July 31, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, please contact:

Janet Bucciarelli, SAMA-Ligonier Coordinator

(724) 238-6015

Travis Mearns, Public Relations Coordinator

(724) 238-6015

Ligonier – The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley is pleased to announce the openings of its two newest exhibitions, Nature, Form and Spirit: The Unique Furniture of George and Mira Nakashima and Patricia Le Helmick: Changing Perspectives. Following on the heels of the successful Face of India photography exhibition, these latest offerings will again offer the Museum’s audiences an international flair. The exhibitions, which open August 4, feature American artists who have either studied and honed their skills in the Far East or are steeped in the region’s artistic traditions. The exhibitions will remain on view through November 11.

To celebrate the exhibitions, the Museum will host an opening reception with the artists on Saturday, August 18 at 6 p.m. Patricia Le Helmick and Mira Nakashima-Yarnall will both be on hand to discuss their exhibitions and answer questions about the artwork. The reception is open to the public free of charge, but reservations are required by August 14 and can be made by calling the Museum at (724) 238-6015.

Nature, Form and Spirit features furniture designs by world-renowned artists George Nakashima and his daughter, Mira Nakashima-Yarnall. Throughout his long and distinguished career as a master furniture-maker, George Nakashima (1905-1990) dazzled the art world with his unique vision and meticulous technique. He possessed such talent that in 1983, then-Japanese Emperor Hirohito declared the artist a "National Treasure." Nakashima was born of samurai lineage in Spokane, Wash., and studied architecture at the University of Washington and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He began his professional career as an architect in Tokyo, where he quickly established himself among the leaders in the field.

His career as a furniture designer began in 1942, when he and his family were sent to an internment camp in Idaho during World War II. It was there that he learned the art of traditional Japanese carpentry, using salvaged wood. Nakashima had long had a passion and reverence for nature, which only fueled his interest in furniture design. Upon his release, he and his family relocated to New Hope, Pa., where the studio he established some 60 years ago remains today.

Nakashima is still recognized and revered for his imaginatively designed, hand-crafted works that fuse simplicity and elegance and use only the finest wood. His furniture is not only functional, but reflects and reveals the natural rhythms of the tree’s lines and grain. He is respected, collected and exhibited all over the world, and has been commissioned by several notable individuals and institutions, such as: the late Gov. Nelson Rockefeller; interiors for Columbia University; Mt. Holyhoke College; The Monastery of Christ in the Desert in Abiquiu, New Mexico; The Altar of Peace in the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City; and The Church of Christ the King in Katsura, Kyoto, Japan. The Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Fine Art in Boston, the Smithsonian Institution and the Renwick Gallery are a few of the many institutions that have hosted exhibitions of his work.

Augmenting the exhibition of George Nakashima works will be several designs by his daughter, Mira Nakashima-Yarnall. As a child, Mira Nakashima was a frequent visitor to her father’s studios. Deeply steeped in the Japanese spiritual traditions of Zen Buddhism and the "way of the warrior" (bushido), she learned not only the art of furniture making, but a philosophy and way of life. She also inherited her father’s strength of character, affinity for hard work, and moral idealism, along with his great talent.

Upon her father’s death in 1990, Mira assumed the role of sole designer for Nakashima Studios. Already a Harvard University graduate with a degree in architectural science and a successful career of her own, she put aside these things to follow in the path forged by her father. She now crafts furniture in the design tradition of the elder Nakashima, while adding innovative new lines of her own designs. An award-winning artist, she has exhibited in museums around the globe and is considered one of the world’s foremost furniture designers. The exhibition at SAMA-Ligonier Valley will feature 23 Nakashima works from private donors, as well as some from the Nakashima Studios in Bucks County.

In the exhibition Patricia Le Helmick: Changing Perspectives, visitors will find 50 exquisite paintings that display the artist’s mastery of ancient Chinese painting techniques and impressive knowledge of Chinese culture. For more than 10 years, Helmick lived and studied in the People’s Republic of China, where she became a master in the use of YiXiang water ink, which she uses to create elegant, peaceful and luminous landscapes. Jewel-toned colors, dramatic use of light and dark, and sophisticated, layered compositions are hallmarks of her unique artistic vision. Additionally, her love and reverence for nature and her deep spirituality imbue her paintings with an unearthly glow that lights seems to light them from within. Shapes and forms emerge from her paintings in a graceful rhythm of movement that works to captivate the viewer.

At an early age, Helmick developed a passion and talent for painting, beginning with the sketching of animals and progressing into a love of painting watercolor landscapes. After being introduced to the tools and techniques of the traditional Chinese artist, Helmick left for China in 1984 to study traditional Chinese landscape painting with the Chinese masters.

After living and studying there for more than 10 years, she received a B.A. from The China National Academy of Fine Arts, Chinese Landscape Painting Division. To fully immerse herself in the Chinese tradition, Helmick studied only with Chinese students and within their environments and classrooms. Her approach paid off, as she was invited as the only non-Chinese artist to enter several prestigious exhibitions, including The Second International Ink-Wash Painting Exhibition in Shenzhen, and The Landscape Painting Exhibition of China in Wuhan, in which she won third prize. During her time in China, Helmick had five solo exhibitions, and was later invited to have a solo exhibition at the American Cultural Center in Taipei, Taiwan. Her works and articles have been included in publications throughout China and the U.S. Her paintings are included in the permanent collection of The China National Academy of Fine Arts, as well as in the collections of numerous galleries and private collectors throughout China, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the United States. Since her return to the U.S., Helmick has continued to combine elements of both Eastern and Western cultures into her works, providing for a unique approach that has won acclaim from collectors and critics around the world.

Both artists will be featured at Lunch a l’Art programs at SAMA. Mira Nakashima-Yarnall will speak at the Museum on Thursday, August 16, and Patricia Le Helmick will present at a program on Thursday, September 20. Both programs begin at noon. Cost for each program, which includes lunch and lecture program to follow, is $12 or $10 for SAMA members. For reservations or more information, please call the Museum.

The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley is located at One Boucher Lane and Route 711 South in Ligonier. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. weekends. The Museum is a handicapped-accessible facility and is open to the public free of charge. For more information, call the Museum or visit www.sama-art.org.