New Exhibit by Artspace Displayed in RDU's Terminal A
RDU Airport, NC — For the next three months, visitors to Raleigh-Durham International Airport's Terminal A can experience the latest collaboration between Artspace, a Raleigh-based, non-profit visual arts center, and the airport. The new exhibit features works by five Artspace artists: Kathy Whaley Ammon, paintings, Luke Buchanan, mixed media, Terry Burtyk, charcoal drawings, Natalie Crawford, paintings and ink resists and Takaaki Iwabu, photography. This is the fourth exhibit at RDU produced in collaboration with Artspace. RDU features rotating fine art exhibits in Terminal A to give the public a break from the fast pace of air travel.
About the Artists
Kathy Whaley Ammon is known for her bold, expressionistic, and responsive paintings of humanity. Her paintings speak of life and the experiences that give life substance.
Luke Buchanan focuses his work on our manmade world. Stairways, telephone poles, railroad tracks, apartments, these are places and things that have been seen or used by thousands of people each with a unique experience. These experiences are inseparable from the spaces — the buildings and factories — that are all prominent in his work.
Terry Burtyk uses images to communicate easily and directly to some, leaving impressions through the artistic language. The artist's fondness for the effort involved in the artistic process, and for the use of shadow, light and surface come from his training as an etcher and printmaker.
Natalie Crawford primarily works with acrylic, charcoal and ink. She is interested primarily in landscapes. While the works are often representational, they are never realistic. Natalie aims to depict the feeling of the area, rather than produce a literal portrayal of an actual place.
Takaaki Iwabu presents a series of work from his Saving Gullah series. Gullah, a unique African-American culture preserved by enslaved islanders in coastal South Carolina, has given way to mainstream culture as the region is taken over by development and modernization. A small group of advocates is fighting to preserve the tradition, but many fear it will fade away as Native American or Cajun cultures have, leaving only a shallow stereotype for public consumption. The photographs realistically portray this culture.
Exhibit Information
The exhibit will be on view through July 2005 in the connector gallery of Terminal A near the main baggage claim area. For more information, contact Artspace at 821-2787 or e-mail: info@artspacenc.org. Visit www.rdu.com to learn more about exhibits and permanent art on display at the airport.
About RDU's Art Program
RDU created a program for public art as part of a Master Art Plan to guide the integration of art in the airport environment. The goals of the program are to enhance the RDU travel experience for passengers while reflecting the unique characteristics of the Raleigh-Durham region. To date, RDU's permanent works of art include ceramic tile murals depicting North Carolina's; the Triangle Icon was commissioned in 2003 to mark the centennial of flight; and Dream of Flight, located in the general aviation terminal, features three stainless steel statues and a suspended cut stained glass mobile. Additional permanent public art pieces have been selected for the redevelopment of Terminal C when the facility opens in 2008 and 2009. RDU also features a gallery of rotating fine art in Terminal A.
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