Painting by George Clinton
Guest Post by Ken Davis of Funkatropolis.
Things are going to get real funky in the art world in October. New Orleans gallery SPILLMAN | BLACKWELL Fine Art and Spring McManus Art Advisory are presenting “Free Your Mind,” the first solo exhibition of funk legend George Clinton’s visual art. The exhibition will run throughout October. It will showcase 26 of the P-Funk mastermind’s paintings and a selection of his drawings, all original works. The artwork was selected from more than 200 paintings that Clinton has created over the last 30 years. Clinton’s approach to his visual art is similar to his approach to making music—inventive, daring and unbound by convention. He employs various media in the creation of his artwork, including acrylic, vine charcoal, pastel and spray paint. Some of his visual artwork is inspired by themes in his music, such as “Atomic Dog” and “Mothership.”
All of the artwork at the exhibition will be available for purchase. A percentage of the proceeds from the sales will be donated to Clinton’s foundation Protecting Our Legacy, which assists musicians and their families in acquiring and maintaining rights to their work.
Clinton, who celebrated his 80th birthday in July, has had a tremendous impact on the music world. He’s one of the most important artists to emerge from the ‘70s funk scene. He and the super-talented groove army Parliament-Funkadelic were a dominant force in funk music from the mid to late ‘70, creating a dizzying amount of incredible music. They were at the cutting-edge of the genre, expanding its boundaries and taking it to a new place. P-Funk’s sweeping influence can be heard in many corners of popular music today.
The opening reception for “Free Your Mind” will take place at SPILLMAN | BLACKWELL on Saturday, October 2, from 6 to 9 p.m., and Clinton is scheduled to be in attendance. The event is free and open to the public. It will be held in conjunction with Art for Arts’ Sake in the New Orleans Art District. The exhibition will run through October 30. SPILLMAN | BLACKWELL is located at 866 Camp Street, New Orleans, LA 70130. For more details, visit one of the gallery’s social media pages, Facebook and
Instagram.
SPILLMAN | BLACKWELL Fine Art was established in August 2020 by best friends Leslie-Claire Spillman and Amy Blackwell who have a combined 27 years of gallery experience between them. SPILLMAN | BLACKWELL, a gallery and consultancy, features a diverse selection of artists, ranging from rising talent to seasoned veterans of the art world.