The Circus Sideshow Comes to Life

Large circus sideshow banners were unveiled at Artspace in Shreveport Friday night.

A colorful crowd gathered at Artspace in Shreveport Friday night to view the opening of "Curious, Mysterious and Strange: Secrets of the Sideshow" exhibition, which will be on display until Aug. 30.

The opening night spectacle included entertainment by a fire-eating, mind-reading man and a sword-swallowing woman. "Secrets of the Sideshow" features large-scale mechanical installation art created by internationally exhibiting artist Pamela Joseph, as well as the grandiose canvas sideshow banners created by Glen Davies, who is known as one of the last artists of his kind.

A crowd gathered at Artspace to view prized and collectible circus side show banners.

The exhibition also includes a collection of expansive vintage banners created by Fred G. Johnson, who is considered to be one of the finest sideshow banner painters. The works on display feature a collection that spans his 65-year career as an artist. Johnson's banners are highly collectible and are prized around the world.

(Left) "The Baby Wheel of Fortune is an instillation art piece by Pamela Joseph. (Right) International exhibiting artist Pamela Joseph stands by her large scrim painting displayed at Artspace.

Joseph's collection of installation art pieces, dubbed "The Sideshow of the Absurd," are made with mannequins and objects intermingled to create art that some might call shocking, dark or intriguing. In any case, her work commands a second look and evokes a mysterious, haunting quality. Johnson said she first attended a freak show at the age of 7. She said she was impressed by the dignity of the so called "freaks" who appeared on stage.

A collection of prized sideshow banners are for sale now at Artspace.

Joseph has released a publication featuring her artworks, "The Hundred Headless Women," which features a wall installation of wooden cutting boards, depicting burned-in images of women in perilous situations. This, she said, symbolizes the role of women in sideshows who often have knives thrown at their heads or are "sawed in half" during magic tricks. Joseph said the name of the collection is a nod at Max Ernst’s novel of collages and engravings, "The Hundred Headless Woman."

"Curious, Mysterious and Strange" will be on display from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday- Saturday until Aug. 3o at Artspace. The gallery will be closed July 3-4 in observance of Fourth of July, but will reopen on July 5.