Feature Articles

September Issue 2002

Mary Edna Fraser Features Poets at Her Studio in Charleston, SC

On Oct. 6, 2002, art and poetry join in a visual and verbal interpretation of the timeless, ever-changing wetlands and waterways of the south. Paired with prize-winning poet, Marjory Wentworth, nationally recognized artist, Mary Edna Fraser will exhibit recent works, new monotypes and giclées of her work. Inspired by her images, Marjory has written poetry and will read from their newly published collaborative book, What the Water Gives Me.

Distinguished for her talent in the ancient medium of batik, Fraser's subjects are often the rivers and landscapes of her own backyard. She works from images captured from the portal of an airplane window, so that we see the world from the perspective of the sky. Her work transforms the earth into a silent meditation of balance and calm. Rivers are freed from their function into a world of space and spirit.

An advocate for preserving the beauty of the land and taking care of our world, Fraser has exhibited in major museums including the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum from Sept., 1994 through May, 1995 which was the museum's first textile and one-woman exhibit. Her batik sculpture, Charleston Waterways, which is 74 yards by 36 inches is displayed in the entrance to the Charleston International Airport in Charleston, SC.

Wentworth's poetry takes us on a journey back to ourselves. We transcend the everyday and fall in love with ethereal shapes and colors. Her words like gold and red, blues and greens wander warm and cool through our minds. The author of Nightjars, a chapbook of her poems, her works have appeared in numerous books and magazines and she has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize.

In celebration of art and poetry, Linda Annas Ferguson, prize-winning poet and recent winner of the Palanquin Press Chapbook Competition of the University of South Carolina at Aiken, will debut her new book, It's Hard to Hate a Broken Thing at the event. A recent review of her book by author Susan Meyers describes her as a poet who "keeps her eyes open, her ears tuned to the world. Her subjects are primal ones of parent and child, light and dark, hope and leave-taking."

The show and reading will be held October 6, from 3-6 pm at the studio of Mary Edna Fraser, 1723 Oak Point Rd in Charleston, SC. The reading will begin at 4 pm with a book signing to follow.

For more information call Mary Edna Fraser at 843/762-2594 or check out her website at (www.maryedna.com).

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