Fire and Transformation Article Uploaded

Katsumi, Natalie Askew and Dawn Hunter

My article on the Fire and Transformation exibit and writing workshops is posted below. It is also up on the Free Times website and can be found in the 9/24/08 -9/30/08 edition of the print version of the Free Times (Issue 21.39).

Arts Institute Looks East

Exhibit Draws on Japanese Mythology
by : Tiffany Brand

According to Japanese mythology, 8 million deities reside in heaven and earth. Capricious, helpful, demonic or kind, they are often used as symbolic agents of transformation and change in Japanese lore. Fire and Transformation, an event sponsored by USC’s Arts Institute, draws from Japanese literature and art, creating a multifaceted event that explores symbolism and the creation of “personal mythologies” in art.

“It’s a convergence of themes, using two different art forms to create one,” says Charlene Spearen, program coordinator for the Arts Institute, in a news release.

Both USC and the Arts Institute are recurring partners with the Columbia Museum of Art, and the three-part event — an arts exhibit and workshops on Sept. 27 and Oct. 4 — will be hosted there.

The unveiling of the exhibit is on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and includes a poetry reading, roundtable discussion and tours of both the **Dale Chihuly: Seaforms** and **Fire and Transformation** exhibits. Kimi Maeda, a visual design graduate from USC and puppeteer for the Columbia Marionette theatre, will lead the discussion.

Spearen, who is also poet-in-residence at the museum, says the Chihuly glassworks exhibit and **Transformation** complement each other. She says several of the artists included in **Transformation** are interested in symbolic representations of the female form.

“Chihuly works with concave, convex spaces, much like a female body,” said Dawn Hunter, professor of art at USC. “The artists felt like his work was a natural point of departure.”

The works are tied together by their use of symbolism and the influence of Japanese myth. For Friday’s event, studio art major Natalie Askew and Hunter collaborated on three drawings with poets Spearen and Julia Kotes. A chapbook consisting of 10 collaborative pieces and 16 individual poems incorporating several Japanese and Western styles of poetry will be available for purchase and signing after the final reading.

“The interconnectedness of form, metaphor and symbolism drives the work,” says Hunter, co-coordinator of the event. “Instead of just an art exhibit, we’re celebrating all [the] work and inspiration that led to the creation of the exhibit.” In keeping with this theme, sketches of each drawing in the exhibit, from creation to completion, are incorporated into the chapbook as well.

“I’ve been interested in Japan since I can remember,” says Askew, whose idea led to the creation of **Fire and Transformation**. “As I got older, my interest in Japan grew. The symbolism, color and style influenced my own work.”

Hunter became involved in the project after Askew approached her about pursuing an independent project. In order to better understand the influences behind Askew’s work, Hunter started researching Japanese mythology. One work that stood out to her, **Japanese Ghosts and Demons: Art of the Supernatural** by Stephen Addiss, wove text and illustration together to illuminate the various tales.

Hunter felt it was an ideal project to present to the public and sent Askew’s work to Spearen.

“We definitely look for projects that can serve as outreach projects for the community,” Spearen says. “Young students need spaces for dialogue.”

In addition to the Sept. 26 event, there will be a workshop for teens focusing on creative writing, watercolor and collage on Sept. 27 and a two-part poetry and collage workshop for adults begining the afternoon of the Sept. 27 and ending Oct. 4. Hunter and Spearen, who is also the assistant director of the South Carolina Poetry Initiative, will lead the workshops.



Fri, Sept. 26
**Fire and Transformation: Two Artists, Two Poets**
Exhibit unveiling, guided tour, roundtable discussion. Columbia Museum of Art, corner of Hampton and Main. 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Sat, Sept. 27
Youth Workshop
Creative writing, watercolor, collage. Columbia Museum of Art, 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Adult Collage and Poetry Workshop
Part I: Emerging Symbols. Columbia Museum of Art, 1:30-3 p.m.

Sat, Oct. 4
Part Adult Collage and Poetry Workshop
Part II: Stepping Out, Columbia Museum of Art, 10:30 a.m. to noon.

**Workshops are free but require advance registration. Visit artsinstitute.sc.edu for more information.**


Online article:http://www.free-times.com/index.php?cat=11001804073474158&ShowArticle_ID=11012409083989352