Artist Aldwyth shines at Morris museum exhibit

It is impossible to walk by a work created by Aldwyth.

Her collages, assemblages and sculptures will stop you in your tracks.

Her works are strikingly original, loaded with timeless references, and totally involving. Her images stay with you for a very long time. It will become apparent to you that no one does what Aldwyth does.

Aldwyth calls herself a bricoleur, a French word for one who putters. And, she points out, the bricoleur creates or constructs bricolage.

In a stretch of close to three decades, I’ve observed Aldwyth in pursuit of her artistic gifts. She not only expanded her sphere of artistic influence, she put in place her “Aldwythian” spin.

“My work is what I do, and I do it for myself,” Aldwyth reminded me. “I am the one who must be satisfied.”

Her often epic-sized collages, largely created silently, almost anonymously, in the privacy of her remote Hilton Head Island home, have begun to capture the imagination of a broad base of art institutions, artists and arts appreciators.

Recently she was granted the prestigious Elizabeth O’Neill Verner award, acknowledging her life’s work. She also was just honored in a residency, in which she created two epic sized wall collages at the Center for Contemporary Art in Columbia. The exhibit continues through July 7.

Her work was also included in the “Independent Spirits, South Carolina Women Artists” — along with “Georgia O’Keeffe: Her Carolina Story” — at the Columbia Museum of Art. An Aldwyth collage is in place in the permanent collection at the Telfair Museum in Savannah.

Her newest exhibit, called ALDWYTH, is in place in the contemporary galleries at The Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, Ga., which runs through July 17.

Melissa Schulte, curator of education, and curator for the education department at the museum, had followed Aldwyth’s artistic pathway.

“I first took particular note of Aldwyth’s work at the critically important Halsey Exhibit that was (held in) 2009-2010,” said Schulte. “Then, there were two events in Columbia — the “Independent Spirit, along with ‘Georgia O’Keeffe’ and the ‘Dada’ residency she was awarded at the Center for Contemporary Art. All brought to mind the important and unique work that Aldwyth does.

“I began thinking of two particular gallery spaces which would lend themselves, perfectly, to installing some Aldwyth contemporary work, “ she said. “So the museum’s process for staging an Aldwyth exhibit was in place.”

The Morris Museum of Art is dedicated to its focus on Southern art and artists. The larger part of its permanent collection focuses mainly on more traditional work. Schulte was certain about the importance of an Aldwyth exhibit, and saw to arranging the Aldwyth show of contemporary pieces.

Aldwyth spoke at an an exhibit event at the museum recently. Her talk was called “Secrets of my Brain.”

Paging through volumes of antique books, magazines, catalogs, and maps, she carefully gathers and prepares her source material. On a visit to Aldwyth’s home studio, you’d find those gallon zip lock bags of clippings, carefully sorted and labeled. Her face would also be framed by the light of a computer screen. She’d be on line to Amazon about her order for purchase and delivery of used books , journals or catalogs no one cares about.

When I asked Aldwyth, now 80 years old, what she was upcoming for her, now, she told me that she was preparing source material for a series of new collages.

“I’m filling more bags with arms and feet and eyes and hands and birds and animals and insects and words, particularly quotes I like,” she said. “I have in my mind’s eye a series of collages. ... If things go as planned, I’ll be 103 when I’ve completed that series,” she laughed.

This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 2:23 PM with the headline "Artist Aldwyth shines at Morris museum exhibit."