Two Women, One Vision "Nature Connections" showcases two North Carolina artists' love of nature
For immediate release
Art, Entertainment, Features editors.
July 26, 2007
Contact: Emelia C. Cowans, Asst. Communications Director, 919-733-7450, ext. 305
RALEIGH—The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences' own Jane Eckenrode and Maia Dery of Greensboro will exhibit their work in a new show called, "Nature Connections," beginning Friday, August 3, and running through Sunday, September 30. The show will be held in the Museum's Nature Art Gallery located on the Mezzanine level of the Museum Store. An opening night reception at the gallery from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. will coincide with the Museum's First Friday activities.
Eckenrode has been an Exhibit Design Coordinator for the Museum since 1996 and has 25 years of experience designing, sculpting and painting exhibits for natural science museums in the United States and Taiwan. That experience has served to sharpen and hone her observational skills as a designer and artist. In 2004, Eckenrode won Best in Show in the Chatham County Studio Tour Group Show (www.chathamstudiotour.com) where she also lives and sculpts and paints. Her painting "See Bo Run" was published on the cover of the March 2007 edition of the "Journal of American Veterinary Medicine Association."
Both Eckenrode and Dery have an abiding love for the natural world that is reflected in their work. Eckenrode will exhibit her mixed media (acrylic and oil paint on fiber reinforced polyester) relief sculptures of moving water. She was first inspired to represent water while living in San Francisco and watching the water in the San Francisco Bay take on different characteristics each day. She now gets her inspiration from hiking with her sketchbook and kayaking the coastal waters, inland creeks, lakes and rivers of North Carolina.
Dery is equal parts wildlife enthusiast, writer, teacher and photographer, but says photography is her passion. She will exhibit abstract color photographs of shorelines. "My primary goal as a visual artist practicing in the medium of photography is to create photographs that honor the world in fresh ways," Dery says.
She has exhibited extensively throughout the Triangle, including the Points of View Photography Gallery in downtown Raleigh, and in California. A photography instructor and lecturer at Guilford College in Greensboro, her students describe her as "inspiring, quirky, fun, and she definitely knows her stuff". She is also the author of "Adventure Guide to the Triangle," a comprehensive guide to all the hiking, biking and paddling opportunities in the Triangle.
Reception
A reception to celebrate the opening of "Nature Connections" will be held on First Friday, August 3 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Jane Eckenrode will attend and will be on hand to answer questions. Nature Art Gallery Hours: Mon.-Sat. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Sun. Noon to 5:00 p.m.; open until 9:00 p.m. on First Fridays. All exhibited art is for sale. For more information about the Nature Art Gallery, call 919-733-7450, ext. 360.
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, in downtown Raleigh, documents and interprets the natural history of the state of North Carolina through exhibits, research, collections, publications, and educational programming. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 am to 5 pm, and Sun., noon to 5 pm. Admission is free. Visit the Museum on the Web at naturalsciences.org. The Museum is an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr., Secretary.
| Home | What's New? | Visitor Info | Calendar | Exhibits |
| Education | Research | Museum Store | Join Us! | |
| Search | Fun Stuff | Site Map | Staff Directory | Links |