More than a decade ago, Lukuise Swanigan had a dream about a painting that moved, with colors swirling across the canvas.
Inspired by the dream, the Aberdeen-born and Columbus-based artist developed her current style of fabric artwork, bringing sketches on canvases to life with homemade colorful fabric cords. But starting this Sunday, Swanigan’s dream and creative vision will cross state lines with a show at the Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts in Florence, Alabama.
“I’m excited and a little nervous, and a little stressed at the same time,” Swanigan told The Dispatch on Wednesday. “… I’m kind of surprised because this wasn’t … even a plan for me. So just to see all this unfold is shocking and exciting at the same time.”
The center for the arts will host an exhibition of Swanigan’s work, “Holding on to Past & Present Memories” through Aug. 21. The Kennedy-Douglass Center is also hosting a reception for Swanigan’s exhibition, along with one other exhibit, from 1-4 p.m. July 13.
While Swanigan’s artistic journey began with a dream she had more than 10 years ago, she began creating art in earnest around 2018. She has maintained a full-time job during the day, while working to create her pieces around her busy schedule. Each piece she makes can take anywhere from a week to about a month, depending on the size and the level of detail involved.
Overall, Swanigan said, her goal is to create pieces that actually tell her life’s story in art form. Many of the pieces include faceless figures, often facing the viewer.
“What mainly inspires me is memories from my past,” she said. “My upbringing. That really inspires me. … It’s still kind of dealing with my past. I have some new pieces added to some of my previous pieces.”
Over the years, Swanigan has displayed her art at the Columbus Arts Council, along with selling art at Market Street Festival and the Prairie Arts Festival, among others.
It was at one such festival that Jenny Dawn Stucki, art director for the Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts, first became an “admirer” of Swanigan’s artwork. Swanigan participated in the Florence center’s Arts Alive event, both selling and exhibiting art.
Later, Stucki saw Swanigan at the Kentuck Arts Festival, inviting her to come back for a show.
“She was always one of my top artists during this festival that we have, and then I saw her at another festival, and it just worked out,” Stucki said. “We approached her and said we would love to see more than just these little glimpses of what you do. And so, we’re just tickled that this worked out for everybody in our community, too.”
Stucki said the exhibition will include 17 of Swanigan’s artworks, including many pieces that bring up feelings of “nostalgia” and warmth for those viewing them.
“It draws people to it,” Stucki said. “You want to look at it, see the dialogue. The memories that she is sharing, I think they’re universal in a lot of ways, for a lot of our visitors that come in.”
During the opening reception for Swanigan’s exhibition, Stucki said, there will be a meet and greet with a question and answer session beginning at 2:30 p.m. July 13, for those interested in asking about Swanigan’s creative process.
Swanigan said she hopes to continue showing her work everywhere she can, including cities like Chicago and New York. But even without opportunities like this to show her work to new audiences, Swanigan said, she would still create her art.
“With my art, it’s one of those things that… it’s just part of me,” Swanigan said. “It’s something I would always be doing. If I show my work, if I don’t, I will always be creating.”
The Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts is located at 217 E. Tuscaloosa St., Florence, Ala. and can be reached by calling (256) 760-6379. Tours are free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and at 1-4 p.m. Sundays.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 30 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
