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Art Reviews: Talents of two groups merge in fresh exhibit
Saturday, July 03, 1999 By Mary Thomas, Post-Gazette Arts Writer
"Merging at the Crossroads," at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Shadyside, includes work in a variety of mediums by women of color who are members of two artist groups, "Women of Vision," a Center guild, and "Black Women Artists of New York City."
Women of Vision president Lisa Currin said they invited the New York women to exhibit with them because of a shared make-up and mission. The groups complement one another, the Pittsburgh artists being strong in their commitment to craftsmanship and material and the NYC artists in their conceptual expression, although frequently these lines blur.
Carolynne Miller's "Amazing Grace's Dreamhouse" is a stirring mixed-media collage that includes a photo of a homeless person sprawled in a doorway against a background of a house blueprint. Its image, blue tones and large size add to its impact.
Her "Bound By the Wind" is a rich and warm portrait set in a landscape of memory.
Eve Sandler uses materials like synthetic hair and fingernails to pointedly question the marketing of image, here directed at African-American women but applicable across racial lines.
"Lost Souls," a memorable sculpture by Grace Williams that draws upon traditional African symbols and form, evokes children who are victims of drug use and school shootings. It is part fetish, part altar. A black-faced baby doll with sad cowry shell eyes is robed in strips of rag and poignant tumbles of children's shoes. Below, a mock jewel chest spills brightly colored candies to the floor.
"Soul Claps," six pairs of hands with arms with markings that call to mind traditional tattoos and henna designs, by gifted local ceramist Mary Martin, are thoughtful, finely crafted works.
Other Pittsburgh artists who shine are Tina Brewer with her expressive, jubilant quilts, and Jo-Anne Bates whose folded monotypes are intense with color. Abstract collage and painting by Damali Miller and Vivian McDuffie of the NYC group are strong, vibrant works.
The other 24 artists display a range of experience and some are still polishing their skills. But one of her group's interests, Currin says, is to give new, young artists a chance to exhibit. They also want to "show the Pittsburgh public what African-American artists are doing, and how they interpret the world around them." Through its range of subject and style, this exhibition achieves that goal.
Also at the center is a small and mostly traditional "Exhibition of Works by Regional Handweavers" sponsored by the Weavers Guild of Pittsburgh. Notable are the painstaking "Beadweaving" by Sister M. Edith Nemeth, and the craft and design excellence in Louetta Heindl Kambic's "Warp-dyed Runners" and Harriette Roadman's "Memories."
Through July 25 at 6300 Fifth Ave., at Shady. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday.
"American Jews: Paintings and Stories of Pittsburgh Jews by Marvin Friedman," is a very personal exhibition at the Jewish Community Center, Squirrel Hill.
During a residency, the noted artist and illustrator for such publications as the New Yorker and Gourmet magazines interviewed members of the JCC senior and adult population, and for each produced a watercolor portrait and a short, hand-printed recollection -- some joyful, some full of regret or loss, as with Holocaust experiences -- from his or her life. The soft lines and colors of the paintings and the uneven, scratched out character of the printing add to the comfortable feeling of family, home and oral tradition that these ultimately represent.
For example, for Lila Hirsch Brody, the text and portrait with one of her paintings in the background reflect this artist's vivaciousness. At the opening, Brody was awarded The Shore/Whitehill Special Needs Award in recognition of her work with the special needs population.
Also at the JCC, Berger Gallery, are Post-Gazette photographer Martha Rial's insightful Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs of refugees of the civil war in Rwanda and Burundi, "Trek of Tears."
Both exhibitions run through July 31 at 5738 Forbes Avenue. Gallery hours for "American Jews" are 6:15 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 6:15 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, 1-6 p.m. Saturday and 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. The Berger Gallery is open from 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday.
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