by Nerys Levy

Orange County has a variety of public spaces where one can view the work of local artists. These include the town halls of Carrboro and Chapel Hill, Weaver Street Market, three-dimensional art placed by the Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission at various Chapel Hill locations, the Century Center in Carrboro and the Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough (Orange County) Libraries.

But there is one public art space of which many Orange County residents are unaware. For several years now, local artists have been exhibiting their work in state Sen. Ellie Kinnaird's office at the Legislative Building in Raleigh.

This space is not large, but the walls are high and it is amazing how many works can be hung there. Most of the exhibitions reaching the senator's office have originated at the Carrboro Branch Library. So the shows in her office have, over the years, been varied and have embraced many art forms and cultures.

Exhibitions have included the art of some of Orange County's African-American women artists, Artie Dixon's PTA Thrift Shops photographic portraits, images of local Hispanic life, Efland artist Louise Francke's paintings commenting on environmental issues, work by Carrboro's Carr Court Quilters along with photographs of the group at work by Bob Gilgor, an exhibition of Occaneechi culture and heritage curated by John and Lynette Blackfeather and, recently, an exhibition of work by the Orange County Artists Guild.

According to Kinnaird, these exhibitions have proven to be an asset to the legislature; colleagues often drop in to her office just to view an exhibition.

With the exception of the entrance halls, the gray-walled corridors and public spaces of the Legislative Building are bereft of art, and the only three-dimensional pieces around the building are planters filled with the usual office-building type plants. Kinnaird said she would like to see some of the plants replaced by sculptures in the not-too-distant future.

A program run by the North Carolina Museum of Art that allows legislators to borrow paintings from the museum for their offices is not used by many lawmakers. Although many legislators have their own photographs and paintings in their workspaces, Kinnaird's office is the only active art space in the legislature. Her assistant, Kathie Young, said that hundreds of school children visit the building each year; many of them are drawn to the art work in the senator's office.

The local artists who have been exhibited in Kinnaird's office have sometimes been formally acknowledged by the Speaker from the floor of the Senate. The Carr Court Quilters, for example, were recognized one Monday evening in June 2000 following a reception honoring their exhibition. Having work at the Legislative Building signals to legislators the importance of the visual arts in Orange County and that one of the county's biggest assets is its culturally diverse artists. Meanwhile participating artists, visiting their works there, get a view of their local representatives in action.

Until the end of the year, the senator's office will display works by Carrboro artist Shirley Little and Chapel Hill artist Nan Gressman. Little's work features bold and abstract painted forms and natural sunjects in strong colors while Gressman's work consists of a series of painted hub caps along with paintings featuring geometric forms and vivid tones. (Gressman also has work in the Silver Arts Exhibition 2002 on show at the Carrboro Branch Library at the McDougle Schools through Nov. 3, an exhibition that underscores the fact that an artist's dialogue with the world is not restricted by age and that very few artists retire.)

To see artwork by Little and Gressman, call the senator's office (919-733-5804) before going.