Joe Bonham Exhibit, NYC
Saturday, September 3, 2011 at 09:44AM At one point in time, you may have heard me sling around the term "The Joe Bonham Project" and, yet, some of you are probably still scratching your heads wondering who this Joe Bonham guy is and why he is mentioned so often. This should clear things up for you:
THE JOE BONHAM PROJECT represents the efforts of wartime illustrators to document the struggles of U.S. service personnel undergoing rehabilitation after traumatic front-line injury. Formed in early 2011 by Michael D. Fay, the Project takes its name from the central character in Johnny Got His Gun, Dalton Trumbo’s 1938 novel of a World War I soldier unable to communicate with the outside world due to the extent of his wounds.
Joe Bonham artwork is currently on display at the Storefront Gallery in Brooklyn, NY until September 18th. This project couldn't had come at a better time, and with the war winding down and the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 creeping just around the corner, this exhibit was just what the public needed. Participating artists include: myself, Mike Fay, Victor Juhasz, Jeff Fisher, Richard Johnson, Roman Genn, Bill Harris, & Amber Martin. The show is curated by James Panero, the managing editor of the New Criterion. He also writes on art and culture for a series of other national publications to include the New York Times Book Review, Forbes, and the Wall Street Journal.
Jeff Fisher, Mike Fay, and I were the only artists available to attend the opening reception held on the evening of September 1st. Just hours before opening, Mike and I had carpooled all the way from Pennsylvania to the gallery in Brooklyn where we linked up with James Panero. From there, James treated us to dinner at a 2 star pizza eatery about a block away.
From left: LCpl. Rob Bates (Artist), Ret. CWO2 Mike Fay (Artist), & James Panero (Curator)
I decided to stand by my work in uniform for two reasons. One---I was on Permissive Temporary Assigned Duty (PTAD) representing the Marine Corps with the sketches that I had composed of the wounded from my unit. And two---I graduated recruit training just 3 days after the September 11th attacks, which, to me, carries significant sentimental value.
Moments before the show, James Panero (Curator) poses to the right of LCpl. Rob Bates and his work.
Moments before the show, James Panero (Curator) poses to the right of LCpl. Rob Bates and his work.
Moments before the show, Ret. CWO2 Mike Fay poses with his work.
Jeff Fisher (Artist) poses with James Panero (Curator) at the opening reception.
Storefront Gallery, left, sometime before the exhibition.
Storefront is located in what appears to be a run-down residential part of Brooklyn so, naturally, I was a little unsure of how many people were actually going to show up. To my surprise, we had quite a large turn-out. I think, at a single given moment, we had close to 50 people crammed in and around the gallery space. Some of the folks who showed up were from smaller newspaper and magazine companies, so it's safe to say that the Joe Bonham exhibit will receive some media attention.
I think the most common question asked that evening was whether or not these sketches were drawn from life. The public loves tightly composed and highly polished art, but what they love even more than that are the loose pieces done from life. Most of my work on display was, in fact, done from life, which gives it that intimate feel. The general public really enjoyed the art but, most importantly, I also felt that they established a personal connection with the subjects. From the looks of it, the opening reception was chalked up as a success.
At a quarter past 9, Deborah Brown (part gallery owner) took me, Mike, James, Jeff, and some of his students out for drinks at a restaurant/pub about two blocks down the street. For the next couple of hours, we conversed about art over oysters, beer, & wine. James introduced me to Six point, a fantastic beer made in Brooklyn, so me and him threw back a few. Legendary artists Mike Fay & Jeff Fisher talked about their preference for particular types of art. Everyone chatted it up and had a blast.
I headed back to North Carolina the following day. The treacherous 9 hour drive sucked, no doubt, but the exhibit made the two-way trip well worth it. In order for an artist to be successful, he or she must get out and network. These trips are investments that I am willing to make, even if it does mean that I will be eating Ramen for a week.
*A special thanks to Storefront co-owners Jason Andrew & Deborah Brown for accommodating the Joe Bonham Project, and to James Panero & Mike Fay for curating the show.
**Photo's courtesy of gallery owner Jason Andrew.
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Work done by other artists:
Victor Juhasz, board member of the Society of Illustrators.
Jeffrey Fisher, board member of the Society of Illustrators.
Richard Johnson, of Canada's National Post.
Bill Harris, freelance painter and instructor from Fredericksburg, VA.
Roman Genn, Political Cartoonist.
Amber Martin, Australian soldier and war artist.
Mike Fay, Marine Corps War Artist & founder of the Joe Bonham Project.
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Reader Comments (2)
Very inspiring work, and even though I knew the story of Johnny Got His Gun from school, I didn't make the connection at first. I like the variety of art depicted, as well as the tight focus on the soldiers as human beings. The photos help tell the story very well.
The topic of the war is always an urgent problem and it is reflected in different types of media and is told by different artists. I love the painting the most because it is the only kind of expression of the artists in which he can show his opinion and the vision of the problem. The artist outs his/her soul in the work and people can feel it.
When looking at these paintings you feel the pain and the desperation of the people, the desire to live and to change this world for better. I am a writer and when I am doing my custom essay writing I usually afraid to write about such complicated topic as war. But these paintings inspired me to compose essays about this problem.