Exhibit – 'Visual Delights and Fanciful Flights of Imagination'
Bisbee, recently voted the prettiest town in Arizona, has long been a haven for artists. Nestled in the Mule Mountains just north of the border, Bisbee is a source of inspiration for many creative-types, including Sam Woolcott and Poe Dismuke. Woolcott is a self-taught painter who later obtained a degree in fine arts, and Dismuke, an art school rebel and former ceramicist, is a sculptor and graphic artist. The pair discovered Bisbee fifteen years ago. Woolcott's abstract architectural paintings are inspired by the work of old masters and abstract expressionists. She wanders Bisbee daily looking for inspiration in deconstruction sites and the built environment. Woolcott works on site, chronicling structures and spaces as they change. Dismuke's sculptures are constructed of recycled materials, taking the form of oversized insects and other animals as well as fanciful creations he calls "alteraniums." He co-founded Bisbee's annual artist's soap box derby, the Bisbee Rolling Arts Transport Society (BRATS), and recently published a graphic book "Stumble Bones: Da Funny Pages." Woolcott and Dismuke are Bisbee treasures that have long been overlooked; this is their first-ever joint museum exhibition.