[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”1″ display=”basic_imagebrowser”]
Story and photos by Carrie Pinkard
The television is an idol in American culture.
TV trays are the altars at which we worship a frozen dinner.
People come and go from our lives, but our favorite television characters are always there to welcome us back, frozen in time.
The “Please Stand By” exhibit at Mize Gallery was able to capture exactly what we love about television. Through a tremendous effort by dozens of local artists, 87 television shows were brought to life through paint and other mixed media.
At its opening on the evening of Jan. 10, the gallery was packed wall-to-wall with people hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite TV show.
The exhibit was a perfect balance between nostalgia for shows of yore and hope for the future of television. TV looks different now than it did in the 1950s. Instead of patiently waiting through commercial breaks to see what antics a black-and-white Andy Griffth will get up to, we binge-watch 10 episodes of “The Office” without leaving our couches.
“Please Stand By” was able to capture how television has changed over the decades.
Representing the 1960s were shows like “The Beverly Hillbillies,” “The Munsters,” and “Gilligan’s Island.” Shows from the ‘70s included “M*A*S*H,” “All in the Family,” and “The Brady Bunch.” The ‘80s got representation from “The Golden Girls.” The ‘90s saw “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” “Saved By The Bell,” and “Frasier.” Finally, modern favorites from the 2000s and 2010s included “Stranger Things,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and “Parks and Recreation.”
Faces of characters you’d forgotten jumped out at you as you walked around the room. All the while, triggering memories of when you watched that particular TV show, and who you watched it with.
The “Futurama” characters lept out as three-dimensional heads on Mount Rushmore.
The members of “The Addams Family” were painted onto tarot cards.
Steve Martin danced as his legendary King Tut character from “Saturday Night Live.”
Food was served outside the gallery. Fittingly, the menu was TV trays equipped with veggie dogs, mac and cheese and Cosmic Brownies.
It’s too late to rewind time and make it to the “Please Stand By” opening. However, it’s not too late to hit pause on your busy life and visit the exhibit. You can tune in at MIZE Gallery until the season finale on Jan. 26.
MIZE Gallery is located at 689 Dr. M.L.K. Jr St. N. and is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays. Admission for the exhibit is free.
