When thinking of the vast spectrum of art, people typically associate the use of words as a strictly literary form of expression. The Contemporary Art Gallery will be breaking the barriers of this mindset by displaying work by artists who use elements of both text and visual art in their works.  
The exhibit “Signs of Our Times: Text-based Art of the 21st Century,” a part of the Fanfare celebration of the arts, will see its opening reception Thursday, Oct. 10 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The exhibit will remain open until Monday, Nov. 11.
“This is probably the largest exhibition that I’ve curated for this year,” said Dale Newkirk, gallery director. “There will be more art objects in the student shows coming up next semester in terms of numbers of pieces, but it’s the most ambitious show of the year… One of the things that makes it a real ambitious show is that this work is coming from all over the country, and the world in a couple of cases.”
According to Newkirk, the artwork displayed will be that of professional artists from all over the country. Many of the pieces promote graphic design as a distinct art form; approximately half of the artwork shown was made by graphic designers.
Types of art displayed will range from simply words printed across the wall to paper bags decorated for charity. Newkirk explained the most interactive piece that will be available in the exhibit.
“Candy Chang has been doing these pieces where she puts blackboard paint on the wall,” said Newkirk. “Most of these pieces have been outside, and then there are lines next to ‘What I want to do before I die?’ and there’s colored chalk, and you can write on those lines. We’re going to be recreating that piece in the gallery.”
Though text-based art is not typically thought of in mainstream artwork, it has its place in art history.
“If you think about early Christian manuscripts, they would draw pictures along the sides in the margins,” said Newkirk. “It’s art accompanying the text. Graphic design has always employed image and text to get their point across to sell a product. In contemporary art, from conceptual art on, which would be the 60s and 70s, text became more important, because that art was about ideas, especially if you’re dealing with social and political content. Words are an effective way to get those points across.”  
Coming up next in Fanfare is “Dealt a Deadly Hand” Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre, which will be held in the Amite Community Center. For more information, contact the Columbia Theatre at 985-543-4371.