THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 11, 1996 TAG: 9610090156
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HOLLY WESTER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 75 lines
SOMETHING NEW is on the walls and shelves of Lowenthal Furriers just in time for the fall season.
Along with the signature furs, Lowenthal customers will find watercolor paintings and clay sculptures as the store hosts its first benefit art show.
Featuring the work of Trish Beckham and Persis Jennings, this special exhibit is sponsored by Baby Steps Inc., an advocacy group dedicated to women's issues.
Besides the real-life nature paintings and statues of proud African-Americans, the exhibit, which is up through Oct. 19, features a framed lithograph that is being sold by way of silent auction.
The print is by Beckham, and it's an abstract portrait of a woman and a baby. All proceeds go to Baby Steps.
Hugh Vaughan, owner of Lowenthal, said there are several reasons he and assistant Tommie Pochard are supporting the show.
``It appealed to me mainly because it relates to women's issues,'' Vaughan said. ``Ninety-nine percent of our customers are women.
``Baby Steps is a growing organization, and I wanted to help them get a leg up,'' Vaughan added.
Carolyn Lincoln, president of Baby Steps, would be the first to agree that this grass-roots corporation could use all the exposure it can get.
Baby Steps started out in 1992 as an organization for prenatally addicted babies. But since these babies come from homes where there are women with problems, the organization decided to widen its scope in 1994.
Drug-addicted babies and mothers are part of a bigger picture in Hampton Roads, one that includes homelessness, domestic violence and other abuse, including sexual and emotional abuse, as well as substance abuse.
Lincoln said these are the symptoms of one umbrella issue: lack of economic empowerment. ``The wages are low, and they're lower for women. . . . We've got to get out and make people aware.''
And that's what Baby Steps is working to do. ``We're primarily a linkage,'' said Lincoln, who, with the help of volunteers, binds with organizations such as the YWCA for special projects. ``It's not treatment-based. It's intervention.''
Lincoln said the corporation's main goal now is to build a cultural center where, among other things, families and children can develop value systems based on interaction with other cultures.
An art fund-raiser made perfect sense.
``Art is an expression - a way of saying your feelings,'' Lincoln said. ``There is an art in communication, an art in learning. Art is a way to start dialogue.''
And the art she sought for this exhibit was intentional: The artists' styles are opposite.
On one hand, there's Beckham - a young watercolorist whose interests are in still life. She paints realistic pictures of simple objects in nature such as peach trees and rose bushes.
But Beckham's approach is anything but simple. Her expression of detail, light and depth all prove why her work is considered fine art.
Jennings, on the other hand, is a seasoned sculptor who shows positive African-American families through small and simple clay statues.
All the subjects in Jennings' art are humble and have the look of dignity. Even though they are dressed in plain clothes and are often shown barefoot, the men, women and children have straight backs and their chins are up.
``It goes from one extreme to the other,'' Lincoln explained. ``And that's what our kids are dealing with. You see the nature, you see the people and you have hope.'' MEMO: To find out more about Baby Steps, call 628-1538. Lowenthal
Furriers is at 4097 Virginia Beach Blvd. Show hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Monday through Saturday through Oct. 19. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by L. TODD SPENCER
Tommie Pochard sets up clay sculptures for the first benefit art
show at Lowenthal Furriers. The special exhibit, featuring the work
of Trish Beckham and Persis Jennings, will benefit Baby Steps Inc.,
an advocacy group dedicated to women's issues. by CNB