Turnage opens doors to working artists
Published 8:01 pm Monday, July 18, 2016
A stroll past the Arts of the Pamlico’s Turnage Theatre will show the work of sculptor Allan Weaver on display in the window. But for a few days last week and this week, the sculptor himself is also on display, working at his craft.
As part of Arts of the Pamlico’s plan to make its artist members, and what they do, more visible to the public, Weaver and other artists will be taking turns creating their art in the gallery.
“We discussed what we can do to give the arts more visibility,” Weaver said. “That way the public can get a little bit of an understanding of what it takes to create the art.”
Weaver was the first featured artist at the Turnage; today and tomorrow, he’ll be putting the finishing touches on a piece featuring two dancers — capturing a moment in time and translating it into clay pieces that he will meld together.
“I do things in parts for the simple reason that it’s easier for me to concentrate on a part while the clay is still malleable,” Weaver said.
On Friday, Weaver had finished the legs of one dancer and started work on the hands of the other. He said by Wednesday, he should have the piece finished, then he’ll begin the patient process of waiting for the ceramic clay to dry for two to three weeks before firing it.
Though Weaver received a minor in sculpture in college, he’s only recently come back to art in the past decade. After 30 years working in industrial design, when he retired he found himself drawn back to the visual arts.
“I guess I failed at retirement, so I took up sculpture, which is what I wanted to do in the first place,” Weaver said.
His work captures action: dancers mid-dance, football players mid-play, expressing both movement and tension. He only produces three or four pieces a year — he spends much of his time traveling to visit he and his wife Maja’s six children and grandchildren — and when he sells a piece, he donates the proceeds to Arts of the Pamlico or Purpose of God Outreach Annex, a nonprofit.
“I do what I want to do and somebody else benefits from it,” Weaver said. “It just provides a real sense of purpose.”
Visitors are welcome to stop by the Turnage Theatre, at 150 W. Main St., to talk to the artists and watch him work.