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Archive
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April 30, 2001
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Lifestyles
UK artist
displays life's work in Alumni House exhibit
ŒArts of Africa' displays ceremonial masks, artifacts
UK artist
displays life's work in Alumni House exhibit
Artist known for Young Library
thoroughbred, watercolors.
Lexington
artist John W. Quinn will display 30 years of his watercolors as part
of the "Let the Arts Begin" series sponsored by the UK Alumni Association.
The exhibit opened April 20 at the King Alumni House, located at the
corner of Rose Street and Euclid Avenue, and runs through Aug. 1.
It is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Quinn, a graphic designer at UK, was commissioned in 1998 to create
a painting of the new William T. Young Library, perhaps his best-known
work. The original was presented to Young during the dedication ceremonies.
Much of his early work graces the living rooms and offices of thoroughbred
owners. He has completed commissioned work for the New York Raceways.
One of his paintings greets visitors at the entrance to the Ben White
Raceway in Florida. |
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UK Alumni
Association
John W. Quinn, center, artist in residence at the William T. Young
Library, and his 30-year collection of watercolors were welcomed
to the UK Alumni House by Stan Key, director of the UK Alumni Association,
and Peggy Collins, Alumni Association membership and marketing.
The painting, "In Cosmic Years, It's Still Spring," will be part
of the exhibit running through Aug. 1.
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Quinn uses a traditional watercolor
technique, one of the most difficult of all painting methods.
"It's not like chess," he said. "You need to know what moves you can make
and where you can go before you start."
His life was nearly cut short a little more than a decade ago when he
was stricken with a massive brain tumor. Undiagnosed for many years. the
tumor was removed during 16 hours of surgery in Dallas and followed by
three months of recovery, much of that time in a coma. Since his medical
ordeal, Quinn has broadened his work, previously concentrated on horses,
to include virtually every aspect of life.
Among his most ardent fans are President Charles T. Wethington Jr. and
his wife, Judy, who have an estimated eight paintings on the walls of
their Maxwell Place home and who are co-hosting a reception in Quinn's
honor from 4 to 6 p.m. May 3 at the King Alumni House.
John Scharfenberger
ŒArts
of Africa' displays ceremonial masks, artifacts
"Arts of Africa," a selection
of masks, carved figures and ceremonial weapons assembled by the UK Art
Museum's education department, is on display in the museum's Richard B.
Freeman Gallery.
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The African artifacts
were made to be functional objects to assist in daily life and religious
practice. Modern-day museum visitors can appreciate them for their
evocative designs, fine workmanship and powerful emotional impact,
but they should also be aware that each object was made to be used,
either in the household or as a part of the religious rituals of
the community.
The exhibition includes several examples of masks. Masks served
a variety of purposes in African societies, from marking rite-of-passage
ceremonies, to requesting the help of spiritual forces, to entertainment.
Meant to be worn with a complete costume, masks disguised the identity
of the wearer and gave him the power of the being represented by
the mask, allowing him to perform ritual in anonymity. The Art Museum's
collection includes the "Antelope Mask" made by the Mossi people,
the "Mask with Monkey" from Mali and other masks from Zaire, Ghana
and the Ivory Coast.
"Arts of Africa" also
features carved wooden objects such as a headrest from Eastern Africa,
a Nigerian female shango figure and a kabila (figure with offering)
from Zaire. Ceremonial weapons from Zaire and a woven palm leaf
fiber panel with a Mamanye motif also figure prominently in the
exhibition.
On Thursday, May 10, nationally known African art expert Charles
Davis will present a lecture in conjunction with "Arts of Africa."
The lecture will be at 4 p.m. in the President's Room in the Singletary
Center for the Arts and is free and open to the public.
The museum is open from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and
noon to 8 p.m. on Friday. It is closed on Monday and University
holidays.
Jane Boswell
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UK Art Museum
"Arts of Africa" features carved wooden masks, carved figures and
ceremonial weapons. The exhibit is open through July 1 at the UK
Art Museum.
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