Cultural Council of PB County Exhibits Artwork by Palm Beachers James & Eleanor Woolems
Eleanor-James-Woolems-by-Tracey-Benson-Photography
Cultural Council of Palm Beach County to
Host 40th Anniversary Celebration & Art Exhibit of
Woolems Luxury Home Builders
Thursday, October 25, 6 to 9 pm
Exhibit will Feature Mixed Media Artwork Created by
Palm Beachers James and Eleanor Woolems
October 6 to November 3, 2018
Boca Raton, FL – Two local institutions – the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County and Woolems Luxury Home Builders – are both celebrating their 40th anniversary this year by partnering on a world premiere art exhibit by James and Eleanor Woolems. This is the first time the Palm Beach couple have exhibited their artwork together.
“It’s an honor for the Cultural Council to premier the work of James and Eleanor Woolems. They are well known for their individual commercial endeavors but are typically reserved about exhibiting their personal work,” says Nichole M. Hickey, the Council’s Manager of Artist Services. “However, when I witnessed their breadth, range and creativity as artists, I knew we would be showing the public something extraordinary. And to have both the Council and Woolems Luxury Home Builders mark our 40th anniversary at the same time makes this truly synergistic, indeed.”
The exhibit is running at the Council’s Lake Worth headquarters October 6 through November 3. Dazzling images of Woolems construction projects will be on display in the Donald M. Ephraim Family Gallery, while the couple’s personal artwork will be shown in the Lawrence A. Sanders Foundation Artist Resource Center.
In addition, the West Palm Beach-based Woolems Luxury Home Builders will host a special, by-invitation-only 40th anniversary party at the Cultural Council on Thursday, October 25, from 6 to 9 pm.
James & Eleanor Woolems
A 1966 graduate of Palm Beach High School, James Woolems initially worked in construction and as a carpenter and property manager in the Island’s prestigious Estate Section. In 1978, he founded Woolems Luxury Home Builders where he has cultivated a collective of talented, highly skilled professionals and trained craftspeople who realize the architectural dreams of his discerning clients. Woolems has built dozens of award-winning custom luxury residences from Palm Beach, Jupiter and Miami to across the Sunshine state. An enduring inquiry into shape, form and volume informs Woolems’ meticulous structures and is reflected in his sculptural practice where he has quietly honed his artistic education in his own studio and with leading artists at Anderson Ranch, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and Three Pines Studio.
“Since childhood I have been fascinated with taking objects apart and re-inventing them,” says James Woolems, who began studying sculpture and other artistic skills over 10 years ago. “I create sculpture for the same reason I read a good book, for the enjoyment or working and finding out what happens. As a builder I am drawn to metal, wood, steel and found objects. It is in the hammering, welding, using equipment such as lincoln electric equipment, gluing and basic assemblage that something familiar or accidental comes about. Shapes begin to appear and the discovery of proximity and relationships find logic and meaning. It helps me find balance.”
“The printmaking experience is experiential, thought provoking and enlightening,” he continues. “Color is the invitation to established atmosphere and intensity. Abstract shapes and spaces are developed from an inner construct of resolution. Ideas that come are intuitively likened to grace given.”
In the Cultural Council exhibit Mr. Woolems is represented by seven sculptures, while his wife will showcase seven of her paintings.
A native of Palm Beach County, Eleanor Woolems was a successful real estate agent for years before returning to school to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. Last year, she studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia and Ireland’s Ballinglen Arts Foundation, where she worked with artist Catherine Kehoe. Her award-winning artwork has been featured in numerous exhibitions throughout South Florida as well as in Ballycastle, Ireland.
“I am interested in the exploration of the process relating to self-understanding and patterns of familiarity as an expression of growth, happiness and enlightenment,” she says. “The starting point is the feminine figure. Referencing instinctively the archetype of ‘wise woman’ and development of soul qualities… My journey embraces investigating awareness not exclusively in the psyche of women lives but also patriarchy.”
“I search intuitively and impulsively looking for complex and synchronistic patterns, shapes, hues, darks and lights. The oil paint, charcoal, pencil, gouache, painted palettes, paper and canvases excite me,” she adds.
About Woolems Luxury Home Builders:
Where building is art. That’s the motivation behind Woolems Luxury Home Builders, the creative force behind numerous custom built residential and commercial masterpieces for many of South Florida’s most famous (and very private) names. The company’s website includes glowing testimonials from satisfied clients including Michael A. Leven, President/COO of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, Palm Beach homeowners Rosemary and Carlos Ferrer, architect Wesley Kean and others. Commercial projects include the Eau Resort and Spa in Manalapan, Philips Point Office in West Palm Beach, La Cote Restaurant in Miami Beach, and the PGA National Clubhouse, among others. For more information, please visit www.woolems.com.
About the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County:
The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County is the official support agency for arts and culture in The Palm Beaches, Florida’s Cultural Capital®. The Council provides grants to cultural organizations and professional artists, advocates for art and cultural funding, enhances local arts education, offers support services to foster growth of the sector and promotes cultural tourism.
The Cultural Council also serves as a venue for exhibitions and performances featuring artists who live or work in Palm Beach County, and provides additional programming at its headquarters in the historic Robert M. Montgomery, Jr. Building in Downtown Lake Worth. Also on the property are the Roe Green Uniquely Palm Beach Store featuring hand-crafted items by local artists; the Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Visitor Information Center, a VISIT FLORIDA-designated Florida Certified Tourism Information Center; and the Project Space, an open-air garden for live music and large-scale sculpture.
The Cultural Council is open to the public from 10 am – 5 pm, Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, including a complete calendar of cultural activities in The Palm Beaches, visit palmbeachculture.com.
