Exhibitions | Press Release Keiko Miyamori at the Society for Contemporary Craft Exhibition March 21 - June 28, 2003 By Cary A. Morrow PITTSBURGH, PA "Melody" February 13, 2003 - Melody, a solo exhibition of the work of Japanese, mixed-media artist Keiko Miyamori, will be on view at the Society for Contemporary Craft (SCC) from March 21 through June 28, 2003. A free public opening of Melody and the concurrent exhibition Wood Work/Play, presenting the work of fiber artist Dorothy Gill Barnes, will be held at SCC Friday, March 21 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Using charcoal made from bark on washi paper, Miyamori creates delicate, large-scale rubbings of surfaces found in the natural environment. In Melody, Miyamori juxtaposes a typewriter and a piano with a series of large-scale charcoal rubbings of trees. The typewriter and the piano have been covered with tree images that Miyamori has created in the forest using the same washi paper. The audience is encouraged to type or play the piano, and experience first-hand, the power of nature to transform an oft-neglected object into a work of art. Underlying the physical nature of Miyamori's work is the artist's spiritual belief that "what is transferred from object to paper is the very soul of the natural object. The result is a powerful medium that reveals our sacred relationship with the physical world and inspires others to live in harmony with nature." Melody offers a link to Miyamori's artist-in-residency with SCC scheduled for May 2003. A new initiative funded by The Pittsburgh Foundation, SCC's artist-in-residence program is intended to strengthen public understanding of the creative process by building connections between artists and the community. This residency program offers participating artists the opportunity to spend a month in Pittsburgh developing a body of work that relates to one of SCC's four programmatic themes: the urban experience, art and the environment, crossing cultural boundaries or the artist and process. Focusing on the theme of art and the environment, for the residency Miyamori will develop an outdoor installation in the riverfront corridor adjacent to SCC's facility. She will work with inner-city residents and Pittsburgh environmental groups to explore Asian artistic philosophy and practices, which are influenced by physical and ephemeral elements of nature. The temporary outdoor installation will connect SCC's facility to the Allegheny River and tie-in with regional initiatives to redevelop Pittsburgh's riverfront and SCC's own long-range plan to establish a permanent link to the riverfront in its next phase of development. Originally from Japan, Miyamori currently resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she has exhibited frequently since moving to the United States in 1999. She earned both her B.A. and M.F.A. at the University of Tsukaba in Japan. Miyamori has won several prestigious awards including First Prize in the 6th Culture Forum 104 Grand Prize Exhibition, and First Prize in the 16th Imadate Paper Contemporary Art Exhibitions. She has participated in residencies at the University of Pennsylvania and received the Tamon Prize in New York sponsored by the Sekiguchi Foundation. In conjunction with her residency, Miyamori will present a public gallery talk on Friday May 2 at 6:00 p.m. Cost is $5 at the door. Miyamori and book artist Pam Sussman will teach the art of tree rubbing in a studio workshop on Saturday, May 3 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuition is $50 for members, $70 for non-members. To register for Miyamori's artist talk or workshop or to request a class schedule call 412.261.7003. Through the presentation and interpretation of these two solo exhibitions Melody and Wood Work/Play (see attached release), SCC offers audiences an opportunity to see and appreciate two different approaches to art-making that explore our relationships with the natural environment. SCC is a nonprofit, visual arts organization that presents regional, national and international contemporary art in craft media including clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood and found objects. SCC's main exhibition gallery, education center and retail store are located at 2100 Smallman Street in the Strip District of Pittsburgh, PA. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Exhibitions and informal, hands-on art activities in a drop-in workshop are always free to the public. For more information, visit www.contemporarycraft.org or call 412.261.7003. General program support for exhibitions is provided by the Allegheny Regional Asset District, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation, and many other foundations, corporations and individuals. | Back