Visiting artist exhibition & lecture: Masako Onodera

The Lamar Dodd School of Art and the Ann Orr Morris Memorial Fund, in partnership with ATHICA, present a public lecture by visiting artist in jewelry and metalwork Masako Onodera. Onodera's visit coincides with an exhibition of her work in tandem with associate professor of Jewelry and Metalwork Mary Hallam Pearse titled Onodera & Pearse: Contrasts and Correlations, on view from January 13 - February 11, 2024 at ATHICA. An artist talk will be held at ATHICA on Sunday, January 14 at 4 pm.

Onodera & Pearse Artists' Statement:

Contrasts and Correlation eatures the work of two artists who share backgrounds in craft while embracing sculptural applications of metal, paper, gravity, and motion. Brought together in exhibition by curator and Lamar Dodd School of Art BFA alumna Lauren Fancher, the two women were already known to each other through the craft community.  Fancher states that “I have been a fan of fellow Athenian Mary Pearse’s work as an artist, curator, and educator, and followed closely the development of her magnum opus, Full Bloom, harboring a secret aspiration for this intricate and epic sculpture of lead blossoms to be presented at ATHICA. After I encountered Masako Onodera and her delicate, mysterious, and grave work at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, I proposed that the three of us develop this exhibition, which positions Full Bloom beside pieces from Onodera’s Vestiges and Phantoms series, among other works. Both of these masterful artists demonstrate an acute conceptual depth while using materials that align and echo with layers of meaning.” Of particular import are their mutual use of non-traditional materials to both play homage to and critique the gilt and silver domestic accoutrements of women. Heavy is light and light is heavy in this thoughtful and subversive exhibition.

Image: Masako Onodera. Ghost, 7’ x 8’ x ½’.  Washi paper, ink, thread, piano wire.