10/8: Art Gallery Opening Reception
Join us at the Floyd Center for the Arts on October 8 at 5:00 pm for the Opening Reception for two new exhibitions, as well as the continuation of our Hayloft Gallery exhibit. In the Falcon Gallery, the Center will be opening an exhibition of Fiber Arts titled ‘Finding Your Whimsical Streak,’ which features work by the Textile Workers of Virginia. This exhibit offers whimsical Art, that is vibrant and playful in style. It is described by the Textile Artists of Virginia as unusual and unpredictable, rather than serious and practical, and characteristically (but not necessarily) bright, colorful, and fun. This exhibition will remain on display until December 3.
Also opening on October 8th, in the Breezeway Gallery, will be an exhibition of work by Kenyan Artists titled ‘Ajiri’ art. These artists’ original pieces can be found included in boxes of Ajiri Coffee. Ajiri Tea & Coffee Company employs 60 women in a rural area of the Kisii municipality of Kenya to handcraft the packaging for Ajiri tea and coffee boxes. Every label is a hand made piece of unique art depicting their daily lives. Each label is made using dried bark from banana trees. Banana bark naturally curls off of a banana tree. The Ajiri artisans cut this long curling bark and then deftly thin and straighten the bark with the edge of a knife. The bark is then dried in the sun. Using a razor blade, the women cut out designs from this bark, depicting daily activities such as milking cows, washing clothes, climbing trees for avocados, and tilling land. Sometimes the designs on the labels veer toward the imaginative with people riding camels, doing handstands on elephants, and taking a leisurely boat ride on Lake Victoria. This exhibition will remain on display until December 3.
Continuing in the Hayloft Gallery is an exhibition of work by artists from the Mithila region of India, titled “Mithila Medley: Contemporary Arts from an Ancient Culture in North India.” These works are primarily made by women artists and include “religious and mythological imagery to depict contemporary and topical subjects ranging from environmental and social justice concerns to feminist and political issues, as well as crises such as earthquakes and the impact of Covid” as said by co-curator, Professor Kathryn Myers of the University of Connecticut. This exhibition will remain on display until December 1.
