Research Triangle Park, N.C.—The National Humanities Center in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina is the venue for an exhibition of paintings and poetic texts entitled Iconostasis. The installation will open on January 4 and continue through March 4, 2005 and is the work of Chapel Hill resident artist Vickie Mitchell and her sister, Constantina Mitchell, who is a professor at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.

The collaboration grew out of a mutual interest in the technique and symbolism of Byzantine icons. Commenting on the exhibit's title, Constantina Mitchell explains: "The iconostasis is the partition in the Greek Orthodox church on which icons are placed. It separates the sanctuary and altar from the nave. It is deeply rooted in our Greek heritage." A desire to communicate the inner spiritual journey from darkness to light that underpins every aspect of the creation of an icon formed the basis of the project. A journey to the Cycladic island of Amorgos and its monasteries and chapels provided the impetus for the current exhibit. The inspiration that experience provided laid the groundwork for an exploration of the methods used by masters of iconography. "Before beginning the project, we both took an intensive course in iconography and created icons in the ancient tradition, applying clay, gold leaf and multiple layers of egg tempera to wooden boards," says Vickie Mitchell. The ten large canvases and accompanying poetic texts that make up Iconostasis generate a dialogue between the ethereal otherworldliness of spirituality and the more secular material thrust of the here and now. Vickie Mitchell uses a palette of reds, blues, and ochres, highlighted by gold leaf to convey the tonal richness of icons. Constantina Mitchell's imagery weaves threads of gold and silver through a broad spectrum of images that simultaneously echo and call forth the visual stimuli. Titles such as "Burnished," "Ayios Nikolaos," "Theologos," and "Oneiros" evoke the mood the artist and poet strive to capture.

Vickie Mitchell and Constantina Mitchell have both studied art and literature at the American University of Paris. Vickie Mitchell received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree cum laude from Concordia University in Montreal. She has exhibited extensively in Germany, Canada, and the United States, including solo shows at the University of North Carolina, Duke University, the Chapel Hill Preservation Society, and the Durham Arts Council. Her participation in this exhibit was funded by a Durham Arts Council Emerging Artists Grant. Constantina Mitchell holds a graduate degree from the Sorbonne in Paris and a Ph.D. in French literature from McGill University in Montreal. Her numerous publications include critical analyses of the works of nineteenth-century French poet Paul Verlaine and a study of classical Greek imagery in twentieth-century French Canadian prose.

The National Humanities Center is located at 7 Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Hours: Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For directions or more information, call 919-549-0661 or visit the Center's Web site, nationalhumanitiescenter.org.

A reception for the artists will be held on Sunday, January 30 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.

For further information, please contact Virginia Guilfoile at 919-549-0661, e-mail: vrguilfo@unity.ncsu.edu