New Soul! Companion Exhibit
Contemporary Ohio Artists Inspired by Mask-Making Tradition

Masks have been used in many cultures around the world for thousands of years. Works by three contemporary Ohio mask-makers that echo that mask-making tradition are featured in a new exhibit opening at the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus this month.

Masks! Opens Oct. 22
Newest in a series of companion exhibits complementing the major exhibit Soul! Art from the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, the exhibit Masks! opens Oct. 22 and continues through Nov. 29.

This community exhibit presents a wide range of masks created by Ohio artists Garner Chapman, Brian Featheringill and Alfreda (Freda) Abbott-Ayodele. Each explores the theme in unique ways.

Chapman, a Columbus native, creates one-of-a-kind masks using a variety of materials and patterns. Her masks are complemented by detailed stands that honor these personal creations.

Brian Featheringill has lived and worked in the Columbus area since 1990. His masks are made of cast bronze and draw from traditional Mexican, Asian, Native American and African masks. His work offers to empower viewers with a different sense of self.

Toledo native Freda Abbott-Ayodele is a Columbus-based visual and performing artist whose colorful and exuberant masks express her personal style and reflect her interest in using found objects and recycled materials in her work.

Create Your Own Mask Nov. 21
On Nov. 21 from 1-4 p.m. at the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus, meet Freda Abbott-Ayodele and create your own mask during a special workshop, Transform Your Identity. Abbott-Ayodele will work with participants to create hand-held masks using cardboard and a variety of supplied materials. Participants are welcome to bring materials to adorn their masks, as well. The workshop is free with Ohio Historical Center museum admission: $8/adult, $7/senior (60+), $4/youth (6-12) and free to OHS members and children 5 and under. Nonmember parking is $4. For more information, call 800.686.6124.

Center Also Features The Legend of John Brown
While at the Ohio Historical Center, see The Legend of John Brown: Serigraphs by Jacob Lawrence, another Soul! companion exhibit comprising 22 colorful silk-screen prints that tell the story of abolitionist John Brown, whose October 1859 raid on the federal armory at Harper's Ferry, W. Va. (Virginia at the time), set the stage for the Civil War. Complementing the prints are several cases of artifacts associated with Brown and his 1859 raid. The exhibit The Legend of John Brown continues through Dec. 6.

Soul! Art from the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, featuring 119 works by African American artists, continues through February 2010 at the Ohio Historical Center, I-71 & 17th Ave., Columbus. For more information on Soul! and the companion exhibits Masks! and The Legend of John Brown, call 800.686.6124.