Environmental Activist, Fiber Artist Louise Halsey Lectures, Exhibits
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 16, 2012) − The public is invited to a lecture by weaver, painter and activist, Louise Halsey, as part of the University of Kentucky Department of Art 2011-2012 Visiting Artists and Scholars Series. The free public lecture featuring Halsey, known for using weaving both as symbol and process to address environmental threats to our planet, will be held noon Friday, Feb. 17, in Room 108 White Hall Classroom Building. In conjunction with her visit, the free public exhibition "Louise Halsey: EARTHBOUND" is on display through Feb. 17, at Barnhart Gallery.
As the daughter of two visual artists, Halsey grew up within the local art environment in Charleston, S.C. Her first introduction to textiles came when she was given a potholder loom. Halsey discovered early on a love for color and design. Once introduced to weaving, she has persisted in finding challenges working primarily on the floor loom. The processes Halsey most often uses are tapestry techniques, brocade and simple plain weave. Her work has ranged from small woven bags influenced by those made in South America to large custom-order rugs woven with hand-dyed fabric strips.
Recently, Halsey made an area in the studio for working with oil pastels, charcoal and paint to give her a break from the pace of weaving. Using these works on paper as a starting point, she cuts and interlaces them to create woven abstract images.
Halsey earned her bachelor's degree from Sarah Lawrence College and her master's degree from Goddard College in Plainfield, Vt. She has worked in arts education in a variety of capacities including as the educational coordinator at the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art. Halsey has had many residencies in schools in Kentucky and Arkansas. From 1990 to 2000, she was the owner of a rag rug business selling custom order rugs through Floordesigns, a design firm in San Francisco.
Halsey's influences include textiles of ancient Peru, works by contemporary painter Sean Scully, and the poems of Pablo Neruda and Kabir. During her graduate studies, she became interested in performing as a storyteller/comedian and has pursued opportunities to hone her skills in this area as well.
The most recent tapestries by Halsey explore the artist's concern about how we live, where we live and the meaning of home. The idea of home is central to her personal history. As part of the "back to the land" movement of the late 1970s, Louise and her husband, Stephen Driver, settled in the Ozarks where they built a house and studios and raised two children. They moved to Kentucky when Stephen took a teaching job at Brescia University. The couple, who kept their property in the Ozarks, are now living in Arkansas once again.
In addition to her lecture and exhibit, Halsey has been conducting a basic tapestry workshop with fiber art students at UK Department of Art as part of her residency.
"Louise Halsey: EARTHBOUND" is available for viewing from 1-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16 and 1-3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, at Barnhart Gallery. The gallery is located in Room 206 of Reynolds Building No. 1.
UK's Visiting Artists and Scholars Series is presented by UK Department of Art. Now in its 10th year, the series has brought locally and nationally recognized artists/scholars to the Commonwealth for residencies with UK's art faculty, students and staff, as well as public lectures. As part of these lectures, the speakers in the series discuss their careers and take part in a question and answer session.
The UK Department of Art, at the UK College of Fine Arts, is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the fields of art studio, art history and art education.
For more information on the Louise Halsey lecture or exhibit, contact Arturo Alonzo Sandoval at a.sandoval@insightbb.com.
MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, (859) 257-8716 or whitney.hale@uky.edu
