Propeller-Driven Fun Humor, Commentary Part Of Gallery’s Whirligigs And Weathervanes Exhibit

There’s a lot more to a weathervane than roosters and compass points.

Try political commentary. Macabre humor. Whimsy. The 23 artists represented in the Whirligigs and Weathervanes exhibit at North Idaho College’s Union Gallery through July 7 didn’t miss a trick.

“Isn’t it fun?” said Sue Flammia, whose Citizens Council for the Arts brought the show to Coeur d’Alene. The council earned the $3,500 for the exhibit from its annual Art on the Green performing and visual arts festival.

“This is one of the biggest and most expensive shows we’ve brought in,” she said.

Still, there’s no admission charge to this visual amusement park.

The fun begins with Ann Wood’s “Flying Lady” in the entrance. Propeller power pushes a bird up and down on top of the woman’s head.

Birds are a popular theme, as they have been through the long history of weathervanes. Darrell Johnson, an artist from Illinois, designed his whirligigs with bobbing sandpipers and a puffin whose tail is a fan.

Some artists worked political satire into their creations. Joe McFall of Tennessee designed an elaborate contraption that pits Uncle Sam with a bazooka against some laid-back island natives. A skeleton on a chaise lounge sips a tropical drink.

Andres Lunde from South Carolina carved Dan Quayle tripping over rocks that hold his famous words - such treasures as “If we don’t succeed, we run the risk of failure.” An Uncle Sam propeller pushes Quayle.

The exhibit’s goal is to share the joy of putting things together, not demonstrate cause and effect. But science can’t be ignored when it’s so much fun.

For example, Dr. Ben Thal, a surgeon/artist from Edmonds, Wash., built a whirligig, “Wednesday’s Surgery,” on which a propeller-driven surgeon pulls a heart from a patient with a fishing rod.

A huge fan to move the propellers is the only thing missing from the exhibit. Gallery volunteers turn propellers by hand. For everyone else, it’s hands off.

Two artists, Victor Moore from Pullman and Kay O’Rourke from Spokane, will meet with the public 4-6:30 p.m. Thursday at the exhibit’s opening reception.

The gallery is open Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Wednesdays and Thursdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo