Reclaiming Grace
Thru October 5th

 
 Photo: "They Flood their Banks," Terry Schupbach-Gordon

Rare printmaking methods and handcrafted artist books are exhibited at the Ice House Gallery in a Reclaiming Grace, a new show that opens on Friday, August 29 at 7:30pm. "We've never had a show like this," said Lynn Lavin, Gallery Co-ordinator for the Morgan Arts Council, producer of the event. The print exhibit will hang through October 5. The opening reception is centerpiece of the group's Art Walk which includes three additional downtown stops including two galleries new to the Art Walk. Refreshments are provided at the reception and throughout the walk.

From 5-7:30pm, the Art Walk focuses on Mountain Laurel, Bath Bookworks and Gallarano Gallery. All three businesses are within a block and a half of Washington St.

Sophistication in Wood, showcasing the work of West Virginia wood turner Geoffrey Wilkes, is the featured exhibit at Mountain Laurel. Recently named the #7 art and craft gallery in America, Mountain Laurel offers two floors of regional and American art crafts on the main square. One door north is Bath Bookworks which is staging an exhibit entitled From Concertinas to Codices: Traditional and Non-Traditional Book Structures. Bath Bookworks' bookbinding equipment will be on display along with the handcrafted books. Just a block from the Ice House is Gallarano Gallery specializing in period Mission furniture.

Hand-printed woodcuts, lithographs, intaglio, monoprints and mixed media prints and artists' books by Terry Schupbach-Gordon and Judy Stone Nunneley are on display in the Ice House show curated by Nunneley. Both artists share a love of combining traditional and innovative printmaking approaches embellished with multiple printings, handwork, sewing,and drawing. Reclaimimg Grace showcases work from recent series that explore the idea of connection and journey; the natural world as primary source, and the myths and stories that connect to history and memory. The exhibit prints combine expressive color with pattern, symbol, and personal iconography.

Terry Schupbach-Gordon, artist, teacher, and storyteller lives in Pinnacle, North Carolina. Her recent series "We Are More Mist Than Bone," inspired by the metaphors of natural phenomen and our connection to water, becomes a meditation on difference, hope, and the human landscape. Language is also important in her work; she is influenced by the rhythm of words and the shape of stories.

Judy Stone Nunneley, an artist and teacher, lives in Minneapolis, MN. Her recent series "Mending" focuses on the connection to life cycles and life journeys, and the images of continuity and sacred iconography that are shared by the wisdom traditions. This series explores modern and ancient myths, signs and symbols: the regenerative image of the circle and the seed, and the labyrinth, the contemplative image of discovery. Her work is concerned with the transformation qualities of art, the power of beauty, and how "mending" is both a verb and a noun.

"Part of our goal with these special gallery exhibits is to bring art and artists to the Berkeley Springs community that would not be seen here in any other way," said Lavin. "We're pleased to add Bath Bookworks to our Gallery Walk for this show since their work in bookbinding parallels the show topic."

The Ice House is located on the corner of Independence and Mercer streets in downtown Berkeley Springs. Standard hours to see the exhibit is Fridays through Sundays from 11 to 5. Funding for the special exhibit is provided by the West Virginia Commission on the Arts and hotel/motel taxes from Morgan County and the town of Bath. For more information on upcoming gallery shows and events, call 304-258-2300 or check online at www.macicehouse.org.