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Serendipity brings abstract art exhibition to former McGregor church

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An exhibition featuring the work of East Coast artist Alfred James Tulk will be on display at McGregor’s Convention, Conference, Community Center—the former Methodist Church building—throughout October. The exhibition includes 41 large-scale abstract paintings. (Photo by Audrey Posten)

Tulk started his career as a muralist, then transitioned to abstract art. He created over 400 easel paintings during his life.

By Audrey Posten, Times-Register

 

An exhibition featuring the work of East Coast artist Alfred James Tulk will be on display at McGregor’s Convention, Conference, Community Center—the former Methodist Church building—throughout October.

 

Joe Brooks heads up the non-profit community space, and called the art’s arrival in McGregor serendipity.

 

“I happened to be at a breakfast in Gainesville, Fla., where my daughter lives now. I ran into a guy who was a friend of my son-in-law, and he was talking about how they were closing this house in Connecticut and needed to do something with these paintings,” Brooks recalled. “I said I had a building in McGregor and asked if he could get the paintings to me. He had a transport company, hauled them out in May, and I’ve been working on the project ever since.”

 

Tulk was born in London in 1899, and moved to the U.S. in 1913. He studied art at Oberlin Art College and later graduated from the Yale University fine arts program. After Yale, Tulk studied at the National Academy of Design and Arts Student League and lived in Greenwich Village.

 

The artist’s early works were commissioned murals with paintings, mosaics and stained glass.

 

“They were very life-like paintings, very grand scale paintings,” Brooks said. “These went up during the depression as public works projects. He did over 300 murals.”

 

Tulk worked on several commissions for the World’s Fair in 1939, then, during World War II, painted portable battleship altars.

 

One, noted Brooks, “was on the USS Missouri when the Japanese surrendered to the Americans.”

 

From there, Tulk’s interest shifted to abstract art, a movement that tapped into feelings.

 

“He was inspired by music, by things he saw around him,” Brooks said. “There are a variety of techniques in his paintings. He uses color, line and form to generate these feelings.”

 

Until his death in 1988, at age 88, Tulk created over 400 easel paintings. Some were exhibited in shows in Paris, New York City and other U.S. cities.

 

“He was very independent and liked to have his art stand for itself,” said Brooks. “As such, he sold mainly to private collectors. He was quite well known on the East Coast.”

 

While Tulk’s family has some of the paintings, the remaining 41 are now in McGregor. And they are quite large. 

 

The pieces average 4 feet by 6 feet in size. The biggest, a gear-themed work called “Monuments,” is 10 feet by 6 feet.

 

Brooks hung 37 paintings in the upstairs of the church, on the walls of the entry way, between the stained glass windows and in the altar area. Space constraints pushed four to the basement. 

 

“They look nice on the wall. They add color. They add inspiration,” he said. “Like an ink blot test, they evoke certain ideas at times.”

 

Hanging pieces of that number and scale was challenging, mentioned Brooks.

 

“In order to get them up, I had to get a reinforced hanger. And because the walls in this building are basically brick, I had to use mortar nails to drive into the wall,” he explained. “Some of the paintings are pretty heavy, but most are just canvas and wood frame.”

 

People can view the paintings for themselves when the Alfred James Tulk Art Exhibition opens from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1. Brooks will give a presentation on Tulk’s life at 11 a.m., then review the paintings at 1 p.m. At 2 p.m., a graduate student from Iowa City is scheduled to discuss the meaning of abstract art, with references to Tulk’s work. Refreshments will also be available throughout the day. 

 

“The first day is the big day,” Brooks said, “but [the exhibition] will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. daily throughout the month of October.”

 

The exhibit is free to view, but donations are welcome.

 

Brooks acknowledged the paintings are a bit different than the art normally seen in Clayton County.

 

“Some of his paintings, I admit, when I first started seeing them, I wasn’t too impressed. Then, as I started working around them, I began to see things,” he said. “I think it’s worth a visit—it’s a piece of art history. But you have to spend a little time seeing them. You just can’t walk through and get the full effect.”

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