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THE sunbursts decorating the Arboretum might remind some of presents and
bows twinkling among Christmas lights, one of the original places Gillespie
found inspiration.
“What was influential to her as a child was looking at the Christmas tree, the
lights, shininess, you can’t tell which is forward and which is backwards,” Rivenbark says.
“Her work does the same thing, where you have all of these colors where one color is on
top of the other and you don’t know which it is. That’s how she saw the world.”
The Dorothy Gillespie Centennial Celebration in Wilmington includes temporary
installations of the artist’s work at the Cameron Art Museum (above) and New
Hanover County Arboretum (opposite top). Opposite bottom: On permanent
display in Wilmington, “Beanstalk: Colorfalls I” cascades from ceiling to floor in
the Thalian Hall atrium.
“I didn’t want to jump on
any bandwagons that other
people were on. I wanted
my own signature. I wanted
it to come from inside,
instead of outside, of me.”
—
DOROTHY GILLESPIE
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM
PHOTOS BY ALLISON POTTER