Art Exhibition "Home and Away" debuted at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro

Local artists Jane Cheek and Caitlin Cary debuted their new art exhibition “Home and Away” on Friday, Oct. 11 at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro. 

“Home and Away" is one of a few galleries now open to the public at The ArtsCenter, including about 15 new works spanning the walls of a gallery space. The works alternate between Cheek’s colorful, saturated paintings of houses and Cary’s abstract depictions of buildings in the Triangle area and other regional locations, with the exhibition’s title as the thematic throughline connecting each artwork. 

In her painted textile works, Cheek’s houses are each set against a plain, neon background. The structures feature sharp angles and crisp lines, and every wall is in bright technicolor. The house windows are made of holographic cardstock, which allows viewers to see themselves in the pieces.

Cheek was born in Winston-Salem and focuses on paintings, sculptures and textiles. She has successfully mounted many solo and collaborative installations, including for Artsplosure, Downtown Raleigh Alliance and IBMA Bluegrass Live! — an international bluegrass festival in Raleigh. Cheek and Cary met while working at Art Space, an art center in Raleigh. 

Cheek explores the concept of home by emulating elements of her own life in her artwork.

“I live in a mid-century modern neighborhood, so these [the “Home and Away” art pieces] were all inspired by my neighbors' houses, or houses I’ve lived in,” she said.

To create the art pieces for “Home and Away,” Cheek first handcrafted amoeba-shaped panels out of plywood. She then arranged painted strips of fabric in the shapes of houses on the panel. These houses are set against the brightly colored background that is distinct in her work. 

For Cary’s pieces, she constructed abstract images of urban buildings out of sewn fabric. She utilized a more muted color palette, compared to Cheek’s vibrant houses. The lines of these images are blurred, leaving the finer details of each structure to the viewer’s imagination. 

Cary is a textile artist based in Raleigh, crafting almost exclusively from repurposed materials. Her work often depicts North Carolina’s history through physical structures. 

“I have been focused on the built environment, especially in Raleigh where I live, on the buildings that made Raleigh feel like Raleigh, a lot of which are being torn down and being replaced with all this development,” Cary said. “So for a while there, my aims were sort of nostalgic and also preservationist.”

Cary displays a new side of her artistry in “Home and Away.” Now, she focuses less on accurate preservation and more on portraying the intricate shapes and angles of urban buildings. She finds her work becoming more abstract with this new perspective. 

In terms of her process, Cary’s work is inspired by observations on her travels across the United States. She snaps photos of structures that catch her eye and recreates them using fabric.

While Cheek investigates domesticity and home life in her artworks for the exhibition, Cary meditates on the built environment humans have constructed that is outside of the home sphere. 

The artists' works contrast one another in nearly every way — material, color palette, inspiration and subject matter. However, in the same gallery, their contrasting interpretations of home, both the literal and the figurative, come together to create a cohesive exhibition. 

Brynn Hutchison, a senior at UNC, said that the pieces resonated with her because she recently moved and has a lot of friends who have moved. She also said that the exhibit was relevant to her position as a college student, as college is a very transient time of life. 

“It is a very touching exhibit because I feel like everyone can kind of relate to it to an extent,” she said. “Most people haven't lived in the same house their entire lives.”