New art installations are coming to storefronts in downtown Winston-Salem.   A Grand Unveiling will be held on Friday, January 9 at 7 p.m. in the Liberty Arts Center at 526 N. Liberty Street.  (Snow date: Friday, January 16.)  The Storefronts Winston-Salem program commissions artists to create original pieces of art to enliven vacant or underused storefronts in downtown.

The theme for this Series is “Science.”  Work by six artists will be installed in storefronts at 521 N. Liberty, 526 N. Liberty, 104 W. Fourth, and 675 W. Fourth Streets.  This series of installations will be on display through the end of February.

Participating artists are Emily James Collins, Denise Warheit, the Winston-Salem Light Project, Cynthia Marvin, Melanie Troutman-Williams, and Will Parham.  The artists will be on hand at the Unveiling to give a short presentation about their installations.  The art pieces will range from a whimsical illustration of space exploration inspired by Jules Verne’s “From Earth to the Moon” to an artistic interpretation of the pathophysiology of migraine headaches.  The artists were encouraged to be inventive with their use of lighting in their installations.  Each artist will receive a stipend of $250.

For more information go to our website at www.storefrontsws.org.  Storefronts Winston-Salem is a program of Associated Artists and is funded by a grant from The Arts Council of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County.

MORE ABOUT THE ARTISTS AND THEIR INSTALLATIONS:

Emily James Collins’ installation will be at 521 N. Liberty Street in the Liberty Arts Center building.  The title of her piece is “Chronically.”  The installation will artistically explore the physical symptoms of migraines and the toll that chronic migraines take on the sufferer.  Collins is a senior at Salem College studying art history and graphic design.

Denise Warheit is a returning Storefronts artist.  Her “Spoon Lady” installation was a crowd favorite in the first Storefronts Series last fall.  The title of her new installation is “Fibonacci Spiral.”  It will be in the AOL Building storefront at 521 N. Liberty Street.  The piece will be created of recycled materials such as broken windshield glass.  Warheit has a BA from the University of Florida in Broadcast Production and an AAS degree in Graphic Design from Guilford Tech.  She worked as a set dresser for the film industry in Florida before moving to Winston-Salem.  She currently works as a visual merchandiser for a major department store.

The installation by the Winston-Salem Light Project, called “Terra Luna,” will be at 104 W. Fourth Street (The Pepper Building).  The WS Light Project is run by Norman Coates, UNCSA’s Director of Lighting. Their installation will “take a playful look at Jules Verne’s From The Earth to the Moon.  We will specifically look at creating a 3D dimensional sketch through light and scenery. We will explore the themes presented in the book as well as films and other moving images that were inspired by Verne’s science fiction classic.”

The installation by Cynthia Marvin will also be at 104 W. Fourth Street.  The title of her piece is “Centrifuge Butterfly.”  She will replicate the scale-like appearance of a butterfly’s wing by stringing centrifuge micro-tubes on netting.  The micro-tubes will be filled with blue tinted water.  The piece will be backlit to create the illusion of stained glass.  Cynthia has a BFA in Art from UNCG and a Master of Architecture from NCSU.  She teaches Arts Management at Salem College.

Melanie Troutman-Williams’ installation is titled “Tree of Life.”  It will be at 675 W. Fourth Street.  In this piece twisted “roots” form the DNA double helix trunk of a tree that will then sprout apart to form the branches and leaves. Models of molecules will hang from the tree branches.  Melanie has a BFA in painting from East Carolina University.  She has a studio at 16over6 in the Arts District.

The installation by Will Parham will explore the properties of light transmission and reflection.  His large-scale infinity mirrors will create a surreal experience for the viewer.  He says that the piece will allow the viewer to “immerse themselves in the illusion of vast window space.”  Parham is a Winston-Salem native with 15 years of photo and arts education experience.  He has taught photography at Sawtooth School and The Enrichment Center and has spent many years as a volunteer and employee at Piedmont Craftsmen.  He has exhibited at numerous galleries.