Annmarie Garden’s upcoming exhibit, TOUCH! will be on view beginning March 7 and running through May 3.  This exhibit invites guests to use their sense of touch to explore the texture and shape of the art.  Guests will be permitted to touch all of the pieces in the show which includes bronze, wood, stone, glass, ceramic, and mixed media pieces.  Guests are encouraged to close their eyes as they feel the smooth marble, the pebbly bronze, the gritty clay, the rough wood, and the slick glass.  Explore the texture, temperature, shape, and form of the art.  Break the rules, touch the art, and use your sense of touch to experience the art in a new and enriching way. 

Seventeen artists have contributed more than forty-five works to TOUCH!   The show is anchored by twenty-one bronze relief sculptures by Richmond artist, Andrew Baxter.  Widely sought after for his restoration work, Baxter is also a talented artist who creates mesmerizing bronze works using luminous patinas and repetitive forms.  With raised nodules, curved lines, hatch marks, and geometric shapes, Baxter creates a rich world of sensory experiences.   

Also included in the exhibit is sculpture by Lee Aks, a recently retired sculpture conservator at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.  His mahogany sculpture, Rogue, plays on the contrast between the sharp geometric forms and the natural qualities of the wood.  The smooth wood grain and rough markings left from carving provide a varied textural experience, making this piece an interesting addition to the show. 

Charles county ceramic artist, Alice Yutzy, has contributed work whose creation seems rooted in the very concept of the exhibit. “The directness of clay, ever yielding to pressure, conforming to shapes created with hands and tools contributes to an immediate manipulative quality that appeals to me,” she writes in her artist statement.  Her ceramic work begs to be touched as its rigid form-- with its folds, crevices, and hollows-- seems to suggest that it is somehow still malleable. The earthy textures and finishes give the impression that it is a natural formation or unearthed discovery. 

Working in an unconventional medium, emerging artist James Thomas Robertson’s masonry work is a stunning addition to the show.  Robertson’s piece, Brick Dress, is an interesting blend of art, architecture, and portraiture all in one.  Bricks and mortar give way to the flowing human form of a dress, void of its human inhabitant.  The similar surfaces of brick, mortar, cement, and sand, undergo a surprising transition as one’s hand moves from the orderly brick wall to the smooth carved brick form of the dress.  While the materials suggest strength and structure, there is a quiet sadness and uncertainty that exudes from the artwork.  

Other artists represented in the show include Brenda Belfield, Elizabeth L. Braun, Perry Wm. Carsley, Rick Clement, Allan Jaworski, Andy Malone, Randy A. McDaniel, Ed Rupard, J. Luray Schaffner, John A. Schaffner, Sherry G. Selevan, Amanda Willis, Thomas Yates, and Alice M. Yutzy. 

TOUCH! remains on exhibit March 7- May 3.  An opening reception will be held on Friday, March 6, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.  The opening reception corresponds with Annmarie Garden’s Date Night, a fun and artsy event for adult couples and singles that features wine tastings, live music, and special sales in the gift shop.  Meet the artists from the TOUCH! show, get a sneak peak at the exhibit, and enjoy the company of good friends, new friends, and fellow art enthusiasts