Greg Brown Tribute Show 

August 3 - September 15, 2012

Reception IDADA First Friday, September 7, 6-9 pm

Dewclaw is currently presenting work by Greg Brown, who passed away in July. This selection of works is a summary show; an informal grouping of Greg's visual art endeavors over the years. Much of his art is closely connected to his writings and his person-to-person outreach interactions. We look forward to organizing more in-depth presentations in the future. For now, please join us for this tribute showing of Greg Brown's visual art. 
 

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Greg Brown opened Utrillo's Art in Indianapolis in 1994. This space served as a picture and frame shop, a thrift art store, a poetry and music venue, and a gallery exhibition space. He produced the 1990s cable access show, Utrillo-vision, which showcased artists and events. He presented artists from diverse backgrounds, with wide-ranging artistic motives.

He later focused on writing and distributing pamphlets, which reflected his ongoing interpretations of biblical parables and the synoptic Gospels. These works became entwined with his visual art, his community outreach, his thoughts on subculture and dominant culture dynamics, and even his physical abode. Utrillo's eventually became House of Jsu, an interior and exterior installation of sorts. Greg indicated that the House of Jsu was a physical symbol of subcultural identity. He wanted to preserve this concept of independent identity, and through his storefront and writings, offer a symbol for others seeking an alternative to the dominant culture.

He seemed to use the parable teachings to find gentle and kindly paths of revolution.

From the end of his 3/30/10 artist statement draft:

"...The ‘church’ of a sign of Jsu is the uncomplicated presentation of the teaching.  The art of it, in this case, is one Hippie’s take on crackpot evangelism.  But even as sign painting has been given free hand, the religious  symbols and pamphlets have been carefully constructed over long periods of time.  The effect being to forge lasting connections between the symbols and the ideas they represent.  The act of religious teaching; writing, and symbol making happens all along the porous, disputed, border between the tangible and intangible realities.  It is a tradition that is filled with unnamed participants from far away places.  Parable doctrine itself is an anonymous work that draws directly from the work of other anonymous scribes.  More identity has been allowed the writers of the parable doctrine commentaries and applications,  but only as a way to track a single individuals line of thought.  Even at that, Hala Maloki and Alez Alatofo are both aliases for the same writer.  The use of different names signals the change of emphasis from religion to art, from the intangible to the tangible reality.  There always have been some alternative subculturals who never do assimilate all the way into either the dominant culture or the dominant subculture.  The combining of alternative religion and art serves to strengthen them and help them endure.  The alternative subcultures have over a century of history now.  And even though the Hipsters are the sixth assimilated generation, each new generation has come into their own as unassimilated.  Our ‘alter.’ should be maintained to help the next generation, should they wish to continue in this tradition."