the love letter

the love letter

A great amalgam of creative activity at Lump, curated by Bill Thelen
November 4th through December 18th
Opening reception this Friday, November 4th, 6-9pm

the love letter is a culmination of everything Lump’s founder, Bill Thelen, has been doing since he stepped away from the gallery in 2017. To be fair, he was never truly away. This show is, in fact, a broad collection of isolated curatorial concepts that Bill has been testing at Lump in various forms, such as Drawing Room and Bad Touch 2.0. Whatever the project, the foundation is always drawing. And this is where Bill’s curatorial impulse is clearly inexorable from his own practice, which is dominated by an even stronger impulse to draw. Bill says, “My practice had always been a little bit here a little bit there but one thing always remained consistent was my drawing practice. I was always thinking about how I could utilize my curating background to challenge the way I thought about drawing”.

So the experiment continues at Lump with a sprawling collection of drawings, single-day events, pop-up installations, performances, screenings, and free classes, bolstered further by Bill’s focus on queer, femme, and intersectional energy.

This is Bill’s love letter to art, to artists, to the fabric of space(creative)time, and to his irreverent, 26-year-old art-child, Lump.

Please join us, and come back for more. Go to @lump_raleigh  or @drawingroomnc for more info.

The exhibition includes these artists and artist groups (so far).
Amanda Barr
Lydia Moyer
Greta Boney
Alexandria Clay
Leah Bailis
Esme Kerr
Conner Calhoun
Meredith Haggerty
Bill Thelen
Kirsten Stoltman
Leif  Zikade
Amy White
elin o’Hara slavick
LGBTQIA2S+ drawing show
Build mail art show
Various artists from past Drawing Room exhibitions & residency

Here are some of the pop-up exhibitions and events that will run during the show. More to come!

11/4 Bill Thelen fluorescents
11/5 Carson Whitmore
11/6  an_open_invitation
11/12 Lydia Moyer screening
11/13 Jerstin Crosby postcard commissions + group crit discussion
11/17 AV Geeks
11/18 Hong-An Truong & class
11/19 Mimi/Permanent & Chainletter
12/2 Ray Johnson/Richard C book launch
12/3 Supergraphic print sale and demo
12/4 SexyTrippy Holiday Art Market 1-5pm
12/10 Skully Gustafson & Olivia Gone
12/11 Jason Lord
12/17 Chanelle workshop/performance

This is going to be a very fluid show. We’ll all have to stay light on our feet as the concept evolves, so keep a persistent eye on Instagram for new artists, events and other unexpected bursts of brilliance.