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Indepth Arts News:
"Reverent Writings: Scribed Cultural Journals"
2001-03-02 until 2001-04-24
Columbus College of Art and Design
Columbus, OH,
USA United States of America
Reverent Writings features nearly 300 examples of beautiful
writing revealed as a form of artistry from a variety of cultures,
epochs, and styles. From early medieval manuscripts to
contemporary works of calligraphy, this exhibit shows how
cultures go beyond mere words to express, record, and
immortalize their existence.
In stark contrast to how we communicate today through e-mail,
voice mail, and computer-generated greeting cards, viewers will
be taken back to times when superior craftsmanship and
embellishment were used to convey the emotion and beauty of
the message. Ever since we first began to scratch symbols into
tablets of clay, we have labored to record everything from the
mundane to the monumental. Representing numerous races,
creeds, and religions, Reverent Writings reveals the many ways
in which different cultures have aesthetically recorded that
which they hold sacred.
One of the means used to reverently express text, calligraphy
attempts to bring words to life and to invest them with
character and expression. Reverent Writings features
letterforms found in medieval and Renaissance manuscripts,
mystic writings, rugs, letterpress books and typography,
lettering instruction guides, personal correspondence, and art
objects from The Ohio State University Libraries' Rare Books and
Manuscripts Collection, Columbus Museum of Art, the Ohio
Historical Society, and a number of generous individual lenders.
Exhibit patrons will be able to compare calligraphy and
typography from many cultures and diverse times. Included are a
Holocaust Torah (rescued from Czechoslovakia during Nazi
occupation) and other Judaical writing, along with rugs, wall
hangings, and scrolls showing Indian, Middle Eastern (Armenian
and Persian), and Asian craftsmanship. Placed with poetry and
painting among the foremost arts, calligraphy is still reverenced
throughout Asia from ancient manuscripts in galleries to the
commercial signage of everyday usage. Farsi seen in a
calligraphic style in Persian rugs will convey the energy of words
and shapes chosen to convey artistic and religious messages in
Islamic culture. Works by contemporary calligraphers will show
how the art form has evolved to incorporate and reflect modern
culture.
The diversity of American culture emerges through the broad
spectrum of work by self-taught artists. American folk art by
Elijah Pierce and William Hawkins will be included, as well as
charming examples of Pennsylvania German Fraktur records,
baptismal certificates, bookplates, house blessings,
schoolmasters' rewards, lesson plans, arithmetic books and
valentines.
The letterforms in early printed books were created by a
technique rooted in sculpture and based directly on the hand
lettering fashions of the time and place. The impression of the
printed image against the texture of paper made from rags
produced a most tactile and visual image, and examples of such
letterpress works will be on display.
The work of Rick Cusick, noted calligrapher and designer for
Hallmark Cards, Inc. and art director of Letter Art Review
magazine will also be on display. Cusick will present and discuss
his work in CCAD's Visiting Artist Series, April 9 from noon-1:30
p.m. in the Canzani Center. CCAD's Visiting Artist Series is free
and open to the public.
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