Caldwell Arts Council

The Caldwell Arts Council is pleased to announce the August exhibit: “BODY WORKS” featuring figure artwork by Davidson College Assistant Art Professor Hagit Barkai in the main floor galleries.  Figure artists featured in the upstairs gallery are: Bobbi Miller (Moran Wyoming), Dan Smith (Hickory NC), Jean Cauthen (Mint Hill NC), Kate Worm (Taylorsville NC), Kenny Walker (Lawndale NC), and Steve Brooks (Hickory NC).

An opening “meet-the-artists” reception is scheduled for Friday August 1, 5-7pm hosted by members of New Life Church, and the exhibit will continue Tuesday-Friday 9am-5pm through August 29.

Caldwell Arts Council exhibits are free & open to the public. Light refreshments are served during opening receptions.

About the Exhibit:

Figure paintings are works of fine art in any of the painting media with the primary subject being the human figure, whether clothed or nude. The human figure has been one of the constant subjects of art since the first Stone Age cave paintings, and has been reinterpreted in various styles throughout history.

Originally from Israel, Hagit Barkai received an MFA degree from Penn State University, a B.A. in Philosophy from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and also studied at the Jerusalem Studio School. Barkai said she looks at “body languages of vulnerability, awkwardness and misfits as expressions that move between acceptance and resistance.”  She seeks to maintain balance between one’s struggles to gain visibility and struggles to escape it. “I paint bodies for what they fail to be, for how they fail to settle in any image or concept that confine and regulate them, and for how they are never able to close the gap between appearance and experience,” the artist explains. “I am painting in an attempt to capture this moment of losing and gaining respectability.

About the Caldwell Arts Council

The Caldwell Arts Council presents monthly and quarterly exhibits, education and collection programs that foster cultural arts in Caldwell County.  Located at 601 College Avenue SW near downtown Lenoir, hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday.  There is no admission charge, although donations are gratefully accepted.  To be added to the mailing list or e-mail list, please call 828-754-2486 or info@caldwellarts.com.  The Caldwell Arts Council’s programs are supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources and by individual and corporate donors.