Opening of - Archetypes: These Role(s) We Wear

The Opening of our next show Archetypes: These Role(s) We Wear, will take place on Friday March 5th, 2010; 7-10pm; in our respective storefronts on E. 3rd St in Bethlehem, PA (each of the artists is showing in a different storefront on that strip, which is the main one in southside Bethlehem.

Archetypes:These Role(s) We Wear is prsented with Lehigh College; The Women's Center, Women's Studies, and Arts Lehigh; in alignment with Women’s History Month.

For each exhibition, the members of the collective select a broad theme and create work based upon it. For this exhibition, each member of the Collective reinterprets the notion of archetypes based on history, perception, creation and personal experiences. Utilizing industrial materials and techniques; sculptural installation & performance; toy theatre with video installation; fiber based multi-media vignette; traditional feminine craft techniques; stabile/mobile; and collage self portrait, the following archetypes are explored: “Crazy Cat Lady”, “Women of War”, “Multi-Tasker Mother”, “Warrior / Scientist”, “The Matriarch”, “Working Woman”, and “Storyteller and Oracle”. This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Women’s History Month and will be on view in the storefronts of participating businesses on West Third Street at New Street in Southside, Bethlehem.

Timothea Biermann embraces the “Crazy Cat Lady” archetype in her 4 panel mixed media collage self portrait. Since her childhood, Biermann has had a strong personal connection to animals that only intensified over the years. What she considers to be a pure, unconditional love shared with her cats not provided in many human relationships is often judged by the general public as some kind of defect. She is interested in exploring these prejudices and offers new insight into this inaccurate label.

Meghan Sheldon-Brungard explores the “Women of War” archetype. Her series of five mixed media portraits depict working women of character during great wars in American history. Each portrait is created using a traditionally feminine craft technique —quilting depicts Revolutionary War - Water Woman; quilling depicts Civil War - Bandage Rollers; embroidery depicts World War I - Red Cross Nurse; knitting depicts World War II - Factory Worker and pressed flowers depicting Current Iraq War - Soldier. By utilizing these craft forms as the processes for creating portraits of women who stepped outside societal boundaries in times of crisis, Sheldon-Brungard hopes to highlight the fact that despite historical leanings, women have been contributing members of the war front since the beginning.

In her installation Strength, Warmth, Energy, Energy, Energy, Merissa Sincavage Seminara explores the “Multi-Tasker Mother” archetype. Seminara’s piece developed from the myth of Persephone and the time she splits between earth and the underworld seasonally. Her use of ephemeral materials and color gradation further strengthens that link. She utilizes readily accessible and found items including buttons, silk, acorns and wool to explore the concept of balance through asymmetry and how that can produce an overall harmony. Seminara’s piece is made up of two components comprised of objects—pre-existing or fabricated—symbolizing strength, warmth and energy. The hanging piece is a mobile representing air, heaven, future, creativity, thoughts, and imagination. The freestanding portion symbolizes earth, strength, bounded, stability, balance, grounded.

Massie Jones investigates the idea of “Warrior / Scientist”, an idealized archetype created by and explored through a multi-media fiber based installation. Primarily a fiber artist, Jones’ love of found objects and all things rusty and metal is apparent in all her work. The “Warrior / Scientist” delves into the idea of an archetype that she would like to see come into common existence. It also serves as self portraiture of the most idealized, futuristic sort and an exploration of duality—The scientist as “Curiosity Seeker” and the Warrior as “Strength & Courage”. The base for this piece is a sanded down found coffee table top hung vertically with a cabinet night stand situated underneath—doors opened and filled with ephemera continuing the exploration of her archetype.

Corey Breneisen uses the Native American concept of Grandmother Spider as a starting point to explore the archetype of “The Matriarch”. In her large-scale net piece, Woven, comprised entirely of rubber bands, Breneisen explores attributes of the matriarch as the keeper of family ceremonies, rituals and stories and how she is both revered and reviled. This piece addresses the concept of loss of family connections, traditions and rituals when the matriarch passes. The use of rubber bands emphasizes the fragility of familial relationships and the lengths to which the matriarch is stretched in her role as head of family. In her performance, Breneisen adds to the installation by weaving new sections of rubber bands, invoking the establishment of family rituals and routines through this repetitive action.

Beatrice Wolert explores the “Working Woman” archetype using Rosie the Riveter as a point of departure. She explores the feminine and masculine aspects of “Working Woman” in relation to her experiences. Her mixed media diptych, Shades of Tiffany Blue and Gun Metal Grey, includes nuts, bolts, nails, wood, watercolor, enamel and oil paints. Through this selection of industrial materials and stereotypical colors and her process of drilling, Wolert claims traditionally male materials and processes to explore her personal notion of gender and stereotype. She uses the drill as a tool to freely “draw” with—exploring the ideas of machine vs. aesthetics. She is transforming the act of “work” from male to female—the materials from male to female—the aesthetics of utilitarian and the everyday into beauty. Through this self-portrait, she hopes to break down her own perceptions of society’s imposed gender ideals.

Marcie Farwell works with the idea of the “Storyteller and Oracle” in her piece, By My Voice I Shall Be Known in relation to male and female archetypes found in Tibetan folk stories, Western fairy tales and myths. Farwell explores the way in which they carry the burden of memory and of prophecy - the history and future of the culture embedded within the story before there were other ways of recording it. How can the past storytellers give us insight into our own culture? Farwell collaborated with Lindsay Gilmore, a dance professor at Ithaca College to create a film to be shot as shadow puppet theater. The film will be displayed on a television monitor encased in a toy theatre made from paper mache, wood and other found materials.

PUBLIC PROGRAMS: Panel discussion with members of One Stone Collective will be held on Friday, March 19th at the Banana Factory followed by a walkthrough of windows. Meeting at Arts Lehigh, University Bookstore, Banana Factory at 4pm and the tour will start at 4:30pm at Tallarico’s Chocolates. See order of tour below. Artists will be present to discuss works on view.

Corey Breneisen will be doing a performance during the opening nite, March 5th from 7:30-8:30 pm

Participating Members and Storefronts: Check with stores for hours to see works from inside.
Timothea Biermann – Tallarico’s Chocolates / 26 East 3rd St. / www.tallaricoschocolates.com
Meghan Sheldon-Brungard – Marla Duran / 109 East 3rd St. / www.marladuran.com
Merissa Sincavage Seminara – Clothesline Organics / 101 East 3rd St. / www.clotheslineorganics.com
Massie Jones – Clothesline Organics / 101 East 3rd St. / www.clotheslineorganics.com
Corey Breneisen – Home & Planet / 25 East 3rd St. / www.homeandplanet.com
Beatrice Wolert – Cleo’s Silversmith Studio and Gallery / 21 East 3rd St. / 610-868-7362
Marcie Farwell – Shuze / 17 East 3rd St. / 610-419-8655


Directions to the show-
From New York City:
Holland Tunnel/I-78W into New Jersey. Follow I-78W into Pennslyvania. Take Exit 67 for PA-412 towards Hellertown/Bethlehem. Take a Right onto Hellertown Road/PA-412. A slight Left onto E. 4th Street, then a slight Right onto Daly Avenue, which becomes E. 3rd Street.
Travel Time Approximately 1 hr. 30 minutes

From Upstate New York:
I-87S. Take Exit 15 for NY-17S/I-287S towards New Jersey. Follow I-287S. Take Exit 21B to I-78W towards Easton, PA. Follow I-78W into Pennslyvania. Take Exit 67 for PA-412 towards Hellertown/Bethlehem. Take a Right onto Hellertown Road/PA-412. A slight Left onto E. 4th Street, then a slight Right onto Daly Avenue, which becomes E. 3rd Street.

From Philadelphia:
I-76W. Take Exit 331B and merge onto I-476N towards Plymouth Mtg. Take the Exit for Lehigh Valley
Keep Right at the fork, following signs for US-22E. Take US-22E. Take the Exit for PA-378S/Bethlehem. Merge onto PA-378S. Take a slight Right onto W 3rd. Street.
Travel Time Approximately 1 hr. 15 minutes