DEZZY MOON – 2448

This exhibition round includes works provided by Dezzy Moon which will be on view in the North Floor Gallery from February 7  – March 30, 2024.  Lowe Mill A&E invites patrons and art lovers to join us for Open Studio Night, a building-wide experience when our over 150 studios will be open to the public.  The evening also includes receptions for all seven of our gallery spaces. This series gives the public a chance to meet and interact with visiting artists and discuss their work as it is on display and available for purchase. Come out, enjoy a pleasant evening, and maybe you’ll find that special piece of art that speaks to you!  The Open Studio Night reception is Saturday, March 30 from 5-7 pm.

About the exhibit: 

Route 66 was first opened to the public in 1926. It was America’s first federal highway system and its original length was 2,448 miles. With the introduction of the interstate system, Route 66 became less traveled. In 1984, I-40 was opened, bypassing the last section of Route 66. With less traffic and less business, many of the attractions and even some of the towns were shut down. In 1990, the road was recognized by the National Park Service as a significant symbol of American culture. This allowed for funding in assistance of preserving the road. In 2006, the Pixar movie Cars was released, and since then there has been an uptick in travel along the iconic Route 66 once more.

August 2023 I accomplished a lifelong goal. I finally traveled the entirety of Route 66, America’s Highway. I got my first taste two years earlier on a trip that coalesced into my show Adventurers Welcome. At that time, I stood on a corner in Winslow, Arizona; painted some legal graffiti at the Cadillac Ranch; and slept just down the road from the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona. My brief moments on the Mother Road left me lusting for more. This time around, I revisited those sights and even got to sleep in the Wigwams in Arizona and California! I also got to meet the Blue Whale of Catoosa and saw many other legendary sights. I met so many wonderful people working in the shops, motels, and restaurants along the way, and even shared some of my art. Along with the manmade attractions, there were so many beautiful landscapes. Coming from Alabama, the west looked like an entirely different planet to me.

I was inspired by many things I saw along the route, and wanted to recreate some of my favorite memories. The Blue Whale of Catoosa and Wigwam Motels were my top absolute musts on this trip, so of course I had to create tributes to them.  Antique shops were a regular stop, and velvet paintings are one of those things you’ll see in just about every antique shop. I’m not a painter, but I am a screen printer who loves to experiment. I also saw plenty of beadwork out west and decided to dabble a bit with that. I’ve always loved graffiti, and got my shot to try it out at the Cadillac Ranch and again on an old car door from my own 1993 Buick Century Station Wagon Special. I got a lot of grief from everyone in my life for buying that car – but look, I’m making art with it!

I have a terrible habit of waiting until two months out from a show to get started on my projects, but this time I wasn’t going to put myself through that stress again. I had big plans for this show, so I had to put more time into it. My show was originally slated to open the first week of April. I slowly began fleshing out ideas after Thanksgiving, and finished my first piece in December. Near the end of the month, I was asked if I could be ready at the beginning of February instead. A quickly approaching deadline is the best motivator for me, so I agreed. I started the year with two pieces completed, and just over a month later I have over 100 on display. From the start of the Route to the end of the trail, my entire trip was complete in ten days… definitely not enough time to see all there was to see. As was repeated over and over, “You Can’t See It All,” and I certainly couldn’t make it all. Safe to say, I had plenty of kicks and I hope you get a few for yourself viewing my work.

About the artist:

Dezzy Moon is an artist based in Huntsville, Alabama. She graduated in 2020 from the University of Alabama in Huntsville with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Printmaking with a minor in Marketing. Her preferred printmaking processes are screen print and wood block relief. She also dabbles in many crafts including embroidery and weaving. Her work is heavily inspired by Pop Art and themes of nostalgia. She loves roller skating, dogs, music (particularly rock from the 1960s-80s), pop culture, and all things vintage, strange, and macabre.

To find the the gallery in Lowe Mill A&E, click MORE INFO below (Tickets are NOT required.)