You’ve probably heard, and possibly sung, the song Amazing Grace. If you can accept its relatively plodding cadence, it is quite beautiful and moving. But it’s certainly not a bouncy tune. You just can’t imagine this song done fast. If chairs were songs, the Westport chair (see …History) might be seen as Amazing Grace; an invitation to slow down and appreciate the moment. The classic Adirondack slat-back chair might then be seen as Old Time Religion; a more upbeat design whose roots are lost in the fog of 19th century America’s Northeast and the spirit of do-it-yourself. Like the Westport chair, it is most likely the child of informal social occasions and a desire to comfortably depart from the proper strictures that etiquette suggests for much of daily life.

The Adirondack Chair: Transformation / Reinvention produces an exhibition that is the equivalent a new album from an Emerging Artists Series: Rockin’ that Old Time Religion. Rock ‘n’ Roll is a style of music that has shown the ability to assimilate nearly any musical style that it encounters and, through interpretation, make it its own. Rock’s sum and substance constantly shifts in response to these encounters, with its energy rarely flagging as it is rejuvenated by the unpredictable mutations that spring from each new association. This exhibition does the same thing, but with a particular style of chair.

As curator, Christopher Weiland asked emerging artists from a variety of college programs with different perspectives to create the equivalent of an interpretive “cover” of a single song; in this case, the classic Adirondack chair as Old Time Religion. He also took the risk of not actually stipulating what this iconic master-chair looked like or did. No images. No directions. Just an invitation to create a response. Chris so thoroughly believes in the power of the artistic spirit, that he entrusted each artist/team with establishing their own definition of what was meant by “the classic Adirondack chair” and to then take it to places he could only speculate about.

The resulting exhibition is energetic and diverse, with the varied interpretations of the classic design holding up remarkably well. There are closely honed variations on the slat-back and there are astonishing stretches of the definition. What is most striking is the sense of rhythm that each chair has within it and the exciting beat that the group, as a whole, generates. The chairs intrigue the viewer with their offerings of new materials and processes in conjunction with an overwhelming sense of dimensional pacing. It is interesting that the original chair’s casual spirit makes all this variety seem quite acceptable. These chairs make seating an adventure by offering artistic statements that invite visual and physical involvement – and pleasure. One simply cannot come to this show and stay neutral or blue. A spirit of serious play and even whimsy runs throughout the set. If the classic slat-back is the child of a casual out-of-doors summer society, then coming to this exhibition is a bit like meeting the children of an old friend. Yes, there are resemblances to the parents, but what you have in front of you is all new and fresh, with unique new personalities all their own.

Some of the designs, admittedly, could use a refinement or two and some of the fine points of execution, here and there, could be tweaked a bit. But these emerging artists, some as young as their second year in college, have brought us the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll at its best. Feel the rhythm and the beat, allow yourself to tap your toes, kick off your shoes, and move around the dance floor. Your chair partners await you.

- Steve Loar, February 2005