Art + Architecture + Design
Loy Allen Bowlin, The Original Rhinestone Cowboy
From Athanasius Kircher: "When Loy Allen Bowlin died in 1995, he left behind the persona of ‘The Original Rhinestone Cowboy – the World’s Most Famous Entertainer’, a character who attracted crowds to watch his shuffle-step dancing and listen to his stories, jokes and off-key singing. What really drew them were his rhinestone-studded polyester leisure suits, cowboy boots and hat, not to mention the rhinestones embedded in his dentures. Today, that performative aspect of his life is largely eclipsed by his real legacy – an elaborately decorated, otherwise modest home, originally located in the small town of McComb, Mississippi, and now owned by the John Michael Kohler Arts Center (JMKAC) in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The house is a complete home environment, its interior a shifting kaleidoscope of glowing colors and intricate patterns constructed from paper, glitter, and glue, covering every wall and ceiling. It is a private universe so abstract that eyes and mind struggle to contain it."
| Print article | This entry was posted by Staff on December 19, 2006 at 3:45 pm, and is filed under Design, The Arts. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |
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