Feature Articles
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February Issue 2005

Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC, Features Works by Eleanor McCain, John Skau, and from Penland's Studio Iron Program

Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC, will present several exhibitions including: Eleanor McCain Contemporary Quilts and John Skau Sculptural Basketry in the Rutledge Gallery from Feb. 14 through Mar. 25, 2005; and Iron: A New Vocabulary The Penland School of Crafts in the Elizabeth Dunlap Patrick Gallery from Feb. 14 through Mar. 25, 2005.

Eleanor McCain

Eleanor McCain is a practicing internal medicine physician in Fort Walton Beach, FL, and has been practicing art textiles for more than ten years. Her work has been shown in exhibitions and galleries internationally, including the Columbus Museum of Art and the Museum of American Folk Art. She currently has a piece on permanent display at the Mint Museum of Craft + Design in Charlotte, NC.

McCain is represented in collections throughout the United States and Germany. "I am interested in the texture achieved by the use of hand-dyed fabrics and stitching. The quilts are machine pieced from hand-dyed cotton fabric and cut in an improvisational fashion. I then use machine quilting to overlay a grid of different colored threads on the color fields of the quilt, intrigued as the grid recedes, comes forward or vanishes. All machine stitching is done without marking the quilt, using a single needle and two or three threads of medium-to-light weight cotton," says McCain.

Also on display in Rutledge Gallery is the exhibit, John Skau Sculptural Basketry. Here is what Skau had to say about his work, "I am a contemporary basket maker who creates seamless, monumental forms that are truly elegant, minimal expressions. These forms echo some of the language and figures from basic math such as cones, parabolas, circles, triangles, and squares. Each of my baskets is one-of-a-kind, intricately woven from painted and natural wooden strips. Being a natural material, the hardwoods used provide the forms with an appealing warmth. When light and dark sequencing of the wooden strips are incorporated with complex twill and satin weave structures, striking patterns result."

Skau continues, "These baskets become radiant, intoning ancient patterns - bold, pre-language patterns that speak to all. Much of the drama present in this work is due to the way the materials accommodate themselves to the form and how the intricate patterns on the surface of the form's compound curves flow so naturally. These baskets are timeless works, joyous works to create and behold."

Sean Calyer

On view in the Elizabeth Dunlap Patrick Gallery is Iron: A New Vocabulary The Penland School of Crafts. The exhibition has a mission to feature artists who are bringing a new aesthetic and vocabulary to the field of studio iron, through both the ideas and tools. While many artists continue to honor and employ traditional methods of working with iron, they are also being embraced and influenced by the sculptural dialog going on in contemporary art and craft fields.

The work in this exhibit ranges from narrative, decorative, historical influences, to minimalist pure form - but throughout the work a thread transforms the material in a deeply personal way. Twenty-three artists have been invited to participate in this exhibit each clearly illustrating the range of expression and technique throughout the field. Each also has a strong connection to the Penland School through their teaching, the resident artist program and the core program.

For further information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings, call Tom Stanley at 803/323-2493, e-mail (stanleyt@winthrop.edu) or at (www.winthrop.edu/arts).


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