SUMMER EXHIBIT AT PHILLIPS EXETER ACADEMY
The summer exhibit in the Class of 1945 Library at Phillips Exeter Academy represents a unique collaboration of the three seacoast artists. "From These Hands" is the title of both a CD of traditional Irish music by harper Regina Delaney, and the related exhibit of the work of fiber artists Tinka Pritchett and potter Kit Cornell. The music and art produced by Regina, Kit, and Tinka's hands inspired the title of the CD and spawned their collaborative effort on the exhibit that will be displayed from June 22nd - August 6th, along with a display of Irish music and dance items. The cover of the CD features works by Cornell and Pritchett.
Kit Cornell is a functional potter committed to making pieces that are used in the daily celebrations of life. Her porcelain and stoneware pots are dipped in rich classical glazes, then fired in a natural gas kiln. She has lived and worked in Exeter for over 30 years. She was education director and past president of the N.H Potters Guild and is active in the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. Currently Kit is actively involved with the N.H. State Council on the Arts both in their Artist in Residence program and in other ways. Kit works with apprentices and has mentored other artists. She feels that the work of one's hands has deep meaning, and that clay, a local and natural resource, is an ideal material with which to work.
Tinka Pritchett has been weaving for 23 years, having learned the fundamentals in Finland. After receiving a Master's in Architecture in Washington, D.C., she practiced architecture while continuing weaving. She studied with Randell Darwall at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and with Liz Williamson in Cincinnati. Four years ago, in a workshop with Polly Sterling at the Fiber Studio, she was exposed to "Nuno Felt," a method of lightweight felting, and her work took its current direction. Tinka's experiments with the felting process led to a unique method of felting hand painted silk gauze and satin to create a distinctive gathered effect. Her work has recently been accepted by the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, and she will exhibit at the 2004 Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show.
Regina Delaney is an Irish harper, singer and dancer. As an artist on the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts roster and the Maine Arts Commission, she performs and teaches in schools throughout the state. In the classroom, she introduces students to Irish poetry, music, song, dance, history, and literature. Delaney performs regularly in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, is a regular seisin player, and is an active member of the Hanafin-Cooley Branch of the Boston Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann.
The exhibit, free and open to the public, may be seen at any time during the library's normal hours of operation. For additional information on the exhibit, please contact Jacquelyn Thomas, Academy Librarian at (603) 777-3328. |
