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Guest column

Pastels exhibit opens eyes to the power of art

By BARBARA BURKE
Published May 20, 2005

Kelly Sebastian, three months ago, opened an art gallery in downtown Inverness across from Stumpknockers. This past Saturday night, she held a reception for Jorge Ibanez, a Gainesville artist working in pastels.

Around 7 p.m., five people were waiting at the door for the opening of Ms. Sebastian's first major exhibit. No sooner had the doors at the Galeria San Sebastian opened than people started arriving, at first, one or two; then three or four; then it became a crowd.

By the time I left, there was standing room only inside the gallery. Artists and admirers and ardent enthusiasts, oh my.

The artists (we have quite a few living and working in Citrus County) showed up. Denise Travis was there with her husband, Cliff; Merle Hoar, a gifted photographer, put in an appearance. Sophia Diaz-Fonseca, Inverness' recently elected council member, was there.

Noticeably absent were Winston and Andrea Perry, owners of numerous properties in Inverness, and City Manager Frank DiGiovanni. The Perrys, as readers of the Times are aware, have had a long-running, often contentious, battle with Mr. DiGiovanni over the development and money spent to revitalize the downtown area. (Also absent, interestingly, were reporters from any of the newspapers serving the county).

It seems what Kelly has done quietly, with the support of her mom, Sally, and a few friends, sans grants, has shown what a powerful force art can be. Bravo, Kelly!

Being an artist myself, not a critic, I have to say that Jorge Ibanez's pastels opened my eyes to a vibrant color exploration of a medium that I hadn't known existed. He seems to be able to translate onto a canvas the rhythms of his native land, Puerto Rico.

Imagine if the "powers that be" in the city and the county were to open their eyes to the power of art. Art enriches our souls. Long after the wars, the squabbles, the death and destruction, the desecration of the environment, art survives and somehow enables us as a species to be what we are.

Einstein and his ilk have provided mankind with the ability to split an atom. But it's not the remains of scientists or mathematicians or physicists' theories that archaeologists search for, or find, when searching for beginnings. It has always been and always will be the art that survives. It is our record of how we lived.

What if the city or county were to set aside even a tiny fraction of the budget for public art? So little to ask, it seems, for the value.

Luciano Pavarotti, in an interview not so long ago, was asked which singer he admired. His answer was, "Frank Sinatra." The interviewer, taken somewhat aback by Pavarotti's response, recovered his poise and queried,"Why Sinatra?" Pavarotti's response, "Because after the song has ended, the notes linger."

That's what good art gives a community. Long after you've seen the work hanging on the wall, the images linger.

Barbara Burke is an Inverness retiree. Guest columnists write their views on subjects they choose, which do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.

[Last modified May 20, 2005, 01:06:18]