Marthanna Yater
March 15, 2019
I arrived at the Durham Arts Council (DAC) in Durham, North Carolina, at six o’clock for the opening reception of Portraits of Durham. The Semans and Allenton galleries were filled with artists and art enthusiasts standing shoulder to shoulder studying the artwork, socializing and shooting the Bull.
The city of Durham was incorporated in 1869. Portraits of Durham is a visual arts exhibition celebrating the sesquicentennial, Durham 150, and is part of a year-long schedule of events.
The DAC's call to artists was “Who or what represents Durham to you?” The juried images feature 64 artists, including myself, and reflect well Durham's diversity, history, flavor, and spirit. Given the Durham Bull’s iconic place in this town, it was no surprise to see it represented in several exhibited pieces. This blog article focuses on only one Bull creation - the one I call the Wild and Hulky Bull.
Durham is known as the ‘Bull City’ because of its long-standing minor-leaguebaseball team. The movie Bull Durham, a classic comedy about minor-league baseball and romance starring Kevin Costner and Susan Serandon, was filmed here in 1988.
Why and when did the name Bull Durham come to be? Blackwell Tobacco Company, the manufacturer of Bull Durham loose leaf smoking tobacco, began production here in the mid-1800s, continuing until the summer of 1988. This bright leaf was marketed as ‘Bull Durham’ and the name became a world famous trademark. The name has stuck all these years, so that Durham is still known as the ‘Bull City.’
I remember the musty smell of harvested tobacco, back in the ’80s, that permeated the air as it drifted from the Ligget-Myers Tobacco Company, the manufacturing factory for L&M tobacco cigarettes at 701 West Main Street. Ligget-Myers pulled out of Durham completely in the year 2000, so the aroma has long dissipated. I miss it.
When the artists’ call was posted for the Portraits of Durham Exhibit, local artists at the Pleiades, an artist- owned and operated gallery in Durham, collaborated on a giant multimedia extravaganza they have called Collabullation. Each took a cut of the Bull and portrayed their own representation of what’s at stake - or should I say 'steak'- here in Durham.
Illuminated neon lights form the horns of the bull, while the shoulders portray the Pleiades stars that form the Bull constellation, Taurus, a prominent feature on Durham’s flag. Each portion of the Bull is the interpretation of the individual artist, whether painting, fiber arts or metal. Like cuts of meat, the combined pieces create the full Bull and the artists combined representation of the Bull City.
It’s worth seeing this visual arts piece in person. If you miss it at the Portraits of Durham exhibit, look for it on the wall of a local restaurant or business. I will be.
https://www.marthannayaterphotography.com
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