From: Someday is today: Burris exhibit engages politics, social justice
By Amber Scott, North of Center
Burris has a knack for pointing out the obvious. His work generates power in part through its ability to highlight things we all live among yet at the same time are ignorant of. Through his swindly text and drawings, he crafts a picture of contemporary life, some of it so based in fiction that it is penetratingly real.
Take for instance the Lonely Mountain Community Center, a bulletin board covered in fliers announcing Stoner Creek Boys performances, the start of a meth support group, memorial services for legend-in-his-day (this day being over 30 years ago) local basketball star Summer “Time” McNeese. One particularly poignant notice says, “Feeling unsafe? Call 911.” The 911 is scratched through and underneath it someone has pointed out what being forgotten feels like: We don’t have 911 jerk.
As one patron said on opening night, “I can’t tell if this is for real or not.”
Are the fliers real fliers, posted by citizens of the Lonely Mountain Community? Probably not. But are the issues illustrated on them real to citizens of Appalachia? To us? Absolutely.
It is scathing and oddly enjoyable to have your ignorance pointed out to you in the creative, sometimes funny, sometimes stereotypical, always decorative way Burris does it. That’s the beauty of his work.
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From: The artist behind the artists
By Tom Eblen, Lexington Herald-Leader
Burris' sculptures, drawings, paintings and installation pieces use humor, irony and parody to comment on and raise questions about community dynamics and cultural stereotypes. He wants his art to promote activism and awareness of regional issues including poverty and mountaintop-removal coal mining. His art isn't intended as decoration; he wants it to make viewers think.
One piece, Welcome to Lonely Mountain Community Center, is a bulletin board filled with fictional news and notices that speak to issues, concerns and cultural conflicts in contemporary small-town Appalachia.
Burris is as much a storyteller as an artist. He densely weaves words and messages into his paintings and drawings, some of which are reminiscent of funk-art album covers from the 1970s.
"What really carries the work is this text," Jones said. "He's dealing with the very problems we're dealing with every day. These are serious issues, but he deals with them in a visually lighthearted way to get people into them."
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From: Interview with Bruce Burris
By Phillip Jones, Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art
PJ: Your show at Institute 193 is your first exhibition in ten years – are you excited or nervous?
BB: I wouldn’t say that I am particularly nervous. In my view, a lot of this work is about things I hope to expand and take outside of the region. The bulletin board installation, in particular, has the capacity to grow and evolve both in scope and scale. The piece functions as a self-contained community center. Writers come in and perform with the material. School groups can join in. I would like for it to grow and sponsor events, soccer teams, stream clean ups. It’s about empowering people to create and support activity in all its forms.
PJ: Wait… How can an art piece sponsor anything?
BB: Why not? Depending on the particular format of the show, this piece could grow into anything related to the larger community in which it appears. I have spent most of my life working in community centers and have seen things evolve quickly into projects, events, sponsorships, whatever…
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From Kate Sprengether Perview Bruce Burris at Institute 193
By Kate Sprengnether, Ace Weekly
One work that will be included in this exhibit is the Lonely Mountain Community Center bulletin board. The artwork consists of an actual bulletin board covered in flyers, such as one would expect to find in a rural community center. Flyers for basketball clinics and school theatrical production, hang beside flyers promoting temp agencies and pro-coal concerts.
Bruce’s intention is that the “piece also acts in effect as a community center — it sponsors actual fishing tournaments, stream clean-ups, and so on. As it is exhibited at various art centers and galleries, people are invited to respond in various ways to theinformation on the board.” During the opening reception on January 14, poet Eric Sutherland will perform a piece related to the content on the bulletin board.
