Upside Down Lady 1994
Greg Pelner
Pastel on paper
Courtesy of Leslie Muth

Wind in My Hair
May 1996 - May 1997

Curated by Susanne Theis

What moves the individual creative force? What propels a person to give a concrete form to the inner life. That is the subtext for all exhibitions of the American Visionary Art Museum, but here, in Wind in My Hair, these questions are closer to the heart of the matter. Words used to describe the motives of visionary artists - driven, moved, propelled - can be applied to the art in Wind in My Hair. This desire to feel and master the wind and the compelling force to express and communicate our experience to others is not a coincidental relationship. A part of being human is wishing to be more. Our aspiration to break the bounds of the earth is akin to our desire to create "something from nothing." Both reflect our deepest desire to share the experiences of the divine.

This link is explored in Wind in My Hair. At ground level, we take it literally, with galleries of whirligigs and art cars and other works expressive of an innocent delight in a breeze, or our awe at the natural power of a tornado. In both cases, we can make the connection between motion and the life force itself. On the second level we explore vehicles, real and imaginary, that give physical form to our desire to know other worlds, to travel beyond our narrow confines and perhaps escape the crowded, despoiled earth in hopes of finding redemption from above. As we ascend to the top level, the work reveals a more spiritual aspect of wind - transcendence. Here, the experience of soaring is connected to the spiritual quest and spiritual regeneration.

Welcome to Wind in My Hair and I hope that you too are propelled into the visionary world and use the experience for your own creative energies, and most of all, enjoy the ride!