This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Arts & Entertainment

Ceramics show full of fun, whimsy

Art curator known for presenting both edgy and accessible work shows touch at Swan Coach House.

Curator Marianne Lambert is a legend in the local arts scene and a work of art herself. She stands out from the crowd at art openings with her spiky orange hair, bold artistic fashion and outrageous handmade costume jewelry. You can’t take your eyes off her.

She’s always on the hunt for up and coming art talent around the Southeast, and loves being the first to find an artist before anyone else does. 

Lambert’s latest show, on view at Buckhead’s Swan Coach House Gallery through Aug. 6, is "The Summer Swan Invitational: Contemporary Southern Pottery and Handmade Objects." She defines the title further as “high-end fine art, not crafts.”

Find out what's happening in Buckheadwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Group shows like this have become her specialty even though “it’s a hundred times more work,” she says with a smile. About 60 artists are represented including five from Buckhead. Erick Haagensen — who runs MudFire Clayworks in Decatur — served as co-curator selecting the more functional pottery, while Lambert stretches the ancient mediums of clay and fiber to include playful, non-functional creations. 

Smiling faces on fantasy creatures is a recurring thread in a show filled with humor, whimsy and out of the box creativity. The gallery is jam-packed with surprises.

Find out what's happening in Buckheadwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

One example is the work of Buckhead artist Leisa Rich whose massive felt flowers burst from oversized vases.  “Marianne does such a good job of making the work of so many artists work well together,” Rich says

The fiber artist moved to Buckhead four years ago from Dallas, Texas, originally from Ontario, Canada. She contacted every gallery in Atlanta trying to get a feel for the arts scene and introduce her work. “It was Marianne who responded right away, visited my studio and has been a terrific supporter ever since. I owe her so much.”

Buckhead artist James Jernigan echoes that sentiment, calling Lambert one of the greatest curators in the Southeast. “It’s a real seal of approval when you’re invited by Marianne Lambert to be in one of her exhibitions,” he told Patch.

Lambert considers Jernigan an emerging artist, with a background in filmmaking and business who began woodturning as a hobby. His gorgeous bowls are already coveted by local collectors.

The revered curator got her start back in 1983 as the first in Atlanta to offer art consulting to local corporations. Today, her daughter Anne Lambert Tracht still runs ConsultArt, guiding the art collections of top law firms, developers and others, while Marianne Lambert is freed to follow her passion as a curator. 

In addition to curating shows at the Swan Coach House since 2000, she organized about 50 outstanding shows at a gallery space called Art Walk at Lenox Square from 1995 to 2005. When Cousins Properties’ opened the Terminus towers at the prestigious Buckhead intersection of Piedmont and Peachtree, the Lamberts were tapped to curate shows there. Mom curates the gallery in the lobby of the 100 Building while daughter is curator for the gallery in the 200 Building lobby. Both galleries are free and open to the public.

It was at the Trinity Art Auction where she first made her mark as a respected curator when she took over the private school's largest fundraiser in the mid-'80s. Many of the parents were friends who urged her to get involved for several reasons:

  • to raise the quality of the art
  • to introduce the work of Georgia artists
  • and to educate Trinity parents on what good art really is so they could be more daring in their tastes and acquisitions. 

“That was the catalyst for meeting so many collectors and artists,” Lambert recalls. 

While Atlanta is known for tours of private gardens, historic and contemporary homes, even kitchens, Lambert still marvels at how seldom people have the chance to see real art collections. She believes, “Until we reach a true level of sophistication and are culturally astute about the art we live with, we cannot call ourselves a world-class city.”

She adds, “We’re still teaching people that art doesn’t have to match the sofa.”  Years ago, she spent more energy encouraging collectors to go beyond buying safe botanical prints and hunting scenes that are far too prevalent in Buckhead homes, according to Lambert. “Now, my role is to put it out there and make the art available to be seen. That’s all you can do.”

Other Buckhead artists in the Summer Invitational show are Margaret Patterson, Rebekah Strickland and Shirlee Frank, the only deceased artist in the group.

Details:  The Swan Coach House Gallery is on the campus of Buckhead’s Atlanta History Center at 3130 Slaton Drive, right next door to the famous ladies who lunch restaurant. Admission is free. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m..  Telephone: 404-266-2636

Upcoming shows include a conceptual art show, architects who are also artists and an exhibition on the personality of trees and their many moods. 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Buckhead