| The Folk Tree's annual Easter season exhibition, is on view March 3 - April 7, 2007. Old and new religious folkart and artifacts, primarily from Mexico, are displayed alongside pieces by area artists who more generally deal with issues concerning "the sacred and profane." Approximately twenty-five artists are included, represented by painting, ceramics, printmaking, fiber work, assemblage, collage, drawing and mixed media. The public is invited to a reception on Saturday, March 3 from 2 - 6 P.M. Easter is the most important holiday of the festival calendar for many Mexican Catholics. The abundance of Easter and Lenten season rituals, such as processions, dances, and other observances are evidence of its significance. To commemorate this season, The Folk Tree's exhibition presents: large processional pieces from Oaxaca (calendas) depicting religious symbols or figures and made of tiny multi-colored "everlasting flowers;" a variety of retablos (late nineteenth and twentieth century religious paintings on tin or wood); santos (polychrome wooden carvings of saints); and milagros (miracle offerings). Also shown are mixed media portable home shrines, small wooden boxes in which paper, plastic or wax flowers are combined with colored foil and wooden carvings of Christ or other religious figures. These anonymously created pieces are interpretations of the Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. Many local artists are represented, working in a variety of media. Kina Crow, a self-taught clay artist, includes one of her devilish figures. Janice Lowry, a graduate of Art Center College of Design, shows assemblages. Metal, paper mache, mixed media and clay crosses are on view, including pieces by Roberto and Rachael Reyes, Candy Butler and Dee Marcellus Cole. Angel Lopez contributes prints and ceramics, and Mavis Leahy, Janet Ghio And Anne Huskey-Lockhart show their fiber work. Artist Cynthia Cook, of Mexican and Irish heritage, works with found and recycled materials to create intimately scaled "icons" with the goal of "inspiring a renewed sense of the sacred within the oft-overlooked mundane debris of contemporary life." The SAINTS & SINNERS exhibition highlights traditional devotional objects as well as contemporary pieces with symbols of Christianity and related themes in both worldly and spiritual contexts. Theists and secularists alike will appreciate the variety of work on view. |
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| The Folk Tree is located at 217 South Fair Oaks Avenue, minutes walking distance from the Gold Line's Del Mar Station (and just fifteen minutes from downtown Los Angeles off the end of the 110 freeway) near the heart of Old Pasadena.ĘGallery hours are: M-W, 11-6; Th-Sat, 10-6; Sun, 12-5. For more information, contact The Folk Tree at 626/795-8733 or Gail Mishkin at 626/793-4828. |
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