Out of Bounds: The Art of Croquet Exhibition

Traveling to places I’ve never been before is a life experience that I really enjoy. Although I’ve lived in Philadelphia all my life, there are still many venues I haven't gone to or even heard of. With that said, I went to a very interesting spot called The Center for Art in Wood. In fact, two exhibitions were being hosted there at the same time. The one that I found most intriguing was called Out of Bounds: The Art of Croquet. Through this exhibition, I learned a brief history of the game, which I thought was pretty fascinating. Croquet actually began in Egypt, where it didn’t quite have a clear form of how it was played. However, it gained more of a basis in 1852, going by the name “crooky,” and was introduced to England by Ireland. Aside from that, I would love to share with you guys some of the catchy pieces I photographed from the exhibition (you can also check out my vlog on it as well).

This first piece created by Mark Sfirri had an interesting choice of color(s) and shape(s). I’ve never seen such a combination done like this on a piece of wood before, especially in the sport of croquet. But, as some of you may not know, each color on this mallet actually symbolizes something. The color blue represents the sky/seas or space (the playing field in the game of croquet is full of open space). White means cleanliness or freshness (the playing field is also mostly grass). Black means darkness and despair (the game can become very competitive). Red means war (the playing field is like a battlefield; there can only be one winner). Last but not least, yellow means friendship (which can be formed on the “battlefield”). When you combine all of these colors together and look at the deeper meaning behind what Mark Sfirri was trying to convey, it really makes you think and come to appreciate his work. That's the wonderful thing about art.

This next piece created by Beth Ireland was compelling in the way that it was crafted. While most people would think that it’s strange, I thought that it was cool because of how she incorporated her interest in crossbows to fit the aesthetic of a croquet mallet and included the balls (making them into arrows). If you ask me, I think that trying to stick within the guidelines of a given art concept, while also expressing yourself at the same time (as Beth did), requires skill and a ton of creativity as being an artist. Funny thing, I almost wanted to pick this piece up off the wall and test shoot it to see if it would actually work. In knowing that, as being an artist myself, I’m always taken aback by the passion, time and hard work that these artists put into their pieces. It never ceases to amaze me.

This last piece created by Mark Del Guidice had me invested in its backstory. Honestly, I looked at this artist’s work longer because of it (and not necessarily the artwork itself; not saying that it wasn’t good). It was a sad one. According to Mark, he created this mallet in memory of his father, who passed away a year or so ago. He wanted his piece to reflect the memories he had of him, teaching him and his brother baseball, bowling, and even croquet (all games his father was really good at). Mark even put a tagline of his father’s favorite cigarette brand Lucky Strike. You can really tell that he put alot of love into every part of his work. I know what it feels like to lose a person you love, especially when they’ve taught you many lessons in life that you still value till this day. Out of all of the pieces in the exhibition, this one really hit home for me.

All things considered, I believe that my time was well-spent attending this exhibition. I will be stepping out to more settings like these. Having said that, I encourage everyone to go explore different places you’ve never been before or even try new things you’ve never tried. If you’re interested in checking out The Center for Art in Wood, it’s located on 141 N. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Also, the last day for this exhibition will be on October 24th. But most of all, it's FREE! However, donations are welcomed (all contact information for this venue will be listed below)!

This is Keo....I’ll see you guys on the next blog!

THE CENTER FOR ART IN WOOD

Website: centerforartinwood.org

IG:@centerforartinwood

Twitter: @c4aw

FB: @centerforartinwood