ArtWalk Tonight: Curiosities & Contours

Lindsey Swing of Honeysuckle & Sassafras. Photo by Athena Delene.

Local art and design duo Honeysuckle & Sassafras — Lindsay Swing and Kate Fox Hayward — have a glittering show up tonight for First Friday ArtWalk in the The Den, the backspace of The Wayward Lamb (150 W. Broadway).

This is the last night to see it; ArtWalk runs 5:30 to 8 pm downtown.

The show, “Curiosities and Contours,” features gilded and crystallized animal skulls and honeycombs, hand-cut topographic maps, etchings of insects and octopi and other art-ed up elements from the natural environment.

I was pretty skeptical that a show in a dark dance space like The Den, with it’s black walls, would work for an art show. I was wrong. I got to see the show on its first opening night Monday. The pieces are lit with strong, focused spotlighting for much dramatic effect.

This is an art duo to watch in town, melding their love for science and nature with the arts. The work could have easily slid into a “crafty” niche, but rather the pieces are extremely polished and inspired, highlighting the beauty of decay in the life cycle.

With the recent news that Jacobs Gallery is closing, it’s heartening to see other businesses stepping up to support local arts and culture. In fact, most the best art we see in this town hangs in bars, breweries, dispensaries and coffee houses.

For more information, visit honeysuckleandsassafras.com.