Savannah Art Galleries and Crafts

More recently, art has become in integral aspect to our everyday lives. Though many may not be able to readily identify the artist, a great many households across this country will have some rendition or copy of a piece by an artist considered to be a "master" whether Picasso sheets on the bed or a calendar with Van Gogh's sunflowers or a caricature of Da Vinci's Mona Lisa with a big toothy smile, art in some way is most definitely a part of all of our lives.

So then, it makes perfect sense that art galleries are springing up as people find themselves drawn to art that makes them feel…well…something. Savannah is no exception. One can find in Savannah no lack of art galleries but in the recent renaissance Savannah is experiencing, one can find art in so many varying forms that this writer might speculate there is something for everyone's tastes in Savannah.

Art is no longer limited to the two-dimensional painting on the wall. Though still the immediate thought when one imagines the contents of a gallery, it is no longer the only one. Galleries now contain, wearable art in the form of handcrafted jewelry, hand painted silks, hand woven tapestries and other genres have come to the forefront as acceptable art forms as well. Photography, while long considered useful as an aside to an article or to illustrate a statement or story, has enjoyed admiration as with National Geographic and some acclaim with the likes of Ansel Adams, but was rarely if ever seen on the same walls as painted canvases in a gallery. Not so anymore. Splashy and breathtaking, subtle and thought provoking, photography has arrived and can be seen in small accents or enormous frames in several Savannah galleries.

Functional art has also come from the realm of the folksy and into the elegant world of the creative arts. Also found in Savannah are wonderful selections of potteries, glass and porcelains that are not only deserving of admiration in their design, which calls attention to the effort and skill by which the piece is created but also in the pigments and adornments and arrangements of color that bring each piece to life. Art that is not only beautiful but serves a purpose as a bowl, vase, pitcher, or tankard that communicates it's quality to the hand of anyone using it with heft and texture.

One will also find sculptures in forms they might expect in Savannah galleries: bronzes and marble, wood carving and stone conversation pieces for the garden or foyer. But one will also find calligraphy, pen and ink, pencil drawings and decorative fabrics, iron works from modern day blacksmiths as well as hand-stitched treasures and mosaics painstakingly created one piece at a time as if the renovation of the city brought with it the traditional forms of art from the past and opened the doors to many other forms of creativity that have been marginalized in the past as a skilled craft but not quite gallery worthy and brought these wondrous works into the mainstream to be appreciated for the true art forms that they are.

For example, the process of flower arranging has been well respected as an art for thousands of years in Japan yet would not be suitable as an art form in a gallery here yet, how many artists have made a name for him or herself painting flowers in a still life? So yes, you will find even flowers and the art of arrangements coming into its own in the artistic world in Savannah.

Utilization of the ordinary to create something extraordinary is also appreciated in the Savannah galleries. Seashells and bits and scraps of everyday living are transformed into amazing statements of creation for display or function and are available for enjoyment and/or purchase in some of the thirty or so galleries found in and around Savannah.

So the city of Savannah is on the map as far as the art world is concerned. Include a day of gallery walking and art ogling to your agenda when visiting Savannah. You'll expand your interests, see the beauty, maybe learn a little about yourself in the art that moves you and perhaps you'll find that one piece that you simply must take home. You just may find that the "must have" piece will bring you daily joy and as your eye is drawn to it time and again, you'll think of the dichotomous beauty of the city of Savannah.