The Artisans Center of Virginia 2006 Exhibition Schedule presents the national competition

Masks, Visages and Veils

Best in Show Audrey Smith   First Place Jane Ogren   Second Place Janet Brome

Honorable Mention Jerry Breakstone Jennifer Shilling Patrice Werlund

View the Entire Exhibition

May 18 - June 28, 2006

Masks

Masks have traditionally been used to illustrate and illuminate religious or cultural activities in many different societies. They have been used as tools for combating illness and sorcery, and in shamanistic rites often associated with death and rebirth. The mask can represent the link between the worlds of spirit and animal establishing a connection between all forms of life. Some cultures believe a mask holds supernatural power that resides in the mask itself. This power is released when a human wears a mask in an effort to transcend reality.

Visages

The human face is intimately associated with an individual’s personality. Visages can communicate a profound source of self, ego or even holiness. Cesar Augustus placed his visage on a government coin to imply that he was all powerful and synonymous with the state. Sculptural visages or effigies have been used for centuries to record ancestral lineage by European nobility. Celestial visages often are surreal and suggest an extraordinary vision exaggerated by the artist for specific effect or to record an ecstatic experience.

Veils

Veiling is a complex tradition that is specific to a time and place. Veils can be used as symbols or a manner of visual expression. The wearing of a veil can reveal such attributes as tribal association, status, rank or marital status. Veils can also be significant to an event such as a wedding or funeral. The color of a veil, the way it is worn, or how decorative it is can be a form of expressing cultural identity. A veil can also be considered a curtain or screen that functions to obscure or hide features beyond accepted reality - the unknown state of life after death.

The exhibition was designed to encourage artisans to assess their skills in contrast to their peers on a national level. Opening the field nationwide allows a diverse and varied response across a wide spectrum of societal influences. The result is an exhibit infused with energy and creativity, one that challenges our perception and which may encourage our understanding and tolerance of other cultures.

About the Juror:

Trudi Van Dyke is the Executive Director of the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, VA, consisting of 83 studios with 180 working artists, 5 galleries, and an art school. Recent curatorial exhibitions include, All Dolled Up, Again! (a touring exhibition of artists who use dolls and doll symbolism); Way Off the Rack (sculptural clothing); Beyond Reading (all media sculptural book art) and Branching Out (contemporary wood turning). Ms. Van Dyke’s international experience includes an exhibition exchange between Aachen, Germany and Arlington, VA and an exhibition of Israeli artists at the Embassy of Israel. She has juried extensively both locally and nationally and writes artist profiles for Élan Magazine.