"Places + Names:" a special art exhibition in France

The long-awaited art reception at Galerie des Marches in Aubusson, France on October 15th was fabulous! I could hardly wait to share the images with you, so without further ado, here is my newly installed collection of artwork.

Pour yourself a glass of wine, nibble on some good French cheese, and invite a friend or loved one to visit the exhibition with you.

Feel free to add your comments, questions, or inquiries on the artwork. I’d love to hear how the artwork connects with you.

It was the most wonderful evening after so many years of working towards making this exhibition a reality.

Welcoming guests and collectors at the “Places and Names” exhibit at Galerie des Marches

-4 more Cluzel photos-

Discussing the art from outside the window with the gallerist, Jérôme Bel.

At the end of the evening we lingered outside the gallery to discuss the exhibit further. I cannot imagine a better evening. Merci, Aubusson.⁠

*Thank you to Eric Cluzel of the Aubusson & Felletin Office of Tourism, who took many of these photos.

L'invitation, en français:

15/10 - 18h - Inauguration "PLACES & NAMES" - une installation de RENÉ D. SHOEMAKER - galerie des marches / Aubusson

Chers amis,

« Places and names » est une installation textile toute en légèreté que l’artiste américaine René D. Shoemaker met en place pour la première fois comme un trait d’union entre son pays natal et sa Creuse d’adoption.

L’évidence d’une nécessaire simplicité dans la relation entre positionnement de tous et identité de chacun y prolonge en subtils chromatismes et douce ironie la quête d’une ligne par laquelle cette spécialiste de la soie trace depuis quarante ans un chemin discret comme une silencieuse et sagace balade mémorielle.

Si « Places and names » interroge notre condition déambulatoire avec gaité et pudeur à la fois, sa présence en nos murs jusqu’à la fin de l’année en cours permettra aussi d’accueillir le 22 octobre la poétesse anglaise Kate Rose pour une lecture publique à partir de son nouveau recueil « Brushstrokes » (Mosaïquepress), à 17 heures alors.

En écho avec la première participation de René D. Shoemaker au programme de la SmallArt Gallery de Rochester (Minnesota), nous sommes donc enchantés de déjà vous convier à cette inauguration aubussonnaise samedi 15 octobre à partir de 18h.

"Places and names"

entrée libre

jeudi de 14h à 19h

vendredi de 15h à 19h

samedi de 11H à 19h

dimanche de 15h à 18h

jusqu'au 31 décembre inclus

http://www.reneshoemaker.com/

https://katerose.online/

--

des marches

31 Rue Vieille

23200 AUBUSSON

+33 (0) 679 481 384

galeriedesmarches@gmail.com

The invitation, in English:

October 15, 2022 - 6 PM. Private view: “PLACES & NAMES” - an installation by RENÉ D. SHOEMAKER - Galerie des Marches, Aubusson

Dear friends,

“Places and names” is a graceful textile installation that the American artist René D. Shoemaker arranges together in place for the first time as a link between her native country and the Creuse of her adoption.

The evidence of a necessary simplicity in the relationship between the positioning of the artwork and the identity that each one prolongs in subtle chromatism and gentle irony in the quest for a line by which this specialist of silk for forty year traces a discreet path like a silent and sagacious memory walk.

If “Places and names” questions our ambulatory condition with gaiety and modesty, its presence on our walls until the end of the current year will also allow us to welcome on October 22 the English poet Kate Rose for a public reading of her new collection “Brushstrokes”, (Mosaique Press) at 5 pm.

Echoing René Shoemaker’s first participation in the program of the SmällArt Gallery in Rochester Minnesota, we are delighted to invite you to this inauguration in Aubusson on Saturday, 15 October from 6 pm.

"Places and names"

entrance free

thursday 2 - 7pm

friday 3 - 7 pm

saturday 11am - 7 pm

sunday 3 6 pm

through december 31

http://www.reneshoemaker.com/

https://katerose.online/

--

des marches

31 Rue Vieille

23200 AUBUSSON

+33 (0) 679 481 384

galeriedesmarches@gmail.com

Many thanks to gallerist Jérôme Bel for sharing this experience with me.

-the end-

May We Move Forward with Grace and Ease

Which mottos do you live by? I’d be interested in knowing! My latest is a note on the blackboard in my studio that reads, “May I move forward with grace and ease,” which brings me a sense of peace and direction every time I read it.

"Station", on Rue Vieille, Aubusson

My exhibit, Places + Names, at Galerie des Marches in Aubusson opens Saturday, October 15, 2022 at 6 p.m. I wish you could be there! As I prepare for the reception, I know my community far and wide will be with me in spirit at the gallery, and I will savor their support. The night will be a memorable event, one of joy and expectation, and contentment.

René Shoemaker discusses her painting, “Floating”

I recall at my very first gallery opening, Ethereal Spaces at Clayton Street Gallery, Athens, GA in 2001, the joy I felt from simply standing there, basking in the ambiance, answering questions and talking to people about their personal responses to my artwork. My art was hanging freely, unhindered by attachment to the wall, swaying in the air currents as visitors walked by.

Ethereal Spaces, Clayton Street Gallery, Athens GA 2001

Now, 21 years later, my current gallerist and I are returning to that original vision of how my art should be displayed: freely, light, and with the energy of life.

My adopted country of France (for six years now!) inspires me, and living here has given me the sensibilities to delve deeper into my consciousness to see what can be mined. Those early years, which at the time felt so lonely, were really a catalyst to set my creativity free. Today my desire to exhibit is constant, wherever I am in the world.

Jérôme Bel at his gallery, Galerie des Marches, Aubusson

Silk is my métier, color my language, line my inspiration. I love working with Jérôme, who said early on in our meetings, more than a year ago, “René, No more ‘silk artist!’ YOU are a contemporary artist!” I bask in his words when he says my lines are “Matissian,” as Henri Matisse has been my most constant mentor throughout the years.

I love my life.

In the stillness of the early morning light, when the roosters are just beginning to crow and the donkeys bray for their morning meal, I sit with my coffee in the garden, asking the sun to warm my body and soul.

If you wish to invite my artwork into your environment, all works in the exhibit are for sale. Feel free to contact me at rene@reneshoemaker.com, or my gallerist Jérôme Bel (he speaks English fluently) at galeriedesmarches@gmail.com or phone him at +33 (0) 679 481 384. I would be forever delighted to know my art is sharing your space, and I am always grateful for your comments and purchases.

Athens News:

If you are in Athens, you can see my paintings at Athens Art & Frame. They have arranged my Doors of Athens paintings along with a number of my other paintings on the Local Artist's wall. I am in good company there and I encourage you to go see the collection.

The Doors of Athens collection of original paintings beautifully displayed at Athens Art & Frame

In a bit of hometown news, our beloved vegetarian restaurant, The Grit, closed its doors after 36 years. The Grit storefront was included in my Doors of Athens series, and although the original painting sold early on, a beautiful high-quality print is available at my online store. I feel like a bit of an historian sometimes, as I often capture a building or scene in a town that subsequently disappears. In my Columbus Museum exhibition, Discovering the Chattahoochee Valley in 2015-2016, one of the artworks the Museum kept for its permanent collection was a corner building that was demolished by the time the exhibition opened to the public. I’m proud to say I have received two Historic Preservation awards from Georgia cities for this architectural appreciative eye.

I think I have this thing for storefronts: The Grit, Athens, GA

The Grit’s entranceway is also included onThe Doors of Athens poster and t-shirt. The poster is available at Community, the K.A. Artist Shop, or in my online shop; the t-shirt can be purchased at Community.

Your Doors of Athens t-shirt would look really good on you.

The Grit print and Doors of Athens poster both celebrate the vitality of Athens, GA.

Thanks for following along! I hope to see you soon, here, there, or elsewhere.

Love,

René

How Do You Express Your Creativity?

Galerie des Marches, Aubusson

What are your favorite ways to express creativity? We are all creative creatures! Is your creative outlet drawing? photography? writing? poetry?

Is it listening to the birds sing, or drawing and painting? Maybe home decor or gardening is your thing.

Creativity is a place of flow and of calmness. It is a beautiful state that we all can grow into. I am delighted to be a creative person, and I understand that creativity comes in many, many forms.

My life is full of love and creativity.

Installation in progress. Galerie des Marches, Aubusson

This week I am hanging an art exhibit at Galerie des Marches in Aubusson.

My art is large and colorful. As I prepared the silk paintings for the exhibition, I fell in love with them once again, as if visiting an old friend.

I am very happy with my art, and I cannot wait to share more images and stories from this exhibit with you!

The opening reception will be held October 1 at 7 pm at Galerie des Marches, 31 rue Vieille, Aubusson, 23200. The exhibit will be open to the public September 29th, but feel free to walk by before then and look in the window—it's going to be quite the display! I'll send the invitation as soon as it is created. For more information, contact the gallery at galeriedesmarches@gmail.com

Treignac, in the Corrèze department, Nouvelle Aquitaine

poetry@treignac

Earlier this month I spent three wild and wonderful days at a writer’s workshop, surrounded by poets, poetry and prose in the village of Treignac. Designated a Petite Cité de Caractère, this medieval town is situated on the Vézère River.

It is a beautiful location that inspires creativity and connection with my new community of creatives. This was my first time attending a writer’s workshop and I loved every minute of it.

Kate Rose and Sheila Schofield Large, both accomplished poets and poetry event organizers, hosted the workshop. Titled poetry@treignac, it was held at a former thread factory, now a contemporary art exhibition space, the Treignac Projet. It was an inspiring, open space in which to let our creativity soar.

The “Writing Creative Non-Fiction” workshop, led by editor, writer, and publisher Chuck Grieve, was invigorating. I left with a nice chunk of prose, and Sheila Large led a workshop “using the skills of metaphysics to turn details into poetry that has both message and magic.” I loved having that new part of my brain tickled and massaged.

I read both my texts to the group that night and was thrilled to be a writer amongst writers.

My son, Sam Sutlive, is a poet involved in the spoken word community in our hometown, and all weekend I felt like I was channeling his creative skills.

René reading her new poetry

We had workshops, we had gatherings, we had community time, we had readings. We had champagne to launch the Artemesia Arts organization!

I came away a different person.

It was delightful to be surrounded by like-minded people while learning more about myself and my capabilities. I find that I really do enjoy building a community of friends in my adopted country of France.

Tell me, what skills are you learning now?

Treignac Projet

This just in! Athens Art & Frame just hung my Doors of Athens exhibit plus other work of mine—I think I see a theme here! Click here to see a video of the display, and stop by their shop if you are in Athens!

René Shoemaker painting on exhibit at Athens Art & Frame

Saving the Jewish Children in Crocq

As a follow-up to my July newsletter and art exhibit in Crocq, I have learned more about the exhibition hall that I described, which was so fascinating to me. After fact-checking my understanding of the information, I now want to share this story with you. 

I noted that Crocq was an interesting village in the French department of La Creuse. But the real story—besides the rabbit skins (another new fact: it was rabbits the tanneries of Crocq were processing) and the medieval towers overlooking the town—is that the exhibit hall, which now houses an elementary school on the ground floor, was originally built as an agricultural school, then became a hospital of sorts, a Maison de cure climatique, or health resort for children.

Ecole élémentaire, 8 rue Jean et Robert Judet 23260 Crocq

From 1939-1942, the schoolhouse was used as a refuge for Jewish children during the war, providing a safe place for them to hide in rural France. Limousin, including La Creuse, is known as a seat of the French resistance. Here in La Creuse there are still many discussions and reminders of the reality of the Seconde Guerre mondiale (World War II) on French soil.

"Jewish Children at the Crocq Refuge - 1941"

Louis Aron and his wife, along with a tireless team of staff, were responsible for running this refuge and maintaining a sense of normality for the children under their care. Aron was the director of the La maison israélite de refuge pour l’enfance, The Israelite House of Refuge for Children, and it is believed that 400 children were saved there by his refusal to declare the children of the refuge as Jews, since only their parents could have done so.* 

A monument outside the school declares:

Qui save un homme sauve l’humanité toute entière. L’oubli c’est l’exil, la memoire le secret de la délivrance.

“Whoever saves a man saves all mankind. Forgetting is exile, memory is the secret of deliverance.”

In 1942, the children were moved to another safe place seven kilometers away in Mainsat until 1944, when the Refuge became known as the “Foyer Israélite”, a center for Jewish immigrants.

 The Journal of Louis Aron presented by Serge Klarsfeld

The citation is as follows:

Klarsfeld, Serge 

Journal de Louis Aron, Directeur de la Maison Israélite de refuge pour l'enfance: Neuilly-sur-Seine 1939, Crocq (Creuse) 1939-1942. Édité et présenté par Serge Klarsfeld avec la collaboration d'Annette Zaidman. Association “Les Fils et filles des Déportés Juifs de Franc” et “The Beate Klarsfeld Foundation.” 1998

*Worldcat note, From the Bibliography of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism

++++

The interior of the elementary school, upstairs gallery space

The exhibit in Crocq has ended. My painting of the Felletin library sold (thank you, Jon!), but there are still eight paintings available from that collection. If you are interested in owning one for yourself, send me a message and we will work out the details together.

Regarding the shop, it will be closed from September through December for renovation. I am happy to assist you with commissions - in fact I delight in working on them, so please send me your ideas of what you would like to order for the holidays.

A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page will be added to the online shop, so please comment below to let me know what questions pop into your mind that I should address: Shipping policy? Postage costs? How artwork gets mailed safely? How to care for your paintings on silk? Your input is invaluable to maximize the helpfulness of the FAQ page future visitors to the site.

I will also be updating descriptions, adding new artwork, and removing some of the older pieces on the site.

Collection of my artwork that was on exhibit in Crocq

A new exhibit in Aubusson is planned for September! I will send the details as soon as they are confirmed. The Aubusson gallery will be handling sales of my artwork through December 31; I’ll provide that contact information in the forthcoming exhibition announcement

Galerie Des Marches, 31 rue Vieille, 23200 Aubusson

As always, thank you so much for being part of my life.

Expanding your art collection? Contact me for commissions and/or a private tour of my art, which is available in many sizes & price points.

In Athens, my original art, paper goods and small gifts are carried by:

KA Artist Shop,

Community, and

Athens Art & Frame,

and in Aubusson at the Office of Tourism.

Sustainable packaging courtesy of

noissue .

Thank you for supporting the arts in Athens and beyond.

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