Working with traditional farming materials like locust and hemlock wood, Charlie Brouwer has been placing sculptures in public settings since 1989. His nine-acre property in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Willis, Virginia has become an idyllic home to approximately twenty of these works, surrounding the 100-year old farmhouse where he and his wife presently live. The
subject matter of these sculptures ranges from human figures and house-like enclosures to leaves, train cars, and that which continues to inspire him: the ladder. As material, muse and metaphor, the ladder has returned regularly to this artist's work -- accumulating meaning with every application. For Brouwer it spans a spectrum of symbolism from Jacob's Ladder and the Tower of Babel to Albrecht Durer's 1514 engraving Melancholia and Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven. In his words, "...we build and repair with ladders, we pick fruit from ladders, we rescue with ladders. With ladders we reach over, rise up, and transcend."
Taking this notion of "rising up" as inspiration for a project that could translate the human impulse to strive for something higher into a form of community building, Brouwer began the Rise Up series in 2002. From Michigan to Virginia to North Carolina, it has subsequently travelled the USA -- borrowing ladders from local citizens and businesses to create "portraits"
of their respective communities. In these temporary monuments Brouwer highlights the human qualities of ladders by tying them together into fragile formations -- leaning upon one another to build something greater than the individual. For Rise Up Winston-Salem, a house-like structure bridges the inherent danger of using ladders with the security associated with the
home. In so doing, Brouwer forges an image of simultaneous caution and ambition - congregating objects, stories and dreams into a sanctuary of what could be when people rise together. www.charliebrouwer.com
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"Individuals, families, businesses, and organizations of Winston- Salem, NC lent over 100 ladders for me to create this installation in Old Salem. I built the sculpture by using the ladders to hold each other up tying them together with cable ties. I intended to create a metaphor for the community emphasizing the strength it finds in interdependence, mutual support, and trust as well as its hopes and aspirations. The project was organized by SECCA (The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art) as part of their 2009 public art series Inside-Out: Artists in the Community II. The exhibition of the Rise Up Winston-Salem installation took place March 7 through April 12, 2009 on the grounds of Old Salem Museum and Gardens." Charlie Brouwer, April 2009
North Carolina Museum of Art Director visits Charlie Brouwer's "Rise Up Winston-Salem" installation on view in the Tavern Meadow in Old Salem (just past the Salem Tavern on South Main Street) in Winston-Salem, NC through April 12, 2009.
Many school groups are enjoying Charlie Brouwer's "Rise Up Winston-Salem" installation on view in the Tavern Meadow in Old Salem (just past the Salem Tavern on South Main Street) in Winston-Salem, NC through April 12, 2009.
WE APPRECIATE THE ASSISTANCE OF OUR FRIENDS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT LOANED THEIR LADDERS AND THEIR STORIES.
American Red Cross
Anonymous
Phil Archer
Pat Barber
T. Blackburn
Jeanne Butler
Dianne Caesar
Michael Christiano
Brady Collins
Jennifer and Patrick Collins
Thorns and Perry Craven
Creative Learning Center
Vicki Davis
Cliff Dossel
Sheila Dye
David Ebron
Eric and Zack Elliot
Embassy Suites
Forsyth County Public Library
Lee French
Amy Garland
Jonathan Gaskins
Kathy Golobic
Mark Graves
Myra Grozinger
Paul Gwyn
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat ReStore
Hertz Equipment Rental
Bill Hickman
Alix Hitchcock
Keith Hobgood
Mary Kirk Huske
Bruce and Lynn Jessup
Allen Joines, Mayor
Calvin and Christa Jones
Leslie Kamtman
Allen Keesee
Dan King & Spencer Pickle "King Pickle"
Mark Leach
Tom and Sandy Lusk
Beth Macey
Debbie Maiden
Susan MacIntosh
Bob Mayville
Margaret Neff
John Newsome
Phyllis Newsome
The Children of John
and Phyllis Newsome
North Carolina Black Repertory Company
Allison Perkins
Piedmont Craftsmen
Cynthia Pratt
Salem College Art Department
Dennis Sapp
Jennifer Sapp
Martini Sapp
Wayne Sapp
Lorraine Shearer
Mark Smith
Mike Smith
Peter Spivak and Millicent Greason
Smart Start
Belinda Tate
Triad Commercial Property
Triad Pest Control
V's Treasures
Alex Tuszynski
Ben Tuszynski
William Vickers
Clark Whittington
Jeff Wilson
Winston-Salem Fire Department
Winston-Salem Journal
Ellen Yarborough
Inside-Out: Artists in the Community II is supported by a grant from The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art. In-kind support provided by Sundance Plaza Hotel, Spa and Wellness Center; Village Tavern and AdColor of Winston-Salem
.
