Monday, December 29, 2008

Quilts for Obama Exhibition in January at DC Historical Society


The Historical Society of Washington, DC will host the exhibit "Quilts for Obama: Celebrating the Inauguration of our 44th President." This exhibit, organized by Roland Freeman and Carolyn Mazloomi will be on display January 11, 2009 - February 1, 2009.

Artists included in the show (just a partial list) include: Edna Patterson-Petty, Dr. Denise Campbell, Cookie Washington, Peggy Hartwell, Catherine Lamkin, Marlene O’Bryant, Charlene Hughes of Honolulu, Laura Gadson, Trish Williams, Sew Chick Elle, and others.

Check it out if you get a chance.

Double Visions Exhibition Ends This Saturday!



Our exhibition entitled, "Double Visions" will end this Saturday, January 3rd, so if you haven't been by Space 7:10 at Kefa Cafe in Silver Spring, I suggest that you go by before the New Year's Holiday.

Both Sharon and I have a few artwork that is still available for sale. In addition, I have two handmade dolls available.

If you are interested in any of the work, feel free to contact me!

Television Debut on PGAA Cable Show

Well folks, I am now preparing for my first television debut on the Prince George's County Artists Association (PGAA) Cable TV show. This Saturday, January 3rd I will be taping a segment called "Three Dimensional Artists" where I will share several of my dolls and artwork. The show will be aired on cable TV in Prince George's County during the month of January.

The panel of PGAA member artists that will be interviewed include:

Panelists:
Sharon Keyser-Jackson, fiber artist
Cynthia York, quilter
Yours Truly, doll maker

The moderators of the show include PGAA President Zenobia Rickford, George Tuggle and Alita Irby.

I live in the District of Columbia so I will be unable to see the program. However,if you live in Prince George's County, Maryland, check your local listings for the airtime and shoot me an e-mail at sways@sankofastudio.com and let me know what you thought of the show.

Celebrating "Umoja", The First Day of Kwanzaa With Artist Synthia St. James





On Friday, December 26th at the Gaylord Hotel at the National Harbor in Prince George's County, Maryland, I was treated to a holiday brunch with renowned artist Synthia St. James in honor of Umoja (unity) the first of day of Kwanzaa. The food was marvelous as well as the discussion and history provided by Ms. St. James about her book entitled, "The Gifts of Kwanzaa" and the artwork/illustrations she has done surrounding it.

The book was published in 1994 yet still stands as a colorful and artistic testament to the celebration that we now know as Kwanzaa. The illustrations and artwork true to St. James colorful and bold artistic work. Because of the book and illustrations, the U.S. Postal Service commissioned Synthia to create artwork for the first stamp that celebrates the holiday. Synthia explained that one of the illustrations in the book served as the inspiration for the stamp artwork.

Ms. St. James autographed my complimentary book and we discussed being an artist. She was so gracious warm and inviting to talk to. I thank my twin sister, Sharon of Gemini Visions Art Studio, for treating me to this wonderful event.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Double Visions Reception A Success!






Friday, December 5th at Space 7:10 of Kefa Cafe in Silver Spring, MD, was filled with much pomp and circumstance! The Double Visions Exhibition reception featuring myself and my twin sister Sharon J. Burton of Gemini Visions Studio was highly successful. I debuted the "Sassy Girls" collection along with the mixed media dolls on canvas during the exhibition. Bassey Ikpi, renowned Def Poetry Jam Poet, performed several selections and was super fantastic! The crowd, including members of the Prince George's Artist's Association (PGAA) was enthusiastically warm during a somewhat chilly December evening. Both Sharon and I provided an artist talk which featured our inspirations for the work shown.

All in all it was a wonderful evening and I would personally like to thank ALL of those who showed up and participated.

If you have not had a chance to stop by Space 7:10 at Kefa Cafe to see the exhibition, it is not too late. Our work will be shown there through January 3, 2009. The cafe is located at 963 Bonifant Street in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland.

East of The River Paper Lists Sankofa Studio as one of Holiday Gift Ideas!



The December 2008 East of the River paper cites Sankofa Studio on list of holiday gift giving ideas. Khadijah Ali-Coleman writer for the paper lists Sankofa Studio as Number 7 in the paper's annual shopping guide. Check it out here!

Monday, December 1, 2008

Today is World AIDS Awareness Day-African American's Need More Awareness



The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in September released new data confirming what AIDS watchdogs have been saying for years: Black gay and bisexual men and Black women are being devastated by HIV/AIDS. That ugly reality is now indisputable. But what’s just as clear is that resources currently dedicated to changing that reality are woefully inadequate and not targeted at the heart of the problem.

A mobilization to end AIDS in Black communities has exploded in recent years. People from every corner of our community are getting involved—gay and straight, male and female, churches and civil rights groups, business people and celebrities, college students and community organizers. It is now crucial that policymakers at both the federal and local level finally join the fight.

I am writing today to bring awareness to World AIDS awareness day which is today, December 1, 2008. Personally, I have had a half brother transition because of this disease. My community which is East of the River in Washington, DC has the highest incidences of AIDS cases in the entire city as well as the country as a whole. I am personally disgusted and outraged that a largely African American community in a city and region known African Americans to be one of wealthiest in the country is also the worst when it comes to the AIDS epidemic. However, there has to be a willingness to challenge our leadership in Wards 7 & 8 as well as the Mayor of our fair city to really bring awareness, resources and education to our community to end this.

I just discovered The Black AIDS Institute which is a national "think tank" focused on addressing HIV/AIDS among African Americans and those of African descent through policy, advocacy, communications, training, and model program development.

They just created a capacity building program for African American communities to help educate and combat AIDS.

Here is what their website states:

"Aimed at strengthening Black organizational and individual capacity to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in their communities, the African American HIV University (AAHU) is the comprehensive training and capacity building fellowship program developed by the Black AIDS Institute. AAHU is composed of two colleges: the AAHU Community Mobilization College, and the AAHU Science and Treatment College. Each college has a distinct curriculum, cohort of fellows, and application process.


AAHU Community Mobilization College
The Black AIDS Institute's AAHU Community Mobilization College (AAHU CMC) utilizes a Community Mobilization Model to enhance the capacity of Black communities to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Through building the knowledge and networks of community leaders around the country and providing a skills-building internship practicum focused on community mobilization, individuals become capable of engaging traditional Black institutions and other stakeholders in local level community activities that will increase access to and utilization of HIV prevention services in their communities. AAHU CMC runs for approximately 11 months.

Engages participants in four comprehensive community mobilization trainings that allow them to learn and review concepts in manageable modules, building upon an ever-increasing knowledge base. These trainings are focused on the four key components of the AAHU Community Mobilization Model:
Track 1: Assessment
Track 2: Planning
Track 3: Implementation and Monitoring & Evaluation
Track 4: Community Mobilization Symposium

Three community mobilization internships immerse participants in an environment where they continuously practice and apply the new skills-based knowledge and expertise gained through the comprehensive trainings. Each internship is approximately 90 days and takes place between training tracks.

AAHU CMC is currently in session.

AAHU Science & Treatment College
AAHU Science and Treatment College (AAHU STC) ensures participants learn complex HIV, leadership and community mobilization information incrementally. There is a concentrated and repetitive tackling of the underlying social, economic and cultural factors that prevent Black people from fully accessing and using HIV services.
AAHU STC takes place over 24 months.

AAHU STC takes a unique and effective method for addressing these complex issues. The program integrates increased and comprehensive HIV knowledge with a variety of community mobilization and leadership development techniques. This enhanced knowledge and skill addresses the barriers that prevent many in the Black community from utilizing HIV services. Two major components of the program are:

Engaging participants in five comprehensive adult-centered trainings that allow them to learn and review in manageable modules, building upon an ever-increasing knowledge base; and

Immersing participants in an environment where they continuously practice and apply new skills based on their knowledge through case simulations, four internships and technical assistance in replicating our model."

I am not sure how this capacity building program is doing or if it is currently being utilized in Washington, DC, but something has to be done.

I am challenging myself as well as other artists to create something in the color red and sell it. Take all proceeds to fund some sort of AIDS awareness campaign or non profit organization dedicated to fighting AIDS in our community. Let me know if you do.

You can start with supporting the following:

African-American Aids Policy and Training Institute dba, Black AIDS Institute
1833 W 8th St
Ste 200
Los Angeles,CA 90057
http://www.blackaids.org

Friday, November 28, 2008

Opening December 3rd: Childhood Memories in Minature: African American Dollhouses Exhibition

Opening Wednesday, December 3 – Childhood Memories in Miniature: African American Dollhouses Exhibition

Take in the memories of childhood and the spirit of the holidays with this joyful exhibit of miniature dollhouses by Sharon J. Frazier and Linwood M. Smith. This new show at the Alexandria Black History Museum (902 Wythe St.) features more than a dozen buildings and rooms in 1:12 scale, including a log cabin, stone home, one-room schoolhouse, and church, as well as buildings and rooms inspired by real places in Alexandria. A barbershop and hair dressing salon, a medical building, an attorney's office, and a florist were all influenced by actual businesses in the Parker-Gray community, a historically African-American neighborhood in Alexandria.

The exhibit is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., through Saturday, January 24, 2009. Suggested admission is $2. For more information, please visit www.alexblackhistory.org or call 703.838.4356.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

DC Black Memorabilia, Art Doll Show




"Greater Washington, DC Black Memorabilia, Art & Doll Show"

December 5 & 6, 2008

Friday: 7 pm - 10 pm *** Saturday: 10 am - 7 pm

Washington, DC Convention Center
801 Mount Vernon Place, NW
Washington, DC

Many vendors with Black Memorabilia and Collectibles for sale including historical artifacts, books, autographs, stamps, advertisements, toys, art, kitchen collectibles, jewelry, postcards, coins dolls, political, sports and entertainment memorabilia and more. Doll artists with Black Dolls and Doll related materials for sale.

"An Educational Experience for the Whole Family"

Admission: $8.00, Children 12 and under Free

Directions: Take the metro system green or yello line to the Mt. Vernon Square/Convention center Station.

For more information: (301) 649-1915
www.johnsonshows.com

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Can We Talk Radio Appearance, Thursday, December 4th



Folks I will be a special guest on "Can We Talk Radio" on www.im4radiodc.com on Thursday, December 4th @ 6:00 pm. I will be discussing my other passion, Feng Shui. I will also pull a plug on our Double Visions Exhibition reception. More later...

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Interviewed for "Not Just Rag Dolls" in November/December 2008 issue of Doll Castle News



Debbie Behan Garrett interviewed me for an article that has been published in the latest issue of Doll Castle News entitled "Not Just Rag Dolls". I along with several other African American dollmakers was interviewed regarding my passion for cloth doll making, process and advice for beginning doll makers. Because I am a beginning doll maker myself, I felt honored to be included as one of the doll makers interviewed. The other doll makers interviewed include: Lornal Paris, Brook Scott and Vista Scott. A photo of one of my dolls "Changing Woman" was also included in the article. Pick up a copy and check out the pages 20-21 and 44 for the full article.

Creative Every Day Creations- November 25th



Hey now! Introducing the Sassy Girls collection! These were created within the last 24 hours. I was inspired on Sunday by Francine Haskins Doll Workshop that my creative juices started going. I personally made the pattern and the concept. To see them in person check out the Double Visions Art Exhibit Reception on December 5th 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm. Choose one or choose all. They will be for sale.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Decking The Halls Exhibit in Baltimore!

T. MILLER GALLERY and ONEEKI DESIGN STUDIO
Present A Holiday Open Studio
DECKING THE HALLS


BALTIMORE - Christmas just can´t be Christmas without the ones you love or the things you admire. Join T. Miller Gallery in collaboration with Oneeki Design Studio in a special Decking the Halls holiday exhibition featuring nationally known African American fine artists and doll artisans in an open studio preview and reception on Saturday, November 29 and Sunday, November 30, 2009, from 1 to 6 p.m. at Oneeki Design Studios located at 2103 North Charles Street in Baltimore´s historic Station North Arts District, and three blocks North from Penn Station. The exhibition will be open Saturdays and Sundays throughout the holiday season, including December 6 and 7; 13 and 14; and 19 and 20. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Add to your personal collection of holiday bush favorites and keepsakes with one-of-a-kind Christmas ornaments and fine art collectables from many of the country´s most renowned fine artists and doll makers. Among the featured fine artists are works by Al Burts - pen and ink on paper, Shaunté Gates - oil on canvas and Greg Scott - oil and acrylic on canvas.

The doll and ornament artists take a sometimes serious, yet mostly whimsical flair to holiday ornaments in a wide array of artistic expressions in highly stylized, hand-crafted cloth dolls. Featured doll and ornament artists include Francine Haskins, Betty Baines, Adrienne McDonald, Tonia Mitchell, Daisy Carr, Joanna Banks, Carole Brothers, Shirley Taylor, Lynn Bechthold, Elerie Thomas, Tamara Thomas, Karl Graham, Paula Whaley, Gregg Scott, Marcella Welch and Patricia Colman-Cobb among others. In addition to picking their favorite ornament off the tree, patrons can also watch the master doll makers create and hand stitch new dolls and decorations.

In addition to the scheduled weekend hours, Oneeki Design Studio is open by appointment. For additional information on Decking the Halls, contact Anthony Miller at 301-807-6552 or Paula Whaley at 410-962-8592.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

PGAA Holiday Artist's Social, December 9th

Come Mix & Mingle at the Prince George’s Artists Association
Holiday Artists Social
Tuesday, December 9, 2008, 7:00 PM

The Golden Flame Restaurant
8630 Fenton St. (near Colesville Rd.)
Silver Spring, MD


All are welcome to come and enjoy our "The Perfect Gift" exhibit
while relaxing with friends & family.

Cash Food & Bar
See You There!

-----------
www.artistsofpgaa.org

"The Perfect Gift" exhibit coordinated by
Myrtis Bedola of Galarie Myrtis in Baltimore, MD
http://www.galeriemyrtis.com

Ward 7 Arts Collaborative Announces First Ever East of the River Directory!



The Ward 7 Arts Collaborative is proud to announce that the first ever East of the River Artist Directory has been published. Yours Truly is included in this historic publication.

The Ward 7 Arts Collaborative describes the publication:

"Recognized in the community for its collaborative ability to reach out and connect artists with support services, W7AC is pleased to present the first-ever East of the River Artists Directory. This directory highlights the myriad gifts and talents of both established and emerging artists in Ward 7 and 8 by discipline, medium and name. It is our sincere hope that the community will embrace this directory as an opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate its own artists."

If you are interested in picking up a copy contact the Ward 7 Arts Collaborative at (202) 399-1997 or e-mail at ward7artscollab@yahoo.com.

Celebrating My 5th Birthday! Thanks to Creative Cause!

On Tuesday of this week, I had the pleasure with three other comrades to take Tambra Stevenson's Creativity Workshop of Creativity Cause in Washington, DC. This was a gift from my husband Howard to take a creativity workshop with three other friends in the arts. I must say it was a wonderful experience and I am thankful for him to give me such a thought provoking gift.

The founder of Creative Cause, Tambra is an Oklahoman native with a creative soul who enjoys organic cultural cooking, painting Chinese and mixed media art, restoring wellness and enlightenment, practicing yoga, and developing web projects, writing on (Chakras) energy, nutrition, health and sustainability, society, and politics. Currently she speaks and leads workshops on creativity and health along with brain education. She is a graduate of Tufts Medical School with a master's in health communication. She received her B.S. in human nutrition/premedical with a Spanish minor from Oklahoma State University prior to studying public health aboard in Dominican Republic. She has worked in federal and District governments along with the media/PR and nonprofit sector. Her latest venture is the health and sustainability impact in the restaurant industry.

When I entered her home a small yet, efficient, comfortable, and quiet condo, I immediately felt relaxed and open.

Though a young woman, Tambra has been studying metaphyisics, yoga and Eastern philosophy quite intensely and this was her first time working with a small group on creativity. Her gentle words and suggestions were quite fitting and I enjoyed her energy.

The workshop was not typical of sitting down and painting something or reading something and writing the first thing that comes to mind. No, it was more physical and mental. It was about exercises and developing relationships with the other participants and working with fear and ego to move past barriers.

The exercises that she had us work through including any blockages dealing with creativity was fantastic. One of those exercises was imagining it is your 5th birthday party. Describe what you are doing and dance around like you are 5 years old again! Also blow out candles and make a wish! This dancing around made me energized and it made me think about my life at the time and how creative I was.

Another thing that Tambra shared in the workshop was to always try something new! Like take a dance class or music class and how that even though it may not be directly related to what I am doing as an art form helps free you to look at art in a new way. This has made me think about taking an African Dance class and perhaps a ceramics class next year. I also want to retrain myself on guitar and perhaps take a poetry class.

I must say to anyone interested in bringing out their creativity Tambra's Creativity Coaching is a must! I truly enjoyed this thought provoking experience and made me look at creativity training in a whole new way. For more information check out Creative Cause at http://www.creativecause.blogspot.com/.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Creative Every Day Creations- November 19th







I know I have been a little behind. But, here are some mixed media dolls I have created as part of the Create Every Day Month. I was away on travel for a few days in early part of the month and now I am catching up. These will be on display at the exhibit that I just posted about.

Double Visions Exhibition: Starts This Week!






If you get a chance, stop by to see the Double Visions Exhibition at Space 7:10: Kefa Cafe in Downtown Silver Spring. Sharon (my twin sister) and I spent the entire Monday putting up the work that is being exhibited. See photos above. Don't forget we have a great opening reception scheduled for Friday, December 5th at 6:30 pm!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Did You Know?

Doll Collecting is ranked among the top three largest hobbies enjoyed worldwide? Or that 99 out of 100 women surveyed conjured up fond memories of childhood dolls, only wishing they had saved their special companions, and could pass them on as a family heirloom?

Source: Doll Castle News

Monday, November 3, 2008

Unite for Change: Light a Candle to pray for clean elections this November 2008 and our votes counted!


Light a candle on cyberspace, click this link (http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng) be still, say a prayer, click on the wick, and sign your initials. May our prayers be heard for a clean election this coming November 4, 2008 and may our preferred candidate, Senator Barack Obama be installed as the 44th US president! Use this link to light a candle. Let us pray that a spiritual cordon of angels guide his administration that his governance be enlightened and guided by the best interests of the common public good!! Let us pray that all our cast votes be counted, register 8 million new voters and more, and work towards a landslide victory!!

November is Art Every Day Month! Can I do it?



Folks, I am participating in a crazy challenge to myself to create art every day. This is through a program by Leah Piken Kolidas an artist in the Boston area who has gained quite a following with this challenge to artists. I admit, I can be lazy and unfocused which this program challenges me to be creative in some way every day.

Kolidas states in her blog the following about the rules of the program:

"I keep the rules for AEDM really simple and very loose. I encourage people to make something every day, but my goal is to foster more creativity, so if you make just one piece of art per week or just one for the whole month, that's fine with me. The idea is to bring more creativity into your life, not to make you feel overwhelmed, pressured or guilt-stricken. Art is also loosely defined here. I mean art in the sense of anything creative, whether that be painting, drawing, knitting, sewing, cooking, decorating, writing, photography, clay, jewelry-making or whatever!"

I love it! Keeps me honest. If you are an artist or an inspiring one check out her blog at http://www.creativeeveryday.com/creativeeveryday/art-every-day-month.html
and participate! Don't worry if you are too late in participating she welcomes participants at all times of the month. Just do it!!!

Art Inspiration in The Movie: "The Secret Life of Bee's"




This weekend a friend and I had the pleasure of taking in the movie "The Secret Life of Bees". This is the hit movie with Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, and Alicia Keys. One of my admired artists, Poncho Brown, told me to pay attention to the labels of the jars of honey shown in the movie.

The honey jar labels featuring a "Black Madonna" and child were created by artist, Charles Bibbs. Sure enough around the middle of the movie the jars were featured.

Sue Bee Honey announced in a press release Friday, October 21st that it is producing limited edition bottles of Black Madonna Honey. In the film, Bibbs rendering of "The Black Madonna" is seen on the labels of honey jars. It will be featured on real bottles of Sue Bee honey. Proceeds will benefit First Book, a nonprofit organization that supplies reading material to low-income families.

"The Black Madonna" is only one prong of Sue Bee's promotion, which includes a movie tie-in cookbook and in-store displays. For more info check out http://www.suebee.com/

This movie has inspired me to do some art around it- perhaps some dolls. Stay tuned...

Sunday, November 2, 2008

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Double Visions!



Folks! I am announcing my next exhibition! More details to follow!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Three Divas Appear in my SDA Article



After being insired by Susan Osborne's article in Art Doll Quarterly this year, I took her mixed media dolls a little further and created the three divas! If you recall the divas were shown at the East of the River Show at the Honfluer Gallery in August of this year. I was invited by Soft Dolls & Animals Magazine to write an article so I wrote one about how I created these gorgeous girls on canvas. Check out page 17 of the January 2009 issue of Soft Dolls & Animals on the newsstand now! To see the Three Divas check out my July and August postings of this blog!

By the way- Susan Osborne sent me an e-mail stating that she was honored that I was inspired by her spring Art Doll Quarterly magazine article on Mixed Media dolls.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Hurry! Three Doll Making Scholarships Available for Young Artists

THE LESLIE D. BERRY SCHOLARSHIP FOR YOUNG MASTERS CONTINUES!!!!

If you know any talented young artists/doll makers- ages 9 to 16 in the Washington, DC area please tell them to take advantage of this opportunity to further their art and become an entrepreneur. They must hurry to apply, though, the class is this Saturday, November 1st and there are only 3 scholarships left!!! There is also one additional space for ($150) for a paying applicant. To see more about the class and the tradition of The Young Masters, visit the website at http://www.youngmastersinc.org.

To donate additional scholarships for the Leslie D. Berry Scholarship or any other scholarship funds please write:youngmastersinc@aol.com for information.

The Creative Personality

My husband sent this to me via e-mail. I thought this was interesting so I decided to share it with the readers of this blog.

The Creative Personality
Creative individuals are remarkable for their ability to adapt to almost
any situation and to make do with whatever is at hand to reach their
goals.

By: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi From Pyschology Today


Of all human activities, creativity comes closest to providing the
fulfillment we all hope to get in our lives. Call it full-blast living.

Creativity is a central source of meaning in our lives. Most of the
things that are interesting, important, and human are the result of
creativity. What makes us different from apes-our language, values,
artistic expression, scientific understanding, and technology-is the
result of individual ingenuity that was recognized, rewarded, and
transmitted through learning.

When we're creative, we feel we are living more fully than during the
rest of life. The excitement of the artist at the easel or the scientist
in the lab comes close to the ideal fulfillment we all hope to get from
life, and so rarely do. Perhaps only sex, sports, music, and religious
ecstasy-even when these experiences remain fleeting and leave no
trace-provide a profound sense of being part of an entity greater than
ourselves. But creativity also leaves an outcome that adds to the
richness and complexity of the future.

I have devoted 30 years of research to how creative people live and
work, to make more understandable the mysterious process by which they
come up with new ideas and new things. Creative individuals are
remarkable for their ability to adapt to almost any situation and to
make do with whatever is at hand to reach their goals. If I had to
express in one word what makes their personalities different from
others, it's complexity. They show tendencies of thought and action that
in most people are segregated. They contain contradictory extremes;
instead of being an "individual," each of them is a "multitude."

Here are the 10 antithetical traits often present in creative people
that are integrated with each other in a dialectical tension.

1. Creative people have a great deal of physical energy, but they're
also often quiet and at rest. They work long hours, with great
concentration, while projecting an aura of freshness and enthusiasm.
This suggests a superior physical endowment, a genetic advantage. Yet it
is surprising how often individuals who in their seventies and eighties
exude energy and health remember childhoods plagued by illness. It seems
that their energy is internally generated, due more to their focused
minds than to the superiority of their genes.

This does not mean that creative people are hyperactive, always "on." In
fact, they rest often and sleep a lot. The important thing is that they
control their energy; it's not ruled by the calendar, the dock, an
external schedule. When necessary, they can focus it like a laser beam;
when not, creative types immediately recharge their batteries. They
consider the rhythm of activity followed by idleness or reflection very
important for the success of their work. This is not a bio-rhythm
inherited with their genes; it was learned by trial and error as a
strategy for achieving their goals.

One manifestation of energy is sexuality. Creative people are
paradoxical in this respect also. They seem to have quite a strong dose
of eros, or generalized libidinal energy, which some express directly
into sexuality. At the same time, a certain spartan celibacy is also a
part of their makeup; continence tends to accompany superior
achievement. Without eros, it would be difficult to take life on with
vigor; without restraint, the energy could easily dissipate.

2. Creative people tend to be smart yet naive at the same time. How
smart they actually are is open to question. It is probably true that
what psychologists call the "g factor," meaning a core of general
intelligence, is high among people who make important creative
contributions.

The earliest longitudinal study of superior mental abilities, initiated
at Stanford University by the psychologist Lewis Terman in 1921, shows
rather conclusively that children with very high IQs do well in life,
but after a certain point IQ does not seem to be correlated any longer
with superior performance in real life. Later studies suggest that the
cutoff point is around 120; it might be difficult to do creative work
with a lower IQ, but an IQ beyond 120 does not necessarily imply higher
creativity.

Another way of expressing this dialectic is the contrasting poles of
wisdom and childishness. As Howard Gardner remarked in his study of the
major creative geniuses of this century, a certain immaturity, both
emotional and mental, can go hand in hand with deepest insights. Mozart
comes immediately to mind.

Furthermore, people who bring about an acceptable novelty in a domain
seem able to use well two opposite ways of thinking: the convergent and
the divergent. Convergent thinking is measured by IQ tests, and it
involves solving well-defined, rational problems that have one correct
answer. Divergent thinking leads to no agreed-upon solution. It involves
fluency, or the ability to generate a great quantity of ideas;
flexibility, or the ability to switch from one perspective to another;
and originality in picking unusual associations of ideas. These are the
dimensions of thinking that most creativity tests measure and that most
workshops try to enhance.

Yet there remains the nagging suspicion that at the highest levels of
creative achievement the generation of novelty is not the main issue.
People often claimed to have had only two or three good ideas in their
entire career, but each idea was so generative that it kept them busy
for a lifetime of testing, filling out, elaborating, and applying.

Divergent thinking is not much use without the ability to tell a good
idea from a bad one, and this selectivity involves convergent thinking.

3. Creative people combine playfulness and discipline, or
responsibility and irresponsibility. There is no question that a
playfully light attitude is typical of creative individuals. But this
playfulness doesn't go very far without its antithesis, a quality of
doggedness, endurance, perseverance.

Nina Holton, whose playfully wild germs of ideas are the genesis of her
sculpture, is very firm about the importance of hard work: "Tell anybody
you're a sculptor and they'll say, 'Oh, how exciting, how wonderful.'
And I tend to say, 'What's so wonderful?' It's like being a mason, or a
carpenter, half the time. But they don't wish to hear that because they
really only imagine the first part, the exciting part. But, as
Khrushchev once said, that doesn't fry pancakes, you see. That germ of
an idea does not make a sculpture which stands up. It just sits there.
So the next stage is the hard work. Can you really translate it into a
piece of sculpture?"

Jacob Rabinow, an electrical engineer, uses an interesting mental
technique to slow himself down when work on an invention requires more
endurance than intuition: "When I have a job that takes a lot of effort,
slowly, I pretend I'm in jail. If I'm in jail, time is of no
consequence. In other words, if it takes a week to cut this, it'll take
a week. What else have I got to do? I'm going to be here for twenty
years. See? This is a kind of mental trick. Otherwise you say, 'My God,
it's not working,' and then you make mistakes. My way, you say time is
of absolutely no consequence."

Despite the carefree air that many creative people affect, most of them
work late into the night and persist when less driven individuals would
not. Vasari wrote in 1550 that when Renaissance painter Paolo Uccello
was working out the laws of visual perspective, he would walk back and
forth all night, muttering to himself: "What a beautiful thing is this
perspective!" while his wife called him back to bed with no success.

4. Creative people alternate between imagination and fantasy, and a
rooted sense of reality. Great art and great science involve a leap of
imagination into a world that is different from the present. The rest of
society often views these new ideas as fantasies without relevance to
current reality. And they are right. But the whole point of art and
science is to go beyond what we now consider real and create a new
reality. At the same time, this "escape" is not into a never-never land.
What makes a novel idea creative is that once we see it, sooner or later
we recognize that, strange as it is, it is true.

Most of us assume that artists-musicians, writers, poets, painters-are
strong on the fantasy side, whereas scientists, politicians, and
businesspeople are realists. This may be true in terms of day-to-day
routine activities. But when a person begins to work creatively, all
bets are off.

5. Creative people tend to be both extroverted and introverted. We're
usually one or the other, either preferring to be in the thick of crowds
or sitting on the sidelines and observing the passing show. In fact, in
psychological research, extroversion and introversion are considered the
most stable personality traits that differentiate people from each other
and that can be reliably measured. Creative individuals, on the other
hand, seem to exhibit both traits simultaneously.

6. Creative people are humble and proud at the same time. It is
remarkable to meet a famous person who you expect to be arrogant or
supercilious, only to encounter self-deprecation and shyness instead.
Yet there are good reasons why this should be so. These individuals are
well aware that they stand, in Newton's words, "on the shoulders of
giants." Their respect for the area in which they work makes them aware
of the long line of previous contributions to it, putting their own in
perspective. They're also aware of the role that luck played in their
own achievements. And they're usually so focused on future projects and
current challenges that past accomplishments, no matter how outstanding,
are no longer very interesting to them. At the same time, they know that
in comparison with others, they have accomplished a great deal. And this
knowledge provides a sense of security, even pride.

7. Creative people, to an extent, escape rigid gender role
stereotyping. When tests of masculinity/femininity are given to young
people, over and over one finds that creative and talented girls are
more dominant and tough than other girls, and creative boys are more
sensitive and less aggressive than their male peers.

This tendency toward androgyny is sometimes understood in purely sexual
terms, and therefore it gets confused with homosexuality. But
psychological androgyny is a much wider concept referring to a person's
ability to be at the same time aggressive and nurturant, sensitive and
rigid, dominant and submissive, regardless of gender. A psychologically
androgynous person in effect doubles his or her repertoire of responses.
Creative individuals are more likely to have not only the strengths of
their own gender but those of the other one, too.

8. Creative people are both rebellious and conservative. It is
impossible to be creative without having first internalized an area of
culture. So it's difficult to see how a person can be creative without
being both traditional and conservative and at the same time rebellious
and iconoclastic. Being only traditional leaves an area unchanged;
constantly taking chances without regard to what has been valued in the
past rarely leads to novelty that is accepted as an improvement. The
artist Eva Zeisel, who says that the folk tradition in which she works
is "her home," nevertheless produces ceramics that were recognized by
the Museum of Modern Art as masterpieces of contemporary design. This is
what she says about innovation for its own sake:

"This idea to create something is not my aim. To be different is a
negative motive, and no creative thought or created thing grows out of a
negative impulse. A negative impulse is always frustrating. And to be
different means 'not like this' and 'not like that.' And the 'not
like'-that's why postmodernism, with the prefix of 'post,' couldn't
work. No negative impulse can work, can produce any happy creation. Only
a positive one."

But the willingness to take risks, to break with the safety of
tradition, is also necessary. The economist George Stigler is very
emphatic in this regard: "I'd say one of the most common failures of
able people is a lack of nerve. They'll play safe games. In innovation,
you have to play a less safe game, if it's going to be interesting. It's
not predictable that it'll go well."

9. Most creative people are very passionate about their work, yet
they can be extremely objective about it as well. Without the passion,
we soon lose interest in a difficult task. Yet without being objective
about it, our work is not very good and lacks credibility. Here is how
the historian Natalie Davis puts it:

"I think it is very important to find a way to be detached from what you
write, so that you can't be so identified with your work that you can't
accept criticism and response, and that is the danger of having as much
affect as I do. But I am aware of that and of when I think it is
particularly important to detach oneself from the work, and that is
something where age really does help."

10. Creative people's openness and sensitivity often exposes them to
suffering and pain, yet also to a great deal of enjoyment. Most would
agree with Rabinow's words: "Inventors have a low threshold of pain.
Things bother them." A badly designed machine causes pain to an
inventive engineer, just as the creative writer is hurt when reading bad
prose.

Being alone at the forefront of a discipline also leaves you exposed and
vulnerable. Eminence invites criticism and often vicious attacks. When
an artist has invested years in making a sculpture, or a scientist in
developing a theory, it is devastating if nobody cares.

Deep interest and involvement in obscure subjects often goes unrewarded,
or even brings on ridicule. Divergent thinking is often perceived as
deviant by the majority, and so the creative person may feel isolated
and misunderstood.

Perhaps the most difficult thing for creative individuals to bear is the
sense of loss and emptiness they experience when, for some reason, they
cannot work. This is especially painful when a person feels his or her
creativity drying out.

Yet when a person is working in the area of his of her expertise,
worries and cares fall away, replaced by a sense of bliss. Perhaps the
most important quality, the one that is most consistently present in all
creative individuals, is the ability to enjoy the process of creation
for its own sake. Without this trait, poets would give up striving for
perfection and would write commercial jingles, economists would work for
banks where they would earn at least twice as much as they do at
universities, and physicists would stop doing basic research and join
industrial laboratories where the conditions are better and the
expectations more predictable.

I would love to hear your views on this article. E-mail me at sways@sankofastudio.com or post your comment.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Obama and Family Paper Dolls!



Dover Publications has created the Barack Obama Paper Doll collection which not only features the Senator but his wife Michelle Obama and their two beautiful daughters.

The clothes designed for the dolls are authentically displayed as the actual clothes worn by the family during the campaign.

What I found intriguing was included in the set is a "Election Night Scoreboard" which the user can score per state the number of electoral votes being cast for either Obama or McCain. How nifty.

This Collectible Campaign Edition Paper Doll Set is available from Dover Publications for only $7.99. Click here http://store.doverpublications.com/0486469786.html to order!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

DC UPTOWN MAGAZINE'S H List!



Folks, the Fall 2008 edition of DC Uptown Magazine places my name-Sherry Burton Ways-on their HOT List! Not sure what I did to deserve it but I welcome the good energy it brings all the same. If you are in the DC area find a magazine at one the finer retail outlets. If you purchase the magazine at grocery store or other outlet the names will be different.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Legacy of Home Obama for America Art Studio Tour, Sunday, September 28, 2008




Folks! I am not in this one but a lot of my friends are. Come out and support the DC Black Artists as they fundraise for the Obama Campaign

OPEN STUDIO ART SALE
The Legacy of Hope
Obama for America Campaign

40 celebrated artists from the DC/Baltimore area are opening their studios to the public on Sunday, September 28, 2008. An “Art for Obama” event to raise money.
11:00 am - 5:00 pm.

20% OF SALES PROCEEDS WILL BE DONATED TO THE OBAMA FOR AMERICA CAMPAIGN IN THE NAME OF THE PURCHASER. DONATION BY CHECK ONLY.

Throughout history, Art has been used as a vehicle for social and political change. We want to add our voices to a "change we can believe in." The event offers art lovers and collectors the unique opportunity to visit and view the works of various artists in their own studios. The public will be able to purchase original paintings, prints, wearable art, textiles, jewelry, ceramics, photography, sculpture and much more while supporting the campaign.

FOR A DETAILED MAP REGISTRATION and TO LEARN ABOUT EACH ARTIST AND LOCATE THEIR STUDIO
FEATURED GO TO

http://badcartforobama-emailinvite.eventbrite.com/?invite=NzYxNjAvc3dheXNAc2Fua29mYXN0dWRpby5jb20vMQ%3D%3D%0A

Artists

Akili Ron Anderson,Cynthia Sands
Amber Robles-Gordon, Bruce McNeil, Ben Belghachi, Aziza Gibson-Hunter
Chinedu Osuchukwu, Julee,
Daniel Brookings, Gomillion,
Harlee Little, James Brown,
Audrey Brown, Jeffrey McCauley,
John Henderson, LaShell Rivers,
Marc Williams, Michael Platt,
Prellei Williams, Prudence Bond,
Rosetta DeBerardinis, Stan Squirewell, Virginia Greene, Anne Bouie,
Ben Belghachi, Phoebe Farris,
Francine Haskins, Josh Isaac,
Gloria Kirk, Harlee Little,
Juliette Madison, Gwendolyn Aqui,
Christopher Randolph, Darnella Davis, James Roland, Carol Porter,
Anne Marie Evans

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Doll Photos Published in Soft Dolls And Animals Magazine



Greetings folks! I recently submitted photos of some of my dolls for the Call for Dolls of Color for the November 2008 edition of Soft Dolls and Animals Magazine. The magazine shows beautiful dolls of different nationalities. I submitted three photos of my dolls and they all were accepted! Check out pages 44-45 of the publication to see the photos of the dolls that I submitted.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

My Dolls Will Be Featured In Upcoming Book "Black Dolls: A Comprehensive Guide to Celebrating, Collecting and Experiencing the Passion"



Hello All,

Great news! My first doll publishing debut! A few of my selected dolls will be featured among numerous in the soon to be released, FULL COLOR "BLACK DOLLS: A Comprehensive Guide to Celebrating, Collecting, and Experiencing the Passion" By Debbie Behan Garrett.

I was so excited last June when Debbie Garrett contacted me to feature a couple of my cloth dolls in her forthcoming book! Ms. Garrett is also the author of the previously released "Definitive Guide to Collecting Black Dolls."

This book celebrates over 1000 modern and historic black dolls and their makers/collectors. According to the book website:

"Doll genres celebrated, referenced, and valued include early dolls and memorabilia, cloth, fashion, manufactured, artist, one-of-a-kind, celebrity, and paper dolls. ‘A to Z Tips on Collecting,’ ‘Doll Creativity,’ and loads of ‘Added Extras’ will entertain, enlighten, excite, and encourage the most discriminating collector."

Contact the author to preorder your autographed copy today through http://blackdollcollecting.com/

Monday, August 18, 2008

Mark Your Calendars: PGAA Pieces of A Dream Exhibit



Folks! My next exhibition is the PGAA Pieces of A Dream weekend exhibition at Annie's Gallery in Camp Springs, MD, September 5-6, 2008. I will be showcasing the introduction of my dream dolls! More info to come!

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

An Evening At the Honfluer!

Artist James Terrell croons for the audience
Artist Wesley Clark proudly displays an art piece.

Twin Sister Sharon Burton (left) with Gallery Director Amy Cavanaugh and yours truly.


Artist James Terrell with one of his great pieces!
The young men of Life Pieces to Master Pieces created this gem!
Here I am with the debut of the Three Divas- Mixed Media art dolls!
The Ways' Men Howard W. Ways, II (my father in law)left, Kirt Ways (my brother in law) center and Howard W. Ways, III my beloved husband of 11 years and greatest supporter of me and my work, right.


Saturday evening, August 9th was a wonderful evening for my coming out exhibition at the East of the River Artist Exhibition at the Honfluer Gallery in Anacostia, Washington, DC. You would not know that we were in the deepest section of the "dangerous" southeast with what looked like a couple hundred well wishers, artists, and collectors who came out to support the show. I was very excited and pleased to be exhibiting in my first curated art exhibition for any gallery since I started publicly showing my art pieces.

Anacostia's gallery for contemporary art, Honfleur Gallery, celebrates its Second Annual East of the River Exhibition, which opened 7pm on August 9th 2008. Site specific installation, photography, painting, mixed media sculpture, collage, prints, drawings, written & spoken-word and functional craft demonstrate the broad range of the works in the show. Exhibitors range from emerging to seasoned professional artists.

I was pleased that my sister and art consultant, Sharon J. Burton was in attendance, as well as my husband Howard, my brother in law Kirt, who resides in Japan, as well as my father in law were in attendance.

My mentor and friend Francine Haskins was in attendance as well as one of my doll workshop colleagues Kim. Sharon Keyers Jackson mixed media fiber artist and member of the Prince George's County Artist Association as well as Wanda Aikens, Executive Director of the Ward 7 Arts Collaborative, of which I am a Board Member were also in attendance.

The East of the River collection depicts both a look through the artist's lens at this region, and expressions emanating from experiences living in Anacostia. Vibrant hues and energetic abstractions from painters Wesley Clark, Lance Wiggs and Stephen Terrell reflect an upbeat and positive vibe. More somber topics and probing issues, such as youth violence, racism, and gender issues are explored by Howard Fleming, Amber Robles Gordon and Gilbert Trent. Other artists reference the dichotomy of African heritage and modern American culture, reflected in digital images by Bruce McNeil, mixed media collage by Beatrice Martin, sculpture by Anne Bouie and pencil drawings by Malik Lloyd. Dominic Bracco seeks to uncover the day to day lives of youth in the area in a collection of documentary photographs. The artwork in East of the River exposes a fascinating, insightful cross section of thoughts, feelings and concerns.

Artists in East of the River include: Randall C. Holloway, Stephen James Terrell, Kerry Richardson, Kamala Subramanian, Douglas Eatmon, Martha Jackson Jarvis, Matthew Mann, Dominic Bracco, Sherry Ways, Anne Bouie, Marcia Greene, Fred Joiner, Malik Lloyd, Bruce McNeil, Lance Wiggs, Wesley Clark, Brian Martin, Amber Robles-Gordon, Beatrice Martin, Craig Vaughn, Howard Fleming, and Gilbert Trent. The exhibit was juried by Carl Cole (Ward 8 Commissioner, DC Commission for the Arts and Humanities), Kim Ward (Director, Washington Project for the Arts), Juanita Britton (Anacostia Art Gallery), Andrea Hope (ARCH) and Briony Evans (Honfleur Gallery). This exhibition was made possible through the generosity and support of the Morris and Gwendolyn Caftritz Foundation.

I was proud and excited to be included among some of the best artists in East Washington and in the region as a whole.

2008 Doll and Teddy Bear Expo-Washington, DC


Ethidolls representatives proudly display their new ethnic dolls!






On Saturday, August 9th I attended the 2008 Doll and Teddy Bear Expo in NW Washington, DC. This was my first time attending and I was in awe of the many dolls shown in the various categories. The majority of the dolls shown were either porcilean or ceramic. These are the kind of dolls that boutique toy stores would sell or serious collectors would want to buy. I browsed around the expo with interest snapping photos of dolls that were of interest to me. I wandered over the Ethidolls display and spoke with representatives about their ethnic doll line. What intrigued me about their product is that their African doll series are thoroughly researched right down to the fabric and clothing their dolls wear. In addition, they discussed how their dolls are manufactured and that most major doll manufacturers tend to place a light color over their dolls that can be easily scratched off.

I observed a number of ethnic dolls, in particular, African American dolls in the show. This tells me that there are a lot of collectors and the market is ripe for these kinds of dolls. This is encouraging.