Betty Branch
Through the Crow's Eye: a Retrospective
September 17 - November 21, 2009


The Eleanor D. Wilson Museum is pleased to curate and present the first major retrospective of internationally recognized Roanoke artist Betty Branch. Through the Crow’s Eye honors one of the most respected sculptors in the southeast region. Her work has been exhibited worldwide and is presented in an exhibition showcasing decades of artistic experimentation.

Amy G. Moorefield, museum director and exhibition curator, says of Branch, "...Her media is diverse; she sculpts with marble, clay, bronze, stone, porcelain, terra cotta, earthenware, and straw. Displayed in a non-chronological format, this exhibition calls attention to Branch’s fluidity throughout her artistic career between naturalistic and abstract modes of expression."

The exhibition utilizes all three spaces of the museum and includes an outdoor sculpture component. It focuses on over thirty of Branch’s most significant works, including several on loan from private collections around the country, video documentation of her performance art presented alongside her poetry, and several outdoor sculptures, including a new site specific landwork.


Artist Lecture and Exhibition Opening Reception
Thursday, September 17, 2009
6:00 p.m.
Richard Wetherill Visual Arts Center
Frances J. Niederer Auditorium
Reception to immediately follow at the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum

Please join us for the opening of this major retrospective. Along with the opportunity to tour the campus and view the six works located in situ, the three galleries of the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum will all be dedicated to showcasing this extraordinary body of work. Artist Betty Branch will present a lecture discussing her work and processes in the Richard Wetherill Visual Arts Center Auditorium, immediately followed by a reception. These events are free and open to the public.

Children’s Sculpture Workshop
Saturday, October 24, 2009
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Richard Wetherill Visual Arts Center

Betty Branch will lead a workshop for children ages 9-13 to introduce the basics in reductive (carving) and additive (clay) sculpture processes. The workshop will be held in the outdoor sculpture studio at the Richard Wetherill Visual Arts Center.

Citywide Tour of Branch’s Public Works
Saturday, October 17, 2009
2:00 - 4:30 p.m.
Tour begins at the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum

Betty Branch and museum director Amy G. Moorefield will give a tour of the exhibition before leading a citywide tour of Branch’s public artworks. Downtown Roanoke locations include the Taubman Museum of Art, the Roanoke Public Library, and outside the Museum of Transportation. The artist will discuss the process of public commissioned artworks as well as insights into these specific monumental pieces. The tour will end at Branch’s studio for a reception.

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Fiona Ross: Walking the Parallels to Terminus
January 7 - 30, 2010

Through a site-specific wall drawing and a series of works on paper rendered from one single (unicursal) line created with sumi ink and watercolor pens, artist Fiona Ross interprets the concept of "threading"- a meditative journey one would take walking in a complex labyrinth. The resulting work navigates the artist’s journey through intricate pathways that are self referential as well as culminating in fantastical landmasses filled with hidden surprises. Walking the Parallels to Terminus marks the first major wall mural project for the Museum. Ross received her B.A. and M.S.T. from Fordham University, NY, and her M.F.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond. Her work has been exhibited internationally and is in the collections of Markel Corporation and Wachovia Securities.

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Progressive Student Curated Exhibition
January 7 - 30, 2010

This exhibition features the work selected by student curators of Hollins University’s Short Term class "Behind the Scenes at the Museum: Principles and Practice of Curatorship within Contemporary Art" co-taught by Amy Moorefield, museum director and Johanna R. Epstein, assistant professor of art history. Students will look at a variety of artistic forms and gain valuable hands-on experience and present a bi-weekly progressive exhibition using the museum’s collection as inspiration.

Stanley Lewis: 2010 Frances Niederer Artist-in-Residence
February 11 – April 17, 2010

The Frances Niederer Artist-in-Residence program allows Hollins University to bring a nationally recognized artist to campus every year. In residence during the spring semester, the artist teaches and works with students and faculty. Painter Stanley Lewis creates stunningly beautiful works referencing urban landscape and intimate interior environments. The exhibition will feature a selection of works including new works. He received a BA from Wesleyan and an MFA from Yale. He currently teaches at American University, and has been guest lecturer/visiting artist at over thirty colleges or institutes. Grants include Andrew Mellon Faculty Enrichment Grant, UICA Faculty Grant, and a Danforth Fellow for study in Art and Architecture.

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Reunion 2010: Eleanor Delaney "Siddy" Wilson '30
May 6 - June 12, 2010

An annual exhibition focusing on a notable alumna in the visual arts, Reunion 2010 features the work of Eleanor D. "Siddy" Wilson ’30. This museum, named in her honor, is the culmination of her philanthropic generosity and benefits both the Hollins and greater Roanoke communities. Eleanor Delaney "Siddy" Wilson graduated from Hollins with a degree in chemistry in 1930. She went on to become an accomplished actress on Broadway and to receive a Tony nomination. She directed plays, performed with the USO, and worked in television and movies. She pursued her interest in art by studying with Margaret Stark and Rafael Soyer in New York City. Siddy’s desire was that her beloved Hollins have a world-class art museum. The exhibition features selection from a recent gift by executors of her estate of artwork and archival documents, including photographs, journals, and writings.