. Stitt, who has been volunteering with RSVP since 2002, delivers meals to the home bound, works with the United Way and a number of other agencies. Stitt, a retired Special Forces soldier, is an avid painter and is still actively involved in athletics. The award’s presentation was complete when Stitt arrived at the ceremony, having just won a gold medal at the Senior Games. Dawkins joked with Stitt, recalling his start with the organization. She explained that a number of gentlemen came to the senior center to play pool on a regular basis. “I heard them in there and they were having so much fun,” she recalled. “I went in and told them I need them and that energy to volunteer.” It seemed that no one was going to take her up on her offer until later when Stitt came to her privately. “He told me he would do what I needed him to do as long as I didn’t tell the other guys,” she said. Over time many of those gentlemen joined Stitt in his service to the community. WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM

• Cover