For immediate useNov. 13, 1997 -- No. 849

Local angles: Asheville, Charlotte, Cherokee, Hollister

Art collection at UNC-CH School of Social Work depicts `Who We Are'

CHAPEL HILL -- Depicting the faces of real North Carolinians, a woodcut collection housed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work will be dedicated Monday (Nov. 17). Several citizens whose images are portrayed in the collection will attend.

The art collection, called “Who We Are,” is on display throughout the school's Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building on Pittsboro Street. The dedication ceremony will take place at 12:30 p.m. and the artist, Judy Byron, will attend.

Byron created two editions of 12 hand-colored woodcut prints specifically for the building. The portraits are based on photographs she took as she traveled throughout the state -- from Harker's Island to Murphy and places in between, including Swansboro, Sneads Ferry, Jacksonville, Roanoke Rapids, Hollister, Newton Grove, Whiteville, Lumberton, Pembroke, Hot Springs and Cherokee.

Several people depicted in the collection will attend the dedication ceremony. They are: the Harlan family of Cherokee; Gloria Wesely of Charlotte; Kathy Richardson and Lisa Harper of Hollister; and relatives and friends of John Gorenflo of Asheville, who resides in a nursing home and cannot attend the ceremony.

The 12 images chosen for rendering into hand-colored woodcut prints are depicted larger-than-life to reflect North Carolina society and express the unique character of the person portrayed. Next to the portraits, one finds these thoughtful questions: “Who are these people? Who are they to each other? Who are they to you?”

The artwork is particularly appropriate for the UNC-CH School of Social Work because people are the reason the school exists, said Bernard Hyman, chair of the art committee. In keeping with the mission of the university, the school prepares students for careers in human services, develops and tests knowledge related to social work and provides leadership in addressing social problems and issues confronting individuals, families and communities.

The school serves all North Carolinians, who are symbolically represented by the portraits in this series. The questions hung near the portraits reinforce the conceptual theme of the artwork and invite viewers to consider themselves and their relationship with others.

The artist's creative process began with her photographs, which she translated into large color drawings. The drawings were transferred to wood to create templates from which Byron produced editions of four prints each. Byron's printing method is unusual and uses a technique that involves hand-rubbing with color pencil, pastel and crayon on a hemp-based paper stretched over a wooden template. The process is similar to that used for brass tomb rubbings.

Byron will provide wood blocks, paper and markers so people attending can try their hand at the creative process after the dedication.

Two editions of 12 prints have been framed and are exhibited in the UNC-CH School of Social Work. The third edition was presented to the subjects of each portrait. A fourth edition has been archivally stored to serve as a replacement should an exhibited work become irreparably damaged.

Byron graduated from Ithaca College in New York with a degree in speech and drama, and studied printmaking and drawing at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C. She believes that art should be in the center of life and that art can combine both beauty and meaning. Her origins drive her to create work that is inclusive and accessible, mirroring ordinary people while being exhibited in the midst of ordinary life. She also seeks points of vulnerability in her subjects, creating windows of connection for the viewer.

“Who We Are” was commissioned as part of a now-defunct state program called Artworks for State Buildings. Between 1989 and 1995, artworks were commissioned for state buildings using one-half of one percent of each building's construction budget. The program was modeled on similar programs in other states and many U.S. and European cities.

A national competition for the School of Social Work's art project was announced in March 1991, and 121 artists applied. A two-tiered selection process was used to review the applications: a pre-selection panel evaluated the applications, interviewed the artists and made recommendations to the Artworks for State Buildings committee, the group entrusted by law to select the artist and artwork for the project.

“Who We Are” is the 30th project completed in the Artworks for State Buildings Program. The artwork can be found in the lobby and hallways of the Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building.

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School of Social Work contact: Bernard Hyman, 962-6490

News Services print contact: Karen Stinneford

News Services broadcast contact: Karen Moon