Oct - Dec 2009 Newsletter

Oct – DEC 2009 Newsletter

sun valley center for the arts po box 656, sun valley, id 83353

non-profit org. u.s. postage paid boise id permit no. 679

Serving the Valley in Both Ketchum & hailey

Printed on paper containing 30% post-consumer and 50% total recycled fiber.

www.sunvalleycenter.org • 208.726.9491 m–f, 9–5 • 191 fifth street east, Ketchum W–F, NOON–5 • 314 S. Second Ave, Hailey sign up online For our e-newsletter • don’t miss another hot date!

Director’s letter Dear Friends, We are entering what just happens to be my favorite season of the year! Fall means so many things to us in so many different ways—from the color displayed by nature indicating that another season of growth and bloom comes to an end, to the anticipation of shorter days, winter beauty and the wonderful intimacy of returning indoors to continue to celebrate life, creativity and friendships.

In retrospect, this past summer was a terrific introduction to the Wood River Valley. The welcome extended to us by many of you has been exceptional and warm. From the Summer Music Series concerts in Hailey and Ketchum, to wonderful donor events in so many beautiful settings, to the Wine Auction’s expansive week of activities—your support, engagement and generosity continue to make The Center a vibrant, growing and integral part of life in our community.

One of my most impactful personal experiences this past summer was attending the Sun Valley Summer Symphony’s performances at the new Sun Valley Pavilion. I was immediately struck by the way in which the new building structure greatly enhanced, even transformed, the already high artistic quality of the concerts. It was as though the symphony and the pavilion were made for each other. The results were tremendous: high attendance, music of the finest caliber and a satisfying sense of having experienced an art form exactly as it was meant to be experienced.

I strongly believe that the community and the Sun Valley Center for the Arts will have the very same transformative experience when The Center’s new building is completed. Picture this: Every week of the year, the community will enjoy a state of the art cultural center where the visual and performing arts, films, lectures, symposia and life-long learning for people of all ages take place all under one spectacular and beautifully inspiring roof.

It is an exciting prospect, and we are most grateful to our community for the wonderful support and shared vision that has inspired our future plans. How gratifying it is to know that as neighbors, whether year-round or for just a few weeks each season, we understand the need to create and build great structures and programs to achieve our dreams.

I invite each of you to experience and enjoy The Center’s activities and programs for the coming months!

Cover images: Hot Club of San Francisco Andre Yi, detail, Nevadaville (Gallows

Frame), 2006, acrylic, ink and colored

Sincerely

Bill Ryberg, Executive Director

pencil on canvas, courtesy of the artist

PICTURE THIS… PICTURE THIS CAMPAIGN Our efforts continue to raise the required funds to begin construction of a true yearround “center” for the arts in our community. We are excited to have received the necessary approval from the City of Ketchum this summer for slight modifications to the design that will allow us to expand the capacity of our indoor performance venue to serve an audience of 400 instead of 240.

Enthusiasm for the project continues to grow, as exemplified by the ­Grathwohl Family, who stepped forward and made a very generous gift to the project through the Seattle based Thurston Family Charitable Foundation. Here is their story.

Susan Thurston Grathwohl came to Sun Valley for 3 years and ended up staying for 30. She was witness to the earliest efforts of the Sun Valley Center, and remains convinced of its vital role in the community. Now two of her children, Christopher Grathwohl and Tracy Grathwohl Lee, live here full time and are raising their families here. With their roots sinking even deeper into the community, they collectively agreed that it would be appropriate to invest more of their Foundation’s giving in the Wood River Valley. They chose The Center for three reasons.

“The Sun Valley Center brought the arts to this community, and deserves credit for the breadth and depth of cultural life we all enjoy here,” says Susan Thurston Grathwohl.

“It needs room to grow and a prominent and dynamic facility to be able to continue leading the way.”

Son Christopher adds, “The new art center will add distinction and vitality to the community, as well as cultural and economic diversity. Locals and tourists alike will be drawn to it as the focal point of arts and culture.”

And from Tracy’s perspective, “the large performing arts/ lecture hall and classrooms will provide a needed venue for all kinds of events. We hope the new Sun Valley Center will become a gathering place for everyone interested in the exploration of art, life-long learning and expansion of their perspective on our community and the world.”

The Center thanks the Grathwohl family for their generosity and the many other people who have made gifts to the capital campaign.

David Sedaris Sun, Oct 25, 7pm Limelight Room, Sun Valley $30 / $40 nonmembers

SERIES PRICING $115 / $165 nonmembers

One of America’s pre-eminent humorists, David Sedaris is a frequent contributor to Public Radio’s This American Life and recipient of the Thurber Prize for American Humor. He is the author of the bestselling collections of personal essays Barrel Fever, Holidays on Ice, Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, and When You Are Engulfed in Flames. Time Out New York raves, “David Sedaris just may be the funniest man alive.” And, he’s even funnier when he reads his material out loud.

JPC – Pre-lecture Reception at the Bar at the Sun Valley Inn

Editor’s Series Sponsor ticket $500 Includes: • Preferred seating • Special reception before Salman Rushdie talk • Luncheon for Editor’s Series sponsors on Wed, Mar 31 • $250 tax deductible contribution

Lecture Sponsors Martine and Dan Drackett—Wodecroft Foundation, Rebekah and Larry Helzel

Beowulf Sheehan–PEN American Center

Lecture Series

Junot Díaz

Roxana Saberi

Sir Salman Rushdie

Donna Shalala

Fri, Nov 20, 7pm Church of the Big Wood, Ketchum $20 / $30 nonmembers

Thu, Jan 7, 7pm Church of the Big Wood, Ketchum $20 / $30 nonmembers

Mon, Mar 22, 7pm Church of the Big Wood, Ketchum $20 / $30 nonmembers

“Hip, irreverent, funny, and above all, fiercely intelligent” and one of The New Yorker’s 20 top writers for the 21st century, Junot Díaz won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his “astoundingly great” (Time) debut novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Born in the Dominican Republic, Díaz draws heavily on his own experience of American culture as an immigrant. He teaches creative writing at MIT and is the fiction editor at the Boston Review.

While working as a freelance journalist in Tehran in January 2009, Roxana Saberi became the center of international attention when she was accused of spying for the United States and sentenced to eight years in jail. She spent 100 days in prison before she was able to appeal her case and was eventually released by President Ahmadinejad.

part of the multidisciplinary project Outside In: Indian Art Abroad Thu, Feb 11, 7pm Limelight Room, Sun Valley $30 / $40 nonmembers

Individual tickets go on sale October 1, 2009.

Raised in India and Pakistan and educated in England, Sir Salman Rushdie is one of the most celebrated and controversial authors and critics of our time. His novel The Satanic Verses provoked a fatwa (religious edict) by Ayatollah Khomeini calling for his death, as a result of which he spent nearly a decade “underground,” seldom appearing in public. A leading proponent for free speech, Rushdie was knighted by the British in 2007.

From 1993 to 2000, Donna Shalala served as President Clinton’s Secretary of Health and Human Services. In 2008, President Bush presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. She served as co-chair of the Commission on Care for Wounded Warriors and is currently president of the University of Miami as well as a leading voice in the current health care debate.

Lecture Sponsors Richard Carr and Jeanne Meyers

Lecture Sponsors Martine and Dan Drackett—Wodecroft Foundation, Judith and Richard Smooke

2009/2010 Lecture Series is generously sponsored by Gail and Jack Thornton and the Waxenberg Wolfson Family Foundations.

Junior Patrons Circle Since its debut in January, the Junior Patrons Circle (JPC) is emerging as a wonderful new source of energy and activity for the Sun Valley Center for the Arts. With a number of successful events under its belt, including a gallery reception, salon concert and JPC Wine Auction party, the Junior Patrons Circle is becoming an integral part of The Center. In this newsletter, please look for the JPC logo for programs and events that are recommended for JPC members and their friends. Additional information will be sent via email to JPC members and anyone who wants to be kept informed of where the JPC will be gathering to have fun, learn and expand awareness of the arts.

The Junior Patrons Circle is a membership club and volunteer group of young(ish) adults dedicated to furthering the goals of the Sun Valley Center.

By informing other young adults and their families about The Center and hosting events and activities for them, the Junior Patrons Circle seeks to involve the next generation in its programs and develop future volunteer leaders for the arts in our community. To learn more or to join contact Sally Boettger, Director of Development at 208-726-9491 x 20.

Performing Arts 2009–2010 WINTER PERFORMANCE SERIES Christylez Bacon Sat, Nov 7, 7:30pm Sun Valley Opera House $20 / $30 nonmembers $10 kids 18 and under A native of Washington, DC, Christon “Christylez” Bacon is a testament to groundbreaking Hip-Hop, self-expression and pure artistry. Christylez moves between various instruments including the West African djembe drum, acoustic guitar and the syncopated oral percussions of the human beatbox.

Christylez has been featured at venues not commonly associated with Hip-Hop music, such as the National Cathedral and the Kennedy Center. With versatility, clever songwriting and unbounded talent, Christylez brings a dynamic perspective to Hip-Hop. Don’t miss your opportunity to hear live Hip-Hop here in the valley! Christylez will also be doing a school residency.

Series tickets $100 / $150 nonmembers

Critic’s Circle Sponsor ticket $500 Includes: • Preferred seating • Luncheon for Critic’s Circle sponsors on Wed, Mar 31 • $250 tax deductible contribution All Tickets go on sale October 1.

The Campbell Brothers Sat, Dec 12, 7:30pm Sun Valley Opera House $20 / $30 nonmembers The Campbell Brothers present “sacred steel”: African American gospel music with electric steel guitar accompanying the vocals. This tradition is just now emerging from the House of God Keith Dominion Church, where for sixty years it has been an integral part of worship.

As the music moves from sanctuary to concert hall—the group has appeared at the Hollywood Bowl, the Kennedy Center and the Brooklyn Academy of Music— secular audiences are able to appreciate a performance both devotional and rocking. The Campbell Brothers present a rich variety of material from the African American Holiness-Pentecostal repertoire with a new twist: the growling, wailing, shouting, singing and swinging voice of the steel guitar, played as you have never heard it played before.

Listed below are the other performances included in the 2010 series. Full descriptions can be found on our website, www.sunvalleycenter.org.

2009/2010 Winter Performance Series is sponsored by Gail and Jack Thornton.

Ragamala Dance

Hot Club of San Francisco

Sweet Plantain

part of multidisciplinary project Outside In: Indian Art Abroad Fri, Jan 15, 7:30pm Community Campus, Hailey This Minneapolis-based Indian dance troupe provides a bridge between cultures both ancient and modern. Ragamala will also be doing a school residency and master classes in the Wood River Valley.

Sat, Jan 23, 7:30pm Church of the Big Wood, Ketchum An all-acoustic string ensemble of violin, bass and guitars, the Hot Club of San Francisco performs traditional jazz, swing, bebop, blues, Cajun, bossa nova, gypsy and original compositions spanning many decades.

Fri, March 26, 7:30pm Church of the Big Wood, Ketchum Sweet Plantain is a string quartet that specializes in genre-blurring, original compositions and arrangements as well as contemporary works by Latin American composers, with an emphasis on improvisation. Sweet Plantain will also be doing a school residency in the Wood River Valley.

Performance Sponsors Barbara and Tod Hamachek

PLUS! A Mid-winter Cabaret with Catherine Russell Sat, Feb 20, 7:30pm NexStage Theatre, Ketchum Catherine Russell is that rarest of entities, a genuine jazz and blues singer who can sing virtually anything. Get a table and a bottle of bubbly and join us for a New York night. This concert is not included in the series ticket. Tables are sold separately.

Registration available online.

Also, please visit our website www.sunvalleycenter.org for ­extended class descriptions, information on ­instructors, and class supply lists. To register in person for a class, stop by or call The Center in Ketchum, 208.726.9491 ex 10.

On the website, see photos of recent classes, ­workshops and school visits!

Eddie Soloway, Last Light, Winter Aspens

Adult & Family Classes CLASS Details

Adult Classes

Teaching Assistants and Scholarships Scholarships are available for all Center classes and are based on financial need. Applications are available on our website. Students may also inquire about becoming teaching assistants in exchange for a discount on tuition.

A Natural Eye— Pursuing Your Passion for Photographing the Landscape with Eddie Soloway

Registration, Refund and Credit Policy For all classes a 90% refund is given upon withdrawal prior to the registration deadline. No credits or refunds will be given after the registration deadline. If a class is canceled, students are issued a full refund.

Materials Please note that is the responsibility of the students to know their own sensitivities to the materials that may be used in any of the classes. All adult classes require students to bring their own supplies. Students can obtain a supply list at the time of registration or through our website. Some supply fees may apply.

College Credit College credit is available for most classes through the College of Southern Idaho. Inquire about college credit when registering. An additional fee is charged for college credit and is payable directly to the College of Southern Idaho.

Introductory talk Thu, Oct 15, 7pm, The Center, Hailey Fri–Sun, Oct 16–18, 9am–5pm The Center, Hailey $415 members / $465 nonmembers Plus cost of film processing Registration deadline: Thu, Oct 1 Class begins on Fri, Oct 16, 9am.

At the heart of any good photograph is passion for the subject and your ability to capture it on film. If you love the outdoors yet find that your images keep looking like pretty postcards, join Eddie Soloway for an intense three days of looking at the natural world with fresh new eyes. This workshop strives to develop your natural eye first and then bring the technical skills of photography up to it. You will spend as much time changing your perspective, sharpening your senses and immersing yourself in nature as you will on developing new photographic skills.

The workshop weaves together eye-opening outdoor experiences, technical lessons, daily image review, and Eddie’s one-on-one meetings with each participant. It is open to anyone with a basic understanding of a camera. Both film and digital cameras are welcome.

ONE NIGHT WORKSHOPS Beginning/Intermediate Oil Painting with Jennifer Bellinger Tues & Weds, Oct 20–Nov 4, 12–4pm The Center, Hailey $190 members / $240 nonmembers Registration deadline: Tue, Oct 6 The focus of this six-session class will be learning to “see” color and mix it. We will explore color theory by making a color wheel, a value scale and intensity scale. Students will learn how to set up and light a still life and paint simple studies. Intermediate students will be given individual guidance to help them reach the next level in their own painting process.

Mission The mission of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts is to stimulate and provoke the imagination while opening hearts and minds through diverse arts programs.

Sun Valley Center programs are supported by the Engl Trust, the Idaho Commission on the Arts, the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities, private foundations, proceeds from the Sun Valley Center for the Arts Wine Auction, grants, donations and your membership dues.

Drawing Sampler (in Three Parts) with Lisa Whitworth Thu, 5:30–7:30pm $20 members / $25 nonmembers per class The Center, Hailey Oct 8—Line and Angle Oct 15—Shading and Proportion Oct 22—Drawing from 2D Images Have you ever started drawing and something just didn’t look right? Join us for one or all three of these quick introductions; we’ll practice drawing objects from photographs and from life to learn techniques that will make your drawings more accurate. Watch your drawings change from looking “weird” to looking “wonderful”!

FAMILY DAYS

About us

Come to these one evening classes to stretch your creative wings and integrate more art into your life! These classes are designed as introductions and all are welcome. Call in advance to guarantee a space.

TEEN WORKSHOPS

Family days are designed to allow parents and kids to do art projects together.

Projects are inspired by The Center’s current exhibition. All ages are welcome, and many activities require parents to be hands-on assistants to their children.

Family days are free drop-in activities on selected weekend afternoons from 3 to 5 pm—no registration necessary.

Prospects: An Exploration of Mining Sat, Oct 17, 3–5pm The Center, Ketchum Free Families will have an opportunity to tour the show, talk about the artwork and create their own art project.

Outside In: Indian Art Abroad Sat, Jan 30, 3–5pm The Center, Hailey Free Parents and kids will explore a variety of cultural activites including sari tying, printmaking and story telling.

Teen workshops are co-sponsored

by YAK! and are designed to be fun, creative, educational activities just for teens. Please call 726.9491 in advance to guarantee your spot.

Prospects: An Exploration of Mining Sat, Nov 14, 10am–4pm The Center, Hailey $10 Pre-registration Students will create handmade books inspired by historical materials from local mining areas. Students will be taught the bookmaking process from beginning to end while also learning about the Wood River Valley’s rich mining history.

Prospects

a multidisciplinary project THE CENTER, KETCHUM

Prospects: An Exploration of Mining Fri, Oct 9 – Fri, Dec 11 Art clockwise from the top:

Mining is an essential part of the story of the Wood River Valley. Beginning in the 1860s, prospectors arrived in the valley in search of silver, galena and gold. The towns of Bellevue, Hailey and Ketchum sprang up to serve an influx of immigrants who came from Ireland, Wales, Germany and China to work the mines. Although eventually replaced by the sheep industry and later tourism, the long-term impact of mining on the valley continues to resonate.

While mining is central to the history of our valley, it is very much a current topic in other parts of the United States and around the world. Headlines warn us that we are running out of metals like copper and zinc and report mining disasters in Utah, Pennsylvania, Russia and China. Mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia has leveled countless mountains throughout West Virginia and open pit mines dot the American West. In Africa, desire for diamonds has fueled several civil wars. Mining continues to play a vital role in the global economy and shows no signs of slowing as an industry. And mines, of course, employ workers who need the wages they earn. When mines close, towns suffer and sometimes fail.

In 2008, painter Jennilie Brewster visited the Black Thunder Mine, the most productive open coal mine in the United States. A large scale painting she produced based on her visit will be accompanied by a new piece grounded in the history of mining in the West in the 19th century.

Film and video artist Valerie Sullivan Fuchs has recently created a project examining the impact of mountain top removal (MTR) mining on eastern Kentucky. The installation consists of solar-powered light boxes and digital prints featuring images of the Appalachian Mountains and the results of MTR mining. These images will be mounted around the city of Ketchum.

Alfredo Jaar has spent his career producing artwork that explores situations of social, racial and ethnic inequity. In the 1980s, he created Gold in the Morning, a film and photographic project that documented the manual labor of thousands of pit miners in Brazil.

Like Jaar, photographer Sebastião Salgado has traveled around the world documenting the lives of workers and migrants. The exhibition will feature photographs of Serra Pelada, once the largest open gold mine in the world, and images of coal miners in India.

Victoria Sambunaris has taken photographs of mines in the eastern and western United States. Her aerial views capture the physical impact of mining on the landscape.

Andre Yi’s paintings of decaying and abandoned buildings at 19th-century mines in the American West explore the relationship between mining, landscape and architecture.

Artist Lucy Raven has created an installation of photos taken while exploring the story behind Daybreak, Utah, an enormous housing development owned by Kennecott Land, sister company to Kennecott Mining. Daybreak is located on land adjacent to the Bingham Copper Mine.

Alfredo Jaar, Gold in the Morning (special edition for Documenta 11), 2002, light box with chromogenic transparency, courtesy of the artist Victoria Sambunaris, Untitled (Gold Mine

Pit, Fairbanks, AK), 2003, chromogenic print, courtesy of the artist and Yancey Richardson Gallery, New York

Nay Aug Mine, Deer Creek, Wood River Valley, Idaho State Historical Society, 78-156.2 Andre Yi, Dwellings in Ludlow, 2006, acrylic, ink and colored pencil on canvas, courtesy of the artist Sebastião Salgado, Serra Pelada, Brazil

(backs), 1986, gelatin silver print, courtesy of the artist and Yancey Richardson ­Gallery, New York

Opening Celebration and Membership Party Fri, Oct 9, 5–8pm Join us for an opening celebration and our annual membership party!

Meet some of the artists participating in Prospects and view Lucy Raven’s film Chinatown.

Gallery Walk Fri, Oct 9 and Fri, Nov 27, 5–8pm Join us for drinks and appetizers, view the exhibition and see Lucy Raven’s Chinatown.

Free Exhibition Tours Tue, Oct 20 & Tue, Nov 10 at 2pm and by arrangement Trained docents offer new insight into the artwork on display in free tours of our exhibitions.

Special Evening Exhibition Tour Thu, Oct 15, 5:30pm Free Enjoy a glass of wine while you tour Prospects with the exhibition’s curator.

This multidisciplinary project will examine mining’s history as well as its controversial present through lectures, visual arts exhibitions and films.

LECTURE Julie Weston, The Good Times Are All Gone Now Thu, Nov 5, 7pm The Center, Ketchum Free What happens to a mining town after the mines are gone? Hailey resident Julie Weston has written a memoir, The Good Times Are All Gone Now, about growing up in the once rowdy mining town of Kellogg, Idaho. Her story starts the day the smokestack comes down and looks back into collective and personal memory to understand a way of life that is now over.

FILM

Red Gold Wed, Oct 21, 7pm The Center, Ketchum Free The Bristol Bay region of southwest Alaska is home to the Kvichak and Nushagak Rivers, the two most prolific sockeye salmon runs left in the world. It is also home to the second largest deposit of copper, gold and molybdenum ever discovered. Two mining companies have proposed an open-pit and underground mine at the headwaters of the two rivers.

Red Gold, an award-winning documentary, introduces viewers to the region and gives those who live in and love the area the opportunity to tell the story of how this mine would affect their lives.

Field trip Exploring Mines of the Wood River Valley with Tom Blanchard Sat, Oct 24, 10am–4pm The Center, Hailey $25 / $50 nonmembers Registration deadline: Fri, Oct 9 Join Tom Blanchard as he discusses the impact the mining industry has had on the culture and landscape of the Wood River Valley. See what is being done on the environmental front and how Idaho has played a key role in setting federal policy relating to mine clean up.

This class will be conducted outside at multiple mine sites, so wear appropriate clothing and footwear and pack a lunch and water.

The Center Galleries are always free and open to the public!

Docent Tours of the exhibitions Tuesdays, Oct 20 & Nov 10, at 2pm in Ketchum.

Center Gallery Hours: M–F 9am–5pm Hailey Gallery Hours: W–F noon–5pm

THE CENTER, HAILEY Mining the Wood River Valley Fri, Sep 11 – Fri, Nov 27 Explore the history of mining in the Wood River Valley through photographs drawn from the archives of the Idaho State Historical Society and the Hailey Public Library’s Martyn Mallory Collection. Made from the late 19th century to the 1940s, the photos give us a glimpse into life in the valley a century ago.

Classes Family Day Sat, Oct 17, 3–5pm

Teen Workshop Sat, Nov 14, 10am–4pm

Outside In

a multidisciplinary project

The Center, Ketchum

Outside In: Indian Art Abroad Fri, Dec 18 – Sat, Feb 20 In the past decade, India has occupied an increasingly important place in the American imagination. The boom in the Indian economy, its growing role as a global leader in technology, the controversy surrounding U.S. outsourcing to India and the complex political relationship between India and its neighbor Pakistan have all given the nation a prominent role in U.S. newspapers and newscasts. Simultaneously, India’s literature, films and visual arts have enjoyed ever-growing popularity among audiences around the world.

This multidisciplinary project will explore the arts of India through the lens of Indian artists, writers and filmmakers. At a time when more than 22 million Indians live abroad, the project will present work made primarily by artists and thinkers living and working outside India. Among the participating artists are: Chitra Ganesh Gauri Gill Baseera Khan Annu Palakunnathu Matthew The exhibition will also include a selection of work from the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, CA, exploring the role of the Hindu god Ganesha, the Remover of Obstacles, in contemporary Indian society.

Free Exhibition Tour Tue. Dec 29 at 2pm and by arrangement Trained docents offer new insight into the artwork on display in free tours of our exhibitions.

Gallery Walk Wed, Dec 30, 5–8pm Join us for drinks and appetizers and view the exhibition.

Gay Bawa Odmark: Reinventing Indian Traditions

Ragamala Dance Fri, Jan 15, 7:30pm See the Performance Series section for details.

Indian Cooking with Gay Bawa Odmark Sun, Jan 24 Ragamala Dance

Bollywood Film Night Thu, Jan 28

Family Day Sat, Jan 30, 3–5pm See the Classes section for details.

Salman Rushdie Thu, Feb 11, 7pm See the Lecture Series section for details.

Art from top: Baseera Khan, Reductive Histories

of Saag Paneer, 2009, acrylic and ink on paper, courtesy of the artist and Hosfelt Gallery, San Francisco Annu Palakunnathu Matthew,

Traditional American Indian Mother and Child / Contemporary Indian American Mother & Stepchild, 2001.

Courtesy of SEPIA, New York Gay Bawa Odmark, Lotus Roots, monotype, 2004, courtesy of the artist and Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum

The Center, Hailey Fri, Dec 4–Fri, Feb 26 Longtime Wood River Valley resident Gay Bawa Odmark was born in Lahore, in what is now Pakistan, and spent part of her childhood in Calcutta before her family left India at the height of the violence that followed partition in 1947. She has spent her life moving between the United Kingdom, the United States and the Indian subcontinent. An accomplished photographer, painter and printmaker, she creates work that draws on her memories and experience of India as well as her studies of Hindu mythology and Indian history. This exhibition features pieces that explore themes such as the god Ganesha, the symbolism of the lotus, the tradition of painting hands and feet with henna and Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights.

Combining painting, photography, etching, chine-collé and stitchery, these delicate works reflect the influence of India on Odmark’s artistic practice at the same time that they are uniquely personal artworks.

Opening Celebration Fri, Dec 4, 5:30–7pm Join us for drinks and appetizers as we celebrate the ­opening of Gay Bawa Odmark’s exhibition. The artist will speak about her work at 6pm.