Park Circle Gallery to Exhibit Works by Tina Hirsig and Jo-Ann Morgan

Press Release

The City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Department is pleased to announce that concurrent solo exhibitions of mixed media works by Tina Hirsig (Charleston, SC) and fiber works by Jo-Ann Morgan (Surfside Beach, SC) will be on display at Park Circle Gallery from November 2-December 31, 2022. A free reception hosted by the artists will be held at the gallery on Friday, November 4, from 5 pm – 7 pm. The public is invited to attend. 

Our Nature – Mixed media works by Tina Hirsig

Local artist Tina Hirsig presents a collection of new sculptures and mixed media pieces in her exhibit, Our Nature. An object from nature, such as a feather or nest, holds information from the entire history of our planet. It is these threads of time that inspire Hirsig to incorporate objects from nature into her work. “The slow act of observing, collecting, drawing, and assembling brings me closer to the connection I seek with my own nature,” Hirsig explains. “Living in the Lowcountry of Charleston, SC, I am surrounded by ancient live oak trees, abundant marshlands, lush maritime forests, and peaceful beaches all of which inspire me every day to contemplate our place on the planet.”

Tina Hirsig is an interdisciplinary artist in medium and discipline, pushing the boundaries of drawing, photography, and collage. Her connection with nature and objects are directly related to childhood experiences. The daughter of two antique dealers, her childhood home is full of fascinating objects hanging from the ceiling and tucked into corners. Many of the objects woven into her artwork are treasures given by her parents. Month-long road trips taken as a child with her brothers and parents sparked a life-long connection to nature and traveling. After graduating from Illinois State University with her BA in Education and Art, she moved to Boston, MA, where she studied painting and printmaking in the Studio Diploma Program at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Over the next ten years in Boston, she taught and established a studio practice. She moved to Charleston in 2003 and has since completed her Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College. Tina actively maintains a singular and collaborative studio practice, regularly exhibits artwork locally and nationally, and gives back to her community through teaching. She currently lives on James Island with her two sons and husband of 25 years. Learn more about the artist at www.tinahirsig.com.

Quilt Memorials: Dreams of Social Justice – Fiber works by Jo-Ann Morgan

In her exhibit, Quilt Memorials: Dreams of Social Justice, Jo-Ann Morgan of Surfside Beach, SC, presents a series of pictorial fiber works constructed with quilting and appliqué techniques. These wall hangings memorialize victims of violence and reflect on troubling and controversial topics, but, because the comforter-sized quilt medium is familiar and approachable, the artwork intends to be a soothing counterpoint to the harsh themes of contemporary reality. “How, for example, can an artist offer commentary on the police killings that inspired a Black Lives Matter movement, the separation of families and other hardships of migrants at the US southern border, or the horror of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?” Morgan questions. Her artwork attempts to wrest something lovely from horrible events, to dream of a better world.

Visual artist Jo-Ann Morgan is Professor Emeritus of African American Studies and Art History at Western Illinois University. She authored The Black Arts Movement and the Black Panther Party in American Visual Culture (Routledge, 2019) and Uncle Tom’s Cabin as Visual Culture, which won the Seaborg Award for Civil War Scholarship in 2008. Morgan began sewing in spring 2020. Since then, she has been a full-time fiber artist, creating stitched fabric wall hangings on themes related to social justice. She was profiled in Fiber Art Now (summer/fall 2021) from whom she received a Cultural Commentary/Social Change Grant. She won a Weyerhaeuser Juror Award at Great Northern Art Explosion (2021), Grayling, MI, and an Honorable Mention from Gertrude Herbert Art Institute’s Sense of Place exhibition (2022), Augusta, GA. Learn more about the artist at www.picturingblackpower.com.

The Park Circle Gallery is located at 4820 Jenkins Avenue in North Charleston. Admission is free and free street parking is available on Jenkins Avenue in front of the gallery, as well as on the adjacent streets and in parking lots close by. Gallery hours are 11:00am-6:00pm Wednesday-Friday, and Noon-4:00pm on Saturday. The gallery will be closed Wednesday and Thursday, November 23 and 24, for the Thanksgiving holiday and Saturday, December 24, for the Christmas holiday. Special holiday open hours will take place on Tuesday, December 20, from 11am-6pm. For more information about PCG, call 843-637-3565 or email culturalarts@northcharleston.org. For information on other Cultural Arts programs and artist opportunities, visit the Arts & Culture section of the City’s website at www.northcharleston.org.

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