Ryan ChartrandSince “most men remain a mystery to themselves and a confusion to others throughout their lives,” as Heidi Harmon’s friend once warned her, this local artist and Cal Poly graduate has been using art to make sense of what she deems the “opposite and enigmatic sex.”
Harmon has created a collection of sculpture and collage pieces that focus on a single topic (men) from the feminine perspective. “The Man Show,” appearing at the Monterey Street Wine Company in San Luis Obispo, will run through the end of July.
The artists began creating the 21 pieces for the show several months ago, she said.
After seeing her work shown at Per Bacco Cellars in February, John Stipicevich – owner of Monterey St. Wine Company – was “very impressed with this talented artist.” So when Harmon approached him about showing her latest collection of works, Stipicevich was more than willing to agree.
“It’s very important to expose our customers to local artists. And changing the art gives regular customers something new to look at and something new to think about,” he said. “I think Heidi’s art will give customers a different perspective on looking at men in general.”
Inspiration for this show came from two things in particular: Father’s Day and cigars.
The desire to have an art show that premiered in June got her thinking about Father’s Day and the subject matter this presented. Then, through her friendship with Stipicevich’s partner, Doug Shaw, who also owns Sanctuary Tobacco Shop in downtown San Luis Obispo, she began to experiment with the concept of cigars as being part of the “masculine world.”
“Because of those two subjects, I decided to delve into it. . Those were the seeds that started the whole process,” Harmon said.
Plus, it’s good to have thematic consistency at art shows, Harmon said. And this theme presented her with an interesting – and seemingly simple (or so she thought) – subject matter.
“I came into this show thinking that men were fairly simple, and that art about men would be fairly simple, too. But the more I got into the material, the more complex and interesting the material and subjects became to me,” Harmon said. “I guess I just realized how complex men really are.”
With that in mind, Harmon said that she hopes others leave with a greater depth of understanding and appreciation of men, too. Before the show opened, reactions to her ideas were fairly negative, Harmon said.
Unfortunately, society has the idea that men are destructive, violent and unable to be physically close without being gay, she said. Harmon hopes to break these stereotypes and, at the same time, hold men accountable for not repeating violent actions.
“There is an assumption that men are essentially bad. They get fairly bad press,” she said. “When you say you are going to explore what it means to be a man, rightly or wrongly, people assume that it is going to be negative.”
Since the show’s opening, people have responded well to its themes.
“I think it’s a subject that doesn’t get a lot of attention, or so it seems. . All the pieces are thought provoking in their own way. And some are just fun,” she said.
One piece in particular – “He Who Dies with the Most Toys Wins” – has been particularly well praised. The collage features seven cigar boxes (smoking is one of the main themes of the show), each with a toy nestled inside.
“I think it says a lot about our culture and men in general,” she explained. “I think men seem obsessed – well, in some cases – with winning toys of some kind or another.”
Harmon graduated from Cal Poly in 1997 with a degree in liberal studies. Though she has dabbled in art her whole life, Harmon has been serious about this hobby for the past five or six years. In October, her work will be showcased in a Cal Poly alumni art show at the Robert E. Kennedy Library.
For more information on “The Man Show,” contact Monterey St. Wine Company at 541-1255 or e-mail john@montereystreetwines.com.