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DIXON – The Crystal Cork Art Quarterly presents its nineth quarterly show including it's first installation artwork, "Attitudes- Feeling the Breeze", a series of handmade paper sculptures by sculptor, Dawn Wohlford-Metallo. Opening reception is Saturday, August 14, 6 – 8 p.m. at The Crystal Cork Wine Shoppe, 219 West First Street, Dixon, IL, Free. 815-285-3496. The show runs August 7, 2010 – October 31, 2010.

Sculptural paper artist Dawn Wohlford-Metallo has created a special installation for the quarterly designed for and installed on the ceiling of The Crystal Cork Wine Shoppe. She visited the gallery over a year ago to get a feel for what she could design for the space.

"This is the first show of it's kind for the quarterly", states Lisa Higby LeFevre, CCAQ coordinator. "We are really excited that Dawn has designed a piece specifically for the gallery".

Dawn has an extensive background in papermaking. She first learned how to make paper at a workshop in New York City during the National Art Educator's conference in 1983. She then went back to Northeast Missouri State University and read everything she could find about handmade paper and experimented as much as possible without any real equipment. With a Bachelors degree in hand, she decided to go west and learn from the "man who wrote the book." Upon arrival at Arizona State University, she discovered that Jules Heller was taking a sabbatical that semester, so she would have to trust John Risseeuw to impart this wisdom. It turned out that Risseeuw was also a nationally known papermaker and he taught everything from the history of papermaking to how to make a perfect sheet of paper and so much more. After an intensive (and wet) semester in the paper lab, Dawn headed to Colorado where she became an apprentice to internationally known papermaker, Raymond Tomasso. There, she assisted in the production of paper for another famous artist, R.C. Gorman and produced 150 sheets of nearly identical denim papers for a limited edition book, Strange Papers, which was assembled and bound in Germany. Once she had established residency in Colorado, she became a graduate student at the University of Colorado in Boulder where she obtained an MFA in sculpture in 1988. Ten years later, she moved back to her roots in Iowa where she is currently the Visual Arts Director for Quad City Arts, cares for her home & family and works on her art every chance she gets. The recent addition of a Hollander Beater handmade in New Zealand makes papermaking easier and even more fun.

"Attitudes" is a series of handmade paper sculptures, both wall hanging and installed on the ceiling. Through the use of handmade paper and a variety of other materials, Dawn creates three dimensional representations of ideas, feelings or actions. In her installation, "Feeling the Breeze", Dawn wanted to evoke memories of a breezy summer day. The sheets of paper become sheets on a clothesline, flapping lazily in the breeze triggering memories of rustling leaves,. voices of children playing, chirping birds, and the music of the ice cream truck.

"Wind Dance" is also about visually capturing the wind. Whether this piece is actually moving or not, the cascading elements remind us of leaves falling from a tree, being scooped back up and tossed again.

Her static pieces disclose attitudes or feelings she has toward certain situations. "Listen More, Talk Less" reveals how Dawn feels about people who never seem to stop talking. In some pieces, the use of specific materials, such as shredded currency, provides another layer of meaning to the work. While she hopes the visual aspects of her work are enjoyable, the titles are important for a full understanding of the content.

On her work, she states, "The art I create reflects my life. Each piece requires a great deal of planning and goes through many time intensive stages before ready to present. I enjoy each stage of the process. After all, it's the journey that makes life interesting, not just the destination".

The Crystal Cork Art Quarterly is a cooperative endeavor between the people at The Crystal Cork, Trein's Jewelry, Tangibles, and Distinctive Gardens. With a strong historical community tradition supporting the arts, we add to the existing culture by providing a visual arts venue offering quarterly exhibitions of area and regional artists. Information online at: www.distinctivegardensinc.com/ccaq.html