Roots: The Hidden Half in Black and White
February 15 - April 02, 2010
Curated by Gary Freeburg and Laura Katzman

Luttwak was born in Israel's northern Galilee and moved to the United States in 1972. Her work, ranging from metal jewelry, Judaica and small sculpture to large-scale welded steel sculptures, has been featured all over the world. With her exhibit in Sawhill Gallery, Luttwak recreates the natural configuration of plant roots through the medium of mild steel. The ideas for the structures of each piece are based on actual roots that the artist digs out of the earth and then examines and recreates. Luttwak's 30-year experience working with metal has allowed her to see the beauty of the structures and shapes of the plants in order to "explore the differences and relationships between the parts above ground and parts below."

Each piece is unique and invites the viewer to enter the world of the artist. Luttwak opted to paint the roots sculptures black and white instead of natural, earthbound colors for the JMU show. According to the artist, the inspiration for this sprang from her viewing the Sawhill Gallery space for the first time in March 2009. "It became clear that in this space, with its heavy black, industrial ceiling, thin slatted wood walls and cold concrete floor, the ‘right roots' would have to be painted not in natural colors, but rather in stark synthetic black and white."

15 MAR 2010, 5-7p: Artist Lecture: Dalya Luttwak
Sawhill Gallery
Reception to follow

17 MAR 2010, 5-7p: Artist Reception
Smith House, Arts Council of the Gallery

27 MAR 2010, 3-5p: Curator Talk: Laura Katzman
Sawhill Gallery

Naked Roots / The Breeze, March 18, 2010