Woman: The Artist's View
The Bennington Center for the Arts in Bennington, Vt. is hosting two special exhibits this season, linked by the theme "Women."
Art OF Women
"Woman: The Artists' View" is the title of the center's 2nd Annual Art Show, which runs through October 27 in the center's Main Gallery.
Throughout the ages women have been glorified in clay, paint, wood, stone, and bronze - "Women: The Artists' View" brings together over 120 works to showcase woman as the artist sees her.
This unique annual event is a juried show for the best art of women, but not necessarily by women. On display will be works, in all media, of over 60 talented artists from all across the country. The more than 120 works were selected from over one thousand entries.
Featured this year will be a wide variety of art ranging from traditional to modern, with pieces that are sure to evoke deep emotion and controversial discussions. Among the artists represented are Lydia Dillon-Sutton, Gloria Coker, Hatem, William Kieffer, Mary Dupree, and Jim Seigler.
Also returning to the exhibit will be last year's People's Choice Winner, Vonnie Whitworth.
Art BY Women
Running concurrently through October 27 in the center's Lower Gallery is "American Women Artists ‹ A New Legacy," which pointedly celebrates the woman as artist.
Throughout history the role of women artists has been underplayed. Mary Cassatt and Georgia O'Keeffe are two familiar names, recognized most likely because their stories are rooted in recent histories of the 19th and 20th centuries.
To date, no women artists have been given the esteem of greats like Michelangelo or Leonardo da Vinci. Who is to know if such women artists existed? Societies did not encourage women to achieve outside of the accepted roles dictated to them.
Today, increasing awareness of notable women artists is increasing, particularly those whose talent and capabilities equal or surpass that of their male counterparts.
"American Women Artists: A New Legacy" celebrates an age removed from societies past in which women artists were restricted to painting portraits or still-lifes as a hobby.
"American Women Artists" celebrates the freedom from social dictates that prevented women from signing their work.
"American Women Artists" celebrates the heritage of art passed down to today's artists and the challenge inherent in the acceptance of that heritage.
Included in the exhibit are examples illustrating that subject matter does not denote feminine or masculine art. Displayed works show the strengths of nature's creatures in the wild, intimate glimpses of children at play, restoration of the human spirit, still lifes about the relationships of objects, and honest portrayals of the cowboy life.
Both exhibits can be seen at the Bennington Center for the Arts on Route 9 West in Bennington, Vt., Tuesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., through October 27.
For more information, call the center at (802) 442-7158.