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Sunday, 06 July 2008
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Books 
Betty
LaDuke painted world is a universe in which a multitude of mythic
visions come alive in the creative female matrix. LaDuke enables us to
see the Earth, the mother, the Artists giving life, shelter, and
nurturance to all aspects of her creation throughout the many stages of
its growth.
Several years ago a mutual friend introduced Freedom from Hunger
to Betty, and we fell in love with her art so full of color and images
that capture the spirit of the women with whom we work in poverty areas
around the world. But Betty is much more than an artist. Her art is an
exquisite expression of her passionate concern for the world of people
who have been left behind or even run over by the historic rush to
"development." She takes another step by using her art to support her
social activist mission. Betty did not just allow us, she urged us to
use her works to enhance our message. Her sketches from Burkina Faso
and Ghana became the centerpiece of our annual report a few years ago,
which planted the seed for the idea of this book. 
Perhaps,
we thought, Betty could go on the road to all the regions where we work
and capture in her sketches the dignity and resilience of the people
who work so hard just to keep their families alive. Perhaps Betty could
also record her observations on how the spirit of "development" is
changing, how exciting new ways of helping people help themselves are
emerging in the most unlikely of places. I think she has succeeded
beautifully. 
In
Africa, women's passion to create is evident during times of peace as
well as war, under favorable circumstances as well as the most
difficult and dangerous imaginable. Their media of expression can be
naturally derived or imported. It can vary from monumental stone
sculpture to intricate beadwork, or from painting with mud to oil and
acrylic. The passion to decorate is evident in daily life from the
designs applied to the smallest clay bowls, to the sturdy mud walls of
their compounds where women give birth or see life pass away. These
decorations are frequently symbolic and the motifs can please as well
as reinforce shared community values. - Across the African continent,
from Timbuktu, Mali to Harare, Zimbabwe or Asmara, Eritrea, whether
women weave, sew, sketch, paint, create fabric appliqué or stone
sculptures, their art work often incorporates the duality of myth and
reality as they express their hopes, fears, humor, and frustrations. Africa Through the Eyes of Women Artists
generates energy history, contemporary ideas, and the natural elements
of expression that converge in a centrifugal purpose. The lens of women
artists and their unique frames of references provide a beautifully
treated and authentic collage of the African experience. 
"Betty
LaDuke's Africa Through the Eyes of Women Artists unusual portraits of
twelve artists from Africa and the Diaspora, makes a significant
contribution to women's studies, African diaspora studies, and art
history and cultural history. This collection of essays. which results
from sensitive interviews conducted by LaDuke with women of African
descent throughout the diaspora provides extraordinary insight into the
nature of creative expression among a group of women too long ignored
by scholars. LaDuke's pioneering and courageous effort to make visible
in this way such a diverse group of talented women deserves our
applause." Copyright 1998 - 2007 Betty LaDuke. All rights reserved. Betty LaDuke, Multicultural Images
For exhibit packing, shipping, rental fee information and scheduling, please use the following contact information.
Phone: 541-482-4562 / Fax: 541-482-2584 / E-mail: bladuke@jeffnet.org
site credits: andrea m. thein.