Hotel Indigo Athens
500 College Avenue
Athens, GA 30601
info@indigoathens.com
706-546-0430
Opening Reception
April 12, 2012
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Spring officially began March 20, but the pretty pink flowers are now in full bloom. Curator Didi Dunphy marks the occasion with an exhibition of Georgia artists at Hotel Indigo. The hotel is unquestionably the finest hotel in Athens and its display of fine art is its signature element of style. The mezzanine level gallery will host an opening reception on the12th of April. The exhibition will then be available 24 hours a day, a unique benefit of its location.
A Seasoned Curator
Didi Dunphy’s official title is Director / Curator at Hotel Indigo, but her title continues: designer, artist, and teacher. She was born in New York and lived in Los Angeles, she accumulates a long list of exhibitions at locations around the United States. The Hotel Indigo website says:
In addition to being an exhibiting artist and designer, as well as a former Professor in the contemporary arts, Ms. Dunphy works in the curatorial field having just completed locally the Instructional Contemporary Art Gallery and Collection at her daughter’s school, Athens Academy and the spring 2011 Andy Warhol Foundation funded exhibit, “The Way Things Work” at ATHICA, Athens Institute of Contemporary Art.
A New Opportunity
While Dunphy has acted as a mentor and tastemaker in the past, but her job as a curator at Hotel Indigo provides new challenges. She takes over the position from the capable hands of Chris Wyrick. Wyrick, who also wears many hats, initially curated The Hotel Indigo’s art space. Wyrick’s Mercury Gallery is Athens’ other major player in the art-collecting scene. This city owns a lopsided market in that it can boast many talented artists, yet it lacks a dedicated pool of collectors. While many co-ops and galleries spring up and close over the years, Hotel Indigo’s gallery proposes to provide something new, different. This is a destination location and the extravagant decor of the hotel will make visiting Atlantans more than comfortable during their pilgrimage.
A Spring Show
“Flowers” are the theme of this upcoming exhibition and it makes sense. There is the seasonal reference, but the decorative tradition of flowers makes a natural complement to its location. This consideration of guest comfort will be a constant concern for Dunphy. The Hotel Indigo’s lobby should not invite the most challenging or disturbing of imagery. This is not to say that the work to be displayed is without substance. There is nothing wrong with creating beautiful artwork and Dunphy has carefully selected artists who can masterfully craft an object. We are promised work from photographer Rinne Allen, painter Kim Deakins, graphic designer Susan Hable, Sculptor Imi Hwangbo, painter Carol John, and painter Lou Kregel, as well as a sculpture installation by Michael Oliveri.
A Look to the Future
With this exhibition set, Didi Dunphy’s next task will be to select her next curatorial thesis. Will the response to this upcoming show help shape future ones? For now she invites you to stop and enjoy the flowers.
For more informaiton about Hotel Indigo and Didi Dunphy see the website here:
See video of Hotel Indigo’s installation by Michael Oliveri here:
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