Aldwyth
The Coastal Discovery Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is pleased to present an exhibition of the rarely seen works of Hilton Head-based artist Aldwyth, from October 16 to March 23, 2025. The public is invited to the opening reception on October 17, from 5-7 pm. Guest Curator Mark Sloan, former director of the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art in Charleston, will conduct a tour of the exhibition before the reception at 4 pm.
This is Not: Aldwyth in Retrospect spans nearly 70 years of her work, including early examples of photography, painting, and fiber, as well as her later bricolages and epic-scaled collages that resemble medieval manuscript pages.
Now in her late 80s, the artist who goes by the single name Aldwyth,
O. Casablanca
arrived on Hilton Head Island in 1967, and has lived and worked in an octagonal house overlooking a salt marsh for decades.
“We are thrilled to present the works of Aldwyth, one of SC’s most important living artists,” said Elizabth Greenberg, Director of Exhibitions. “Aldwyth’s unique, often sly perspective on the art world, culture, and history is reflected in works that are at once bold and meticulous, transcending categories.”
The retrospective traces the contours of Aldwyth’s work over the years, while touching on themes that have remained consistent throughout her career. Early on, Aldwyth adopted a simple strategy, choosing to stay on the outskirts of the mainstream art world and seldom submitting her works for consideration by curators, jurors, galleries, museums, or grant panels.
re-su-mé/re-sume
Once, when applying to the South Carolina Arts Commission for a fellowship, Aldwyth ignored the guidelines requesting a work sample and a resumé. Instead, the rule-breaking artist submitted a work sample that was her resumé; that fellowship application was rejected. It is this contrarian attitude that has fostered Aldwyth’s creativity, while limiting mainstream recognition. The work, aptly titled, re-su-mé/re-sume, is one of more than 50 pieces featured in the exhibition.
To complement the exhibition, the museum plans to launch a community collage project on January 16, 2025. Visitors will have the opportunity to experience Aldwyth’s art-making process firsthand, using clippings provided by the artist. The aim is for the Aldwyth-inspired collage, displayed in the museum’s Sea Island Room, to grow as visitors add to it throughout the exhibition’s run.
Also, in early 2025, the museum will host a screening of Aldwyth: Fully Assembled, the 2022 PBS documentary produced by award-winning filmmaker Olympia Stone.
A fully illustrated catalogue, published by the Greenville County Museum of
Art, accompanies the exhibition and is available for sale in the Museum Store.
Gallery hours are Mondays – Saturdays, 9 am – 4:30 pm, and Sundays, 11 am – 3 pm.
The exhibition comes to the Coastal Discovery Museum following successful runs at the Greenville County Museum of Art and the Gregg Museum of Art & Design at North Carolina State University, in Raleigh.
About the Coastal Discovery Museum
The Coastal Discovery Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is an educational and cultural organization whose mission is to provide experiences that inspire people to care for the Lowcountry. Founded in 1985, and located on Hilton Head’s historic Honey Horn grounds, the Museum offers exhibitions, programs, lectures, hands-on workshops, and events, covering Lowcountry history, culture, art, and the environment. For more information, visit www.coastaldiscovery.org.
