Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Arts Center Chief Curator's Collection To Be Displayed

Since 1972 The Arknasas Arts Center, under the leadership of director and chief curator Townsend Wolfe, has focused its permanent collection, publications and exhibitions on drawings.

Because of his commintment to and expertise in the medium, Wolfe was selected by the National Academy of Design in New York to curate its first independently curated exhibition of contemporty drawings.

The resulting exhibition, Powerful Expressions: Recent American Drawings , debuted at the National Academy in October 1996 and will be on view at the Arkansas Arts Center from January 25 through March 16.

Powerful Expressions featured 75 drawings by 15 artists with each artist represented by five drawings. Included in the exhibition are Will Barnet, Jake Berthot, Robert Birmelin, Enrique Chagaya, Jim Dine, Sidney Goodman, Nancy Grossman, Jasper Johns, R.B. Kitaj, Jacob Lawrence, Elizabeth Murray, Graham Nickson, Susan Rothenbert, Alison Saar and Jerome Witkin.

"We felt it would be interesting to exhibit a small group of artists whose work, due to its diversity of style, might not otherwise be shown together," explained Wolfe. "In this way, the strength and diversity of contemporary drawings would come into sharper focus. In addition, such as exhibition would provide an in-depth look at the 15 individual artists reveal how each employs drawing as an independent and powerful medium.

According to Wolfe, the title of the exhibition, Powerful Expressions , allowed a selection from a wide range of artists, media and subjects.

Ranging from realistic to abstract, all the works in the exhibition are on paper in a wide range of materials such as graphite, charcoal, watercolor, ink, gouache, pastel, crayon, enamel, carbon, chalk, oil, shellac and conte.

"Obviously, drawings mean different things to different people. To me, drawings are a major form of art," Wolfe continued. "They can possess all of the power, the magic and the truth necessary to move the human spirit. They can enlighten us about the human condition, impart a sense of joy or pain, illustrate spatial relationships and offer an aesthetic experience. Drawing reflects a process of exploration, development and execution."

In conjunction with Powerful Expressions , Jerome Witkin will give a talk and demonstration at 7 p.m., January 31.

From 10 a.m. to 4 P.M. Feburary 1, Witkin will lead a workshop.

Wilkin's work focuses on the figure, usually depicted in an interior setting. For his demonstration, he will work for a model.

Witkin earned a masters of fine art from the University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Fine arts, Philadelphia. He also has studied at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine, and at Cooper Union, New York. He has taught at Syracuse University in New York.

He has received awards, such as a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship and a Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship, which provided for study at the Hochschule Fur Kunste in West Berlin.

Witkin's presentations are sponsored by the Historical Resources and Museum Services section of the Arkansas State Parks, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

Local sponsors for Powerful Expressions are Rose Law Firm, P.A. and Chucki and Curt Bradbury.

The Arts Center, the largest cultural institution in the state, is committed to presenting diverse cultural values, promoting the growth and understanding of the arts and providing inspiration.