Fowl Weather Friends
Thru March 6, 2005

A whimsical look at feathered creatures of various persuasions is the theme of Fowl Weather Friends, a special art exhibit that opens at the Ice House Gallery on Friday, January 14 with a public reception from 7:30 to 9pm. Produced by the Morgan Arts Council. the show opening is the second stop on a downtown Artwalk. Fowl Weather Friends continues on display through March 6.

The Artwalk begins at 5pm at Mountain Laurel with a Customer Appreciation Reception featuring everything from glass and jewelry to clocks, pottery and elegant artcrafted clothing on two floors. Mountain Laurel is one of the top 100 galleries in America.

The mixed media Fowl Weather Friends show features 22 artists, several of them local favorites, and art forms ranging from Jan Heath’s noted chicken monoprints and Gerry Spaeth’s popular auto parts to handcrafted stoneware and stained glass. Five members of the Delectable Mountain Quilters have fabric art wall hangings in the show.

“We thought celebrating chickens of different type and demeanor and their associates would boost everyone’s spirits during the winter,” said Lynn Lavin who curated the show. "Visitors can see that art can be fluffy not stuffy," she said. Lavin also has sculpted clay figures in the show.

Visiting artists contribute some of the most compelling pieces including handsculpted porcelain and stoneware day miniatures and jewelry by Diane Fox, fowl decorated porcelain vessels by Karis Swink Berry and wood carvings by both Mike Chonko and Larry Bloss. “It’s amazing how many ways an artist can depict a chicken,” said Lavin who promises this will be one of the most amusing shows hung at the Ice House. “It’s OK to enjoy a chuckle or two while appreciating the artistic quality of a piece,” she said.

The Ice House Gallery special exhibit is funded through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the West Virginia Commission on the Arts and local hotel/motel tax revenues. The Ice House is located on the corner of Independence and Mercer streets. The gallery is open from 11am to 5pm Saturdays and Sundays. For more information call 258-2300 or check online at www.macicehouse.org