October 6 – November 9, 1978
Richard E. Fuller Gallery, Eugenia Fuller Atwood Library
JUROR: Ann Percy, Curator of Drawings, Philadelphia Museum of Art
PURCHASE AWARDS
Lois Johnson, Notations 1970-73, 1978, gum bichromate, pencil, and watercolor, 31″ x 40″
Barbara Minch, Top Winner, pencil on paper, 20″ x 32″
Eileen Goodman, Lacquer Box No. 1, pencil on paper, dimensions unknown
David Fithian, A Desert Meeting, pencil on paper, 26″ x 31″
Glenside, Pa. – Fifty winning drawings from 150 entries in a juried contest will be on display at Beaver College in the third Eastern Regional Drawing Exhibition to be held from October 6 through November 9. Funded by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Beaver Fine Arts Department, the exhibition will be held in the Richard Eugene Fuller Art Gallery in the Atwood Library on the college campus, Easton and Church Rds., Glenside. According to Jack Davis, chairman of the Beaver department of fine arts, “This exhibition is indicative of the new interest in drawings that accompanies the much wider range of drawing expressions that has marked contemporary art. As in the past two years the viewer will find works that range from precise realism to conceptual concerns, and the use of as many different kinds of techniques. Artists today tend to use drawings as a major means of making a work of art, although one still finds informal sketches.”
The juror for the exhibition was Ann Percy, associate curator for drawings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Purchase winners David Fithian, of 116 Market St., Philadelphia, for his pencil drawing entitled “A Desert Meeting”’ Barbara Minch, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, for her pencil drawing “Top Winner”’ Eileen Goodman, of 323 Harrison Ave., Elkins Park, for her pencil drawing “Lacquer Box #1,” and Lois M. Johnson, of 29 S. 19th St., Philadelphia, for her [gum bichromate], pencil and watercolor “Notations 1970-1973.” All purchase award drawings will become part of the permanent collection of Beaver College.
Opening with a reception to honor the winners in the Fuller Gallery on Friday evening, October 6 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., the exhibition will feature a “Symposium on Drawing Now” on October 18 at 4:30 p.m. when the prize-winning artists will discuss the current situation in art. Both events are open to the public.
BEAVER NEWS 1978
“Drawing Display Opens” by Paula Oram
At eight pm, the crowd in the Fuller Gallery peaked for the Eastern Regional Drawing Exhibition. Students and teachers socialized as they browsed around and studied the drawings on display. Cheese and wine added to the congenial atmosphere.
This year, the work is more representational than [in] past years. There are a number of works that are very realistic and descriptive in detail. Other works use realistic objects in [a] unique fantasy manner.
One work that employs this fantasy is David Fithian’s “A Desert Meeting.” The Purchase Prize Drawing places a large high heeled shoe and a sneaker face to face in the midst of a desert setting. The fantasy drawing may also have a social comment to make.
Three other drawings received Purchase Award Status. “Lacquer Box no. 1[“] by Eilen Goodman presents an interesting relationship between two halves of a box. Once half of the box is placed upright; the other half is turned over. Shading adds depth to the double image.
Barbara Minch and Lois Johnson use city images. “Top Window” by MInch presents a view from a city window. Objects coming from many directions develop a definite feeling of space. Her parallel line shading gives it an overall texture. On the other hand, Johnson’s drawing is not representational. Rather, her “Notations 1970–1973” is a commentary on today’s society. She uses both photography and the written word in her drawing.
Purchase prize winners from last year are exhibiting again this year. [Carla] Tudor, Boris Putterman, Margaret Hueges and Doris Staffel are continuing in their individual interests. For example, Heuges is still working with acrylics on paper to show variations on lines.
Six art teachers on campus have work in the show. The diversity of the teachers is readily seen. Each teacher’s particular interest in the art field is seen in his/her work. The only common ground the profs’ work has is that they are all drawings.
Jack Davis, chairman of the department, uses torn paper to enhance his image entitled “God’s Stop No. 1” Marcha Zelt’s work, “A Glimmering,” is a series of papers printed on and sewn together, allowing for overlapping. A human image placed against a black background was the subject matter of Ann Williams’ drawing. “Sockets” by Bob Mauro was a drawing of cylindrical objects with a firm, strong line. “Flower Study” by Ruth Fine was just that; a strong contour drawing [of] flowers from different positions. Finally, Jean Francksen had a delicate frown and black ink design entitled “Totem” on display.
Diana Luks and Ann Sklar also have work on display. Both originally were printmaking majors and graduated in 1978. Luks’ piece is entitled “Interconnections” and uses all kinds of media. Sklar’s “Motions” is a series of gentle watercolors.
Overall, the show is very successful. The concept of drawing onto is clearly seen. A variety of drawing tools are used for drawing: a paintbrush, pencil, pen, oil crayon, caran d’ache, pastel, charcoal, and more. Secondly, there was not only a return to representational drawing, there was also a return to the making of paper. Handmade paper and its processing has been gaining wide interest for the past four years.
A symposium entitled “Drawing Now” on October 18 will feature a discussion by the Prize-winning artists as well as the current art situation. This will also be held in the gallery and it starts at 4:30 pm. Everyone is invited to attend.
