The Canton Museum of Art Shows 'A Celebration of Women in The Arts'

Written by Terrence Guthrie Friday, 28 October 2011 23:22

Canton, OH.- The Canton Museum of Art is proud to present the last in its 6 part xhibition "A Celebration of Women in the Arts". The final exhibition in this series is an exhibit by sculptor, Barbara Stanczak, opened in the newly named Sara E. Schneider Gallery.  Stanczak’s exhibit is one of 6 exhibits in the "A Celebration of Women in the Arts: Director’s Choice II" exhibition, on display through July 24th. She joins companion exhibits by Shirley Aley Campbell, Patricia Zinsmeister Parker, Juliellen Byrne, Li Hertzi and an exhibit of 19th, 20th and 21st century women from the Museum’s Permanent Collection.

Stanczak’s exhibit of 22 stone and wood sculptures includes the installation Totemic Seedpods, large-scale abstracted wood forms, based on the seeds of eight varieties of tree. Stanczaks work is uncluttered and simplistic, with deep shadows and gentle slopes that celebrate the beauty of the wood grain or the texture of the stone and reflects an intuitive relationship with the earth and its natural materials. Stanczak attended the opening with her husband, iconic optical artist, Julian Stanczak.

Barbara Stanczak has a great relationship with the beauty of the earth and its natural materials.  Guided by the lifecycles imprinted in its veins and textures, Barbara coaxes the wood and stone into revealing their secrets and spirit.  Barbara's work is uncluttered and simplistic with deep shadows and gentle slopes revealing the beauty and rythym of the wood grain or the texture of the stone.  She does not subdue the material, but opens it up to reveal its wonder.  Originally from Germany, Barbara is a resident of Ohio and lives with her husband and painter, Julian Stanczak.

Director’s Choice II features the diverse talents of 3 noted Ohio artists: the bold and provocative figures of Shirley Aley Campbell, Patricia Zinsmeister Parker’s large-scale contemporary homage to women art pioneers, and sculptor Barbara Stanczak’s sculptural pieces which revel in the wonder of nature.  Companion exhibits featuring the narrative clay figures of Juliellen Byrne, and the adventurous dolls of fabric artist Lisa Hertzi.

Forty women from the Museum’s Permanent Collection demonstrate the evolving role of women artists over the past century and round out our Celebration of Women in the Arts.

The Canton Museum of Art began as the Little Civic Art Gallery founded in a second floor room of the Canton Public Library in 1935. It quickly outgrew its limited space as it began to offer numerous exhibits and art classes for the community, and in 1941, a fine Richardsonian building known as the Case Mansion was donated and renovated to become the home of the Canton Art Institute. During the next thirty years, CAI became a focal point not just for the visual arts but for all the arts in Canton, providing a home for the offices of the Canton Symphony, and facilities for the Madrigal Singers, Canton Chamber Music Society and the Players Guild. A new home for all the arts in Canton was created when the Cultural Center for the Arts was established in 1970. Here the Institute began a program to build its Permanent Collection, and expanded its exhibits and art classes. The museum celebrated its 60th Anniversary in 1995 and marked the occasion with a new identity as the Canton Museum of Art. Through its focus on American watercolors and ceramics, the Museum has selected a unique identity among museums in Northeast Ohio. Building a strong, vital Permanent Collection is central to fulfilling the dream of the Museum's founders, living up to the commitment of their community and building a lasting legacy for the future. Amongst the highlights of the permanent collection are masterpiece watercolors by Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Edward Hopper, Andrew Wyeth and Jamie Wyeth, pieces by the noted American Modernist painter John Marin and leading Post-Impressionist Maurice Prendergast of the Ashcan School. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.cantonart.org

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