Threshold Grace: A Sumi-e Journey
The latest Sandler Center for the Performing Arts Art Gallery exhibition, “Threshold Grace: A Sumi-e Journey,” by local artist Mike Lane is now on view.
The exhibition features traditional Asian watercolor art medium techniques applied to themes found on the East Coast of the United States. Lane’s work focuses on, in his words, the “little living things” in garden and marsh landscapes.
“The main title of this solo exhibit is ‘Threshold Grace,’” said Lane. “In the Asian world of art, it is not unusual for studios to be given a signature appellation — my Virginia Beach studio goes by this name. ‘Threshold’ puts the spotlight on dynamic transition spaces where things are continuously morphing. This is, in the micro, an appreciation of particular design structures in nature — the aging claw of a fiddler crab, the elegant motility of shrimp, and the ripples in the eddies of a brook. But it is also an exploration of systems, their elegant layering, and their interdependent nature.”
The Sandler Center and Sandler Center Foundation will host a free, public opening reception for this exhibition from 6-8 p.m. on Monday, April 15. There is no requirement to RSVP for this event, but, if you have any questions, please email artsinfo@vbgov.com.
Artwork in this exhibition will be on display to the public until June 4 and can be viewed when the Sandler Center box office is open, as well as during Sandler Center events. Learn more about the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts Art Gallery, including opportunities to potentially exhibit in the space, online.
Lane, an award-winning artist, is a native of the Virginia Coast and the Outer Banks but lived and worked in Asia for the better part of the last 30 years. During that time, he learned Asian culture as he wore a variety of hats, such as ESL teacher, non-profit community development and international business consultant, and coffeehouse manager, to name a few. Also, from 2008 through 2014, he studied with accomplished, and very patient, artists in southern China.
Throughout his artistic career, Lane has enjoyed investing in the local arts community. He founded and directed the Halizo Arts Festival in Norfolk from 2002-2004. He also teaches Asian art classes at the Norfolk Visual Arts Center in Titustown and is curator of the Chapel Gallery at his church, Virginia Beach Community Chapel. He is also currently a board member of the local Blue Heron Sumi-e Society and actively shows at local galleries, shops, and festivals.