Rodney Yardley: Short Sleeve Pants. Socks Are optional

July 6-27, 2018
Rodney Yardley: Short Sleeve Pants. Socks Are optional
Opening reception: Friday, July 6, 5:00-9:00 PM
Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Wednesday, July 4, for the holiday.

Short Sleeve Pants.
Socks Are optional

I know that has to be the most ridiculous title for an exhibition anyone has ever heard, but bear with me please…
I have walked the streets of this city for nearly 45 years, most of the time alone, usually in short pants, andgenerally with no socks. Still do. There is an entire movement now about free range kids, but I believe I may be the original.
My Dad worked at Woodruff’s when it was a department store. When I turned 12 years old he would bring me to work with him. I would spend a short amount of time running thru the store saying hi to everyone who worked there, and then I was allowed to go out and walk these very same streets I walk today,
It was perfectly safe, no danger at all. I did have boundaries. I wasn’t allowed to go near The Bijou because I would have to walk by Comer’s pool hall, which was definitely off limits. I still had a ball, Watson’s when it was Watson’s, The Hobby Shop where they sold model trains and airplanes,Miller’s on Gay Street where the ladies at the candy counter would give a brat like me a free sample bag of candy.
These are things I dream about some nights, and they are beautiful, heartwarming dreams. Welcome to my dreams of a town I love.