Published: January 31, 2008 05:59 pm         

Contemporary Women Sculptors to open at Swope Art Museum

Today, the Swope Art Museum’s newest exhibition, “Rock, Paper, Scissors: Three Contemporary Women Sculptors” will open to the public.

Rock, Paper, Scissors. The phrase surely conjures images of schoolyard triumphs and trumps in rounds of two out of three. But there are no games or losers here. Visitors to the Swope’s newest exhibit will only find winners with meticulously mature execution. And while inherently different in form and method, these artists are on a level playing field.

Selected on their merit in innovation and imagination, the exhibit focuses on sculptural works by three distinctly different regional women artists: Anna Lee Chalos-McAleese, Ann Coddington Rast and Jesse Mathes. Each is an award winner in the Swope’s Wabash Valley Juried Exhibition, and now the Swope is proud to highlight their talent in this all sculpture show

• Working primarily with glass and stone, Anna Lee Chalos-McAleese (Terre Haute) utilizes the delightful qualities of transparency and refraction. She handles the medium in an elegantly minimal way.

• Through traditional fiber craft techniques, Ann Coddington Rast (Champaign, Ill.) delves into the mystery of life. Her forms explore the memory of body tissue and the mind-body connection.

• The sharp points of metal wire in the work of Jesse Mathes (Chicago), control the space around each piece of wearable art. This work probes the power of apparel and the psychology of personal space.

In addition to the exhibition, Ann Coddington Rast will be presenting a Brown Bag Lunch Lecture at the Swope Art Museum on Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. The artist will discuss her recent work.

“Rock, Paper, Scissors: Three Contemporary Women Sculptors” will be on view at the Sheldon Swope Art Museum through March 15. A special free-to-the-public opening reception will be 6 to 8 p.m. today. Refreshments will be available.

The Swope Art Museum is at 25 S. Seventh Street, on the corner of Ohio Street, in downtown Terre Haute. The museum is open Tuesday-Friday, 10-5; Saturday, noon-5; closed Sunday and Monday. Admission to the Swope is free. For more information, call (812) 238-1676 or visit www.swope.org.