Fine Art Quilts of Joan Aaronson on Exhibit at The Gallery at Bellezza Day Spa
Fri Dec 10, 2004
The Gallery at Bellezza Day Spa in Falmouth is exhibiting the work of Joan Aaronson, artist, teacher and ambassador of art, from May 15 to July 1. The public is invited to view the exhibition during business hours, from 9 am to 7 pm Mondays through Saturdays, and 9 am to 5 pm on Sundays.
A resident of Brewster on Cape Cod and Sarasota, Florida, Aaronson works in a variety of mediums but for the past 15 years has concentrated on fiber art. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Five of her quilts have been hanging at embassies in Havana, Cuba and one (entitled “Healing Angel for Rwanda”) in Rwanda since the summer of 2003.
As a participant in the U.S. Art in Embassies Program, Aaronson visited Rwanda in 2003 on what she calls a “teaching and learning trip.” At one of the orphanages she visited, she reported that there were 85 children in the dormitory but “only six teddy bears.”
In 1994 some 800,000 people in the central African nation were methodically hunted down and slaughtered in a state-sponsored genocide that former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has called “an almost volcanic explosion of killing and terror and horror.”
The goal of the Art in Embassies Program, which is some 40 years old, is to foster cross-cultural dialogue and understanding through the visual arts, according to the U. S. Department of State.
“My Trip to Rwanda, Africa is one of the best experiences of my life,” Aaronson says. “I learned something about the effects of war, human rights and healing from abandonment. I saw a nation in recovery and the importance of peace at all costs. This has influenced the depth of my thinking and will have future impact on my art. The Rwandans have touched my heart and brought out a deep love within myself. It has shown me on a daily basis how important integrity is and the daily choices we make. Getting honest and real has taken on a new depth in my life. I hope everyone has such an experience someday."
Aaronson started the textile/fiber arts program at Cape Cod Community College. Her quilts have been featured on the covers of and in several magazines, including Better Homes and Garden. She also designs batik for the Bali Fabrics line (www.balifab.com) of Princess Mirah of Bali, Indonesia, whose great grandfather was the last reigning king of Bali.
The art quilts in the Bellezza exhibition are available for purchase. The spa takes no commission on any of the art that is sold. For more information, you can reach Joan Aaronson at 508.385.8093 or jaworldart@yahoo.com or visit her web site at www.joanaaronson.com.
Bellezza Day Spa (www.spabellezza.com) is a full-service day spa located in downtown Falmouth. The Gallery at Bellezza is operated as a community service.
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