Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 1, 1995 TAG: 9503010037
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: STACY JONES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Long
"Honestly, I totally forgot about that," she admits. "Probably, because I try throughout the course of the year to incorporate diverse views, not just in February."
And considering the scope of its artists and subject matter, pigeonholing the show as pertaining only to "black history" would limit its reach and diminish its importance.
According to Fariello, "Defining Ourselves," which runs through March 8 at the Flossie Martin Gallery on the Radford campus, peers into the soul of contemporary America. It celebrates cultural diversity while examining the subtle and not-so-subtle tensions in our society - sexism, racism, ageism and religious practice. While the issues presented in the form of sculpture, photography and painting are serious, the show has a celebratory feel.
"I really believe in the idea that we [society] could outgrow these concerns if people were more mindful and inclusive of others," she said. "And art has the capacity to create new images for society."
The artists chosen by Fariello include five women and one man. They are Pacita Abad, Carol Burch-Brown, Beverly McIver, Anne Rowles, Jim Alexander and poet Marilou Awiakta. She says they were not picked for the exhibit "because of race, or gender or anything" besides the fact that "they are great artists." All of the artists are from the Southeast.
In her plan to "hit as many categories that fall under diversity," Fariello discovered her scope had room for expansion.
For example, when sorting through the works of possible artists, she was hesitant to include the McIver's paintings. Working with oil on canvas, McIver presents a series of paintings of her sister Renee, who is mentally disabled. In the pieces, McIver examines her relationship to her sister, as well as the reality of Renee's existence. McIver describes her work as a story of isolation and separateness to degrees she can hardly comprehend.
"It didn't hit me at first to include her," admits Fariello, "but here is a person living a very different life from many of us. Having a disability could lead to being disenfranchised."
One of the most powerful parts of the exhibit are the works of Burch-Brown.
An associate professor in the College of Architecture at Virginia Tech, Burch-Brown uses traditional storytelling techniques to visually share important instances in her life.
"It's sort of humorous to me that I present these very personal moments," she explained.
Raised in the South by conservative, evangelical Christian parents, Burch-Brown's paintings carry that legacy. Infused with symbolism and tangible spiritualness, her creations could be described as magical realism, even surreal.
In "Defining Ourselves," her pieces touch on religious, gender and racial exclusions, but also "deal with life, the passages and the changes we all go through," said Fariello.
Though her works encompass a range of issues, all her painting are presented from the female perspective.
"All my pieces have to do with the female experience," Burch-Brown said. "That's my focus. That's what I understand."
A piece of hers titled "What Happened on the Bus" deals with racial and gender issues. Her inspiration came from an incident when she was 15-years-old and "really got turned on to the issue of racial integration."
The painting shows two women - one black, one white - sitting next to each other on a bus. The women appear fearful and sad. Both stare out the same window. The white woman is naked except for a white veil that covers her face and body. The black woman hesitantly offers her hand. In the background, a white man grants admission into a bordello, but only to other white men. Black men in line are seized and thrown into a deep pit.
Remembering all those years ago - when she was the white teen-age girl on the bus - Burch-Brown said, "It was an incredible moment, but uncomfortable. I felt very exposed."
"Women, especially white women, are seen and handled and kept in certain ways," she said. In her painting, Burch-Brown said she wanted to express how "women are connected to each other, yet caught up in" the racial and gender definitions created by men in an effort to control, to exercise power.
Despite the heavy matters at hand, the "Defining Ourselves" exhibit is positive. When asked if the shows hopefulness jived with the apparent fracturing of present society Fariello stated that, yes, it did ... well, almost.
"Is the world a mess, or is it a lot better than it was," asked Fariello. "It is a mess, but I do see changes in my lifetime that are unbelievable. The next generation is where I really see improvement."
And her hope for the exhibit?
"I want people to look at art and see beyond the stereotypes," she said.
Although Burch-Brown is less optimistic than Fariello about society's future, she believes the "very act of showing art is meaningful, and hopeful."
"I want the show to make a dent," Burch-Brown added. "If we face the truth, maybe there is hope."
``Defining Ourselves'': Through March 8, Flossie Martin Gallery, Radford University. 831-5754.
by CNB