A Cross-Cultural Medium. The recent resurgence in the use of beads by contemporary American artists speaks to the versatility and rich history of the medium as a vehicle for cultural expression, personal adornment, and surprisingly, social criticism. This interest is fueled by the broad range of creative options the medium provides. While many of the examples in Philbrook's exhibition draw from or enlarge upon the bead's historical context, others use traditional forms as a point of departure to address narrative and figurative concerns. Whether creating elaborate jewelry or abstract sculptured forms, the artists represented in Pure Vision demonstrate that beads are a versatile medium capable of conveying powerful and provocative ideas.
Subject matter embraces personal and social issues as well as compelling abstract forms.
Among the other artists are Ed Derwent, who creates large, loomed, beaded paintings composed of literally millions of tiny seed beads, and Judy Onofrio, whose fanciful sculptures and large wall constructions are encrusted in an exotic mosaic of beads and other contrasting combinations of collected vintage jewelry, buttons, shells, and sequin-embellished flea market items. Joyce Scott and Judy Onofrio bead the entire body or figure in their works, accentuating their physical presence in the real world rather than using them as abrupt symbolic idols. Scott's art has long had social references to the lives of African Americans, while Onofrio's art creates a fantasy world of carnivals, garage sales and private imaginings. Other artists in the exhibition include Sherry Markovitz, Jennie McDade, Nick Cave, Mary Ann Hickey, Chris Allen-Wickler and Lindsay Obermeyer. Stunning bracelets and necklaces are also featured Together with intricate baskets, eccentric sculptures and shimmering tapestries, the exhibition challenges conventional notions of beadwork and reveals a wealth of creative possibilities contained within this seemingly simple medium.