The 2003 Fringe Festival, a four-year companion to the annual Virginia Film Festival, kicked off its exhibition Friday, Oct. 17. The week-long arts extravaganza combined local and student talent, as well as guest artists, in the areas of visual art, film and video, literary creations and performance, all united under this year's theme, "$." The events took place downtown in the old IGA building on Ridge Street, across from the Omni Hotel.
The abandoned IGA grocery store, which will serve as the festival's gallery until Nov. 1, welcomes its past identity, embracing the "Everyday Low Prices & a Smile" slogan that still adorns its walls. Even the shopping carts were left undisturbed.
"We're not ignoring the fact that it was a grocery store at all. We're running with it," said 2003 College graduate and Fringe Festival director Margaret Vest. Yet produce and canned goods no longer fill the building. Instead, the walls and floor pay homage to the work of Charlottesville talent.
Upon entering the warehouse, the gallery's focal point -- a huge graffiti mural -- takes the spotlight. Among the other works are pieces ranging from poignant to political, as well as some interactive displays.
The Virginia Photography Club submitted a black and white collection of subjects varying from homeless children to the Naked Cowboy.
One artist compiled a trail of receipts that nearly spans the length of the building. The two-year accumulation totals over $3,000.
Another artist's work, "Financial Planning," used a piggy bank drawing to break down his spending habits. He included blank copies of piggy banks for observers to jot down their own shopping accounts and add to his piece.
A piece entitled "Iraq-opoly" recreated the classic board game, challenging players to see how they might spend $3 billion dollars. Some squares on the board have attainments such as "End all terrorism," under which the price is listed as "cannot be bought."
Along the back wall hang an assortment of delicately made Chinese take-out boxes. Entitled "FakeOut," the boxes each contain a "piece of wisdom" inside, though unlocking this fortune would mean destroying the work.
According to an inscription below the work, the artist wonders whether the "receiver will remain content with this simple act of goodwill or deceptively destroy the gift in order to discover fortune."
The gallery contains several sculptures as well, including a blindfold made entirely out of pennies.
The artists that created the works took shifts manning the gallery. Second-year College student Maggie Sullivan, a studio art major, said she has been pleased with the turnout.
"I think everyone who has come has really enjoyed it," Sullivan. "A lot of people have a lot to say about money."
Adjacent to the center gallery is another room containing the Bula'bula Arts Aboriginal Cooperation collection. This group was established in 1990 by Australian artists seeking an organization devoted specifically to their work. The artists employed a media of earth pigments on canvas for their natural subjects, such as animals and insects, as well as intricate design.
Each evening in the exhibit's first week featured a different schedule of events. Friday's opening included music and dance, as well as poetry and fiction. Saturday continued the music with DJs and break dancing.
Wednesday night featured a "Poetry Slam Competition," in which 12 poets competing in pairs faced off, with a prize for the final winner.
"It gives a chance for performing and visual artists to have a venue," said second-year College student and poetry slam and performance night director David Rose.
Friday night, things heated up with a panel on art and money called the "Free Exchange vs. The Umbilical Chord of Gold," in which artists and art enthusiasts met and deliberated their views.
Saturday night featured "An Evening with David Gulpilil," which began with a screening of "One Red Blood," a documentary on the actor's life. Music and dance customary to Ramingining, his home in Australia and the center of the BAAC, followed.
Saturday night also marked the debut of the "$" Fashion Show, which challenged designers to create outfits in several categories, such as clothes made out of money, clothes made with no money and clothes made with lots of money.
"I thought the designers had a lot of fun making on-the-spot trash outfits for some of the models," said second-year Architecture student and fashion show organizer Rebecca McCharen.
The fashion show also took place in front of the backdrop of the former IGA building.
"I loved the fact that the runway was set up in the gallery, and actually included some of the sculpture works within the setup," McCharen said. "I was surprised at the wonderful turnout to the fashion show, which also brought more people into the gallery to see the artwork they might not see otherwise."
The show concluded with the Festival's closing night party, a "Filthy Lucre for Starving Artists."
"That's something that's unique about the art world -- to get that whole idea of either you're loaded or you're not," Vest said.
The artists and organizers took this opportunity to celebrate the success of the festival and all their hard work.
"It took a lot of people by surprise, which is always fun," Vest said. "I can't believe we pulled this off."
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