The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art is proud to open the doors of its new gallery space, located in The Marion and Wayland H. Cato Jr. Center for the Arts with the exhibition, Aldwyth: Work v. / Work n. Collage and Assemblage 1991- 2009. The exhibition begins with a reception on Fri. October 23rd, 6 – 8 pm and will run through Sat. January 9, 2010. During the reception, at 7pm the artist, Aldwyth, and curator, Mark Sloan, will lead interested guests on an exhibition walk-through. The first public viewing of the Halsey Institute’s new space will continue with a Hallelujah Chorus performed by members of the Taylor Festival Choir, CofC’s professional choir in residence, as well as a dance performance by local Charleston dance group, Buen Aché. The exhibition opening is the first of many celebratory events for the School of the Arts’ 20th anniversary.

6-8PM – OPENING RECEPTION
7PM – EXHIBITION WALK-THROUGH WITH ARTIST AND CURATOR
8-10PM – OPENING CELEBRATION

October 23, 2009 – January 09, 2010
(closed during school holiday: Dec. 22 – Jan. 4)

Exhibition: This is the first major retrospective of the collage and assemblage artist Aldwyth. Now in her 70’s, Aldwyth lives and works in an octagonal house on the edge of a salt marsh on one of South Carolina’s sea islands. Aldwyth: Work v. / Work n. features fifty-two collage and assemblage works created within the past two decades. A film by John Reynolds with commissioned soundtrack by Bill Carson accompanies the exhibition, documenting the artist’s interaction with many three dimensional works. The Halsey Institute has also published a full color, 112-page exhibition catalogue including essays by curator Sloan and Boston artist/writer Rosamond Purcell. Aldwyth’s complex, often epic-scaled collages resemble “medieval manuscript pages writ large” says Sloan. Each piece can take years to make. Ackland Art Museum Director Emily Kass says about Aldwyth,”Her remarkable work demands to be seen. It is hard to think of an audience who will not be mesmerized by these extraordinary pieces of art.”