The Staunton Augusta Art Center announces two new, concurrent exhibitions that run July 6-August 8 in the art galleries of the RR Smith Center for History and Art, 20 S. New Street, in historic Downtown Staunton. Due to the exceptional nature of and meaning behind these multi-dimensional works, art enthusiasts are encouraged to attend the opening reception and gallery interpretations by both artists at 5pm Friday, July 10.
Sukjin Choi’s newly named exhibition, Ruote [Italian pasta resembling small wheels], is an installation of many winding, small wheels which the ceramist has painted on Spanish clay. In her artist’s statement, Choi states her work is “concerned with memory and the tracing of time. When I see rusted steel rods at a construction site, I think of the passing of time and space. The rusted skin of the steel presents a beautiful pattern to me. It reminds me that there is an intimate past fused inside of it…. I bring this sentiment – of how the patterning or skin represents one’s inner self – to my ceramic sculptures.” Choi holds two MFA’s in ceramics and is an associate professor at JMU’s School of Art, Design, and Art History. An image of her work “Ruote 2” is attached.
Lynn Hilton Conyers is an award winning artist, teacher, and art advocate. In this body of work titledConception, she “invites the viewer to participate in a visual and sensory encounter that includes the components of ceremony, tradition, and ritual… breaking the barriers between artist and audience.” For this contemporary Raku artist, the ceramic tradition of Raku that began in Japan in the 16th century, serves as inspiration because the fast firing technique is an appealing creative tool. Even though she uses the element of chance and the unintended effects that result, control and artistry are not absent from her original designs. The use of fabric impressed into the surface of the clay produces textures that are enhanced when the piece, hot from the kiln, is placed in a chamber of combustible materials. The resulting reduction atmosphere creates iridescent qualities on the glazed surface which are further incorporated into the total design of the piece through the use of metallic oil-based pencils and oil pastels. The unglazed surface areas become a canvas upon which she paints and draws. The addition of fiber, wood, and glass or semi-precious stone beads pay homage to ancient cultures and unites the two and three dimensional aspects of the wall plaques. A detail of her work “Talisman IX” is attached. Conyers earned a BFA from VCU and an MFA in ceramics from JMU.
There is no charge to visit the galleries or to attend the reception and everyone is welcome. Regular gallery hours are 10am-5pm Monday – Friday and 11am-4pm Saturday (closed on Sunday).
For more information, please call 540-885-2028
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