FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- 10/2/09
Morgan Arts Council • Berkeley Springs, WV
www.macicehouse.org

Press Contact only : Pat Marggraf • 304-258-2989

PHOTOS AVAILABLE


MAGICAL CREATIONS IN BERKELEY SPRINGS ART SHOW

BERKELEY SPRINGS, WV -- Creatures of the imagination fill walls and
pedestals at the Ice House Gallery for the Mystical Magical Fantasy
Creations art show opening on Friday, October 9 at 7:30pm. The
opening follows an Artwalk that starts at Mountain Laurel Gallery at
5pm and weaves its way through the streets of Berkeley Springs as
Apple Butter Festival booths are being set up. The art exhibit hangs
through November 15.

Pat Marggraf, curator of the Mystical Magical Fantasy Creations art
show, built the exhibit around the creatures she constructs from
fabric and bits and pieces of other materials. "I've been searching
for a name for them since I started more than 20 years ago," she says
of the beings that range from traditional and historic Santas to
wizards and nature sprites. "Some new spirits have emerged for this
show," says Marggraf, naming hunters, gardeners and Red Hats.

Marggraf invited eight other local and regional artists to participate
with their own magical creations. Marlene Azoulai is a Berkeley
County artist Marggraf met while searching out pieces for her show.
"She's one of the leading outsider artists. Her paintings and
assemblages hang in Baltimore's Visionary Art Museum," she says.
Other art in the show includes the storytelling assemblages of John
Moore of Florida, the alluring oil paintings of Shepherdstown's Kelly
Scudieri and popular fantasy masks from Mary Ann Haines of Berkeley
Springs. "My vision was to include whimsical work that captures the
energy of a free spirit guided from within," says Marggraf, "whether
it be fairy tales or childhood fantasies we still hold."

At least half of the more than 100 pieces in the show are Marggraf's
creations both large and small. Self-taught in the arena of her soft-
sculpture creatures, Marggraf is also a noted belly dancer and teacher
of dance. Her adventure into visual art began in 1988 with Santas and
evolved into more fantastical creations through years of participating
in the Montgomery County Renaissance Fair. "It is a very mystical
experience for me. I researched Santa myths back through several
millennia," she says about her beings that expand the notion of what
Santa looks like.

Marggraf begins with heads created by stuffing knee high hose and has
boxes of them waiting for bodies. "When I start dressing them, it's
very stressful," she says. "I often notice that I'm holding my breath
for long periods waiting for the spirit to emerge." Occasionally, a
creation that began as a Santa changes itself into some other being
like a wizard or gnome. Each of the spirits is unique, something that
has never been seen before. Fabrics are collected materials including
discarded fur coats. "I've started doing more glitter," says
Marggraf. Accessories are also crucial to the finished product and
range from found deer antlers to musical instruments, tarot cards and
eyeglasses. "People often select a doll because its face looks like
someone they know although that is not intentional in my creating
them," she says.

As part of the artistic experience of the show, Marggraf is conducting
a free dollmaking workshop on Saturday, October 17 at the Ice House
from 10am to 1pm. "We'll be focusing on how to create the sculpted
faces," she says. "That's how it all starts."

The curated gallery exhibit produced by the Morgan Arts Council is
funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the West Virginia
Commission on the Arts and hotel/motel tax revenues. The Ice House is
located on the corner of Independence and Mercer. Gallery hours are
Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 5pm. For more information call
258-2300 or check online at www.macicehouse.org.