Friday, April 8, 2016

Women’s Untold Stories: Artist Portrayals of Women and Girls on Display

Music, dance, art, and theater are coming to the Mayflower Arts Center in Troy on April 1, 2016, at 7 p.m. Sponsored by Edison State Community College and the center as a benefit for the Family Abuse Shelter of Miami County, the program will feature 17 women from the college and the community displaying their talents as they salute girls and women.

In addition to performances, a reception will prelude the event and feature the works of three female artists from 5 to 7 p.m. The artwork depicting girls and women will be on display in the gallery at the Mayflower Arts Center throughout the month of April.

Troy artist Nancy Shuler determined at age 57 that it was time to return to college to earn a degree in art at Wright State University. Shuler’s featured artwork includes a painting of a teen at the Troy levy, a self-portrait and an image of a woman walking on a tightrope. She expresses her passion for life in music and visual arts.

African American artist Linda Hamilton retired recently from Piqua City Schools after decades of teaching students to develop their skills in drawing and painting.

Hamilton earned her B.S. from the University of Dayton and her M.A. from Wright State University. She is inspired by the works of Henry Tanner who “depicts humble subjects and makes statements about African pride and dignity.” Patient and introspective, Hamilton prefers “oils because, unlike other media, there is the opportunity for change, for pausing to reflect. Her featured work at the gallery is a painting of her daughter at age three and a recent oil of her mother-in-law, age 91.

Survivor of domestic violence Appalachian artist Barbara Church maintains that in earning her degree in art at the University of Virginia/Wise that she was “painting herself out of the situation she had painted herself into.”

Church presents watercolors from a collection of 20 entitled “Black Slip.” The collection features women moving from the confinement and dangers of domestic violence to free themselves and reclaim their independence and self-esteem. The garments of the women featured go from very dark to lighter with the final portrait in the collection of a woman wearing a flowered dress as she walks away from the humiliation and defeat of domestic violence to not only survive but also survive with joy.

The main performances of the evening will follow and include 13 area college students/employees and community leaders who will take the stage and deliver monologues in answer to poet Muriel Rukeyser’s question, “What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life?”

The basic price of admission is $10 with proceeds benefitting the Family Abuse Shelter of Miami County. Tickets may be purchased at the door or online at www.mayflowerartscenter.com.

For more information, contact Dr. Vivian Blevins by emailing vblevins@edisonohio.edu or calling (937) 778-3815.

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