"The works show a river that belongs to everyone, a place to gather and be with one another…a place for healing."
Down By the Water /James River Suite
For his third solo show at Bond Millen Gallery, Mac focuses on the James River with its unique characteristics, its unusual geography and storied past. Historically, river and seaport cities are the oldest communities of human culture and civilization. Harbors, bays and rivers connect the sea to the hinterlands and other communities, providing trade routes, access to arable lands for farming and settlement, and the sharing of culture and technologies.
Virginia’s James River tells a unique chapter of what has been called the American Experiment -- a new and democratic nation formed on a vast, isolated and underdeveloped continent with enormous potential for growth and opportunity. The James has been a silent witness to many of the factors, both positive and negative, that have defined the making of the United States (The American Revolution, Slavery, the Industrial Revolution, The War Between the States) and the evolution of America’s power and dominance on the world stage.
This show of paintings investigates some of these aspects by showing the power of the James River’s natural beauty and the historic ruins and artifacts that still resonate within its banks, coupled with multiple engineering and transportation landmarks in the form of beautiful bridges and railroad structures. These interventions speak to us across time and remind us of our varied backgrounds and how America developed. The works show a unique river that belongs to everyone, a place to gather and be with one another…a place for healing divisions and experiencing the beauty of the natural world.
MB
