It’s All About Faith

New Exhibition Opening at Vista Studios/Gallery 80808, 808 Lady Street, Columbia, SC 29201  – Thurs. 5/26 through Mon. 5/31 – Opening Reception 6 – 9 pm on Thurs. 5/26     

(Columbia, SC) – It’s All About Faith, a new exhibition at Vista Studios/Gallery 80808, opens Thursday May 26^th, and runs through Monday, May 31^st.  The show features new portraits, by award-winning Columbia artist Barbie Mathis, of her daughter Faith, as well as depictions of Faith Mathis by 20 other local artists and photographers, and works created by Faith herself.

“The Faith Paintings” are a series by Barbie Mathis that celebrate the individuality and creativity of her daughter, Faith Mathis, an emerging artist who dares to be herself. These paintings and photographs will be the main feature of the show.   

Teens in the traditional south are often encouraged by society and/or their peers to conform, and to wear certain styles of clothing in order not to stand out or look different.  Faith flouts convention, and embraces sartorial styles ranging from retro-Hollywood glam to steampunk/anime, to her own unique variation on geek-chic.  This striking (and occasionally outrageous) visual “look” has made Faith a popular model in the local arts community.  She has been a featured model for “About Face” (a group of artists that share a figural model in the Columbia Museum’s studios) and “Go Figure” (a group that formerly met at Village Artists), and some 20 other artists’ and photographers’ depictions of her will be included in the exhibition, including works by Bonnie Goldberg, Susan Lenz, Anastasia Chernoff, and Michael Krajewski.  

Faith Mathis, who will also be a featured artist, is currently an Honors and AP student in Visual Arts at White Knoll High School, where she will graduate in June of this year. She has attended summer programs at the Governor’s School for the Arts, and at Tri-DAC hosted by Columbia College, where she has been offered an art scholarship to become a studio arts major in the fall.   Faith’s works include pen and ink on paper with markers or watercolors, mixed media paintings, and a series of sculptures called “My Life in Dolls.”  Additionally, she created a life-size sculpture, cast from her own body, which functions as an IPOD speaker.  Never one to stifle her opinions, Faith is a vocal advocate for arts education in public schools where she hopes to teach art some day. 

Barbie Mathis is a native of Columbia, SC, and has been working as a professional artist since 1980. Her career has constantly evolved, starting as an illustrator and designer, then becoming an acclaimed watercolorist, with an emphasis on natural subject matters and people immersed in rich, dramatic backgrounds. Barbie is a signature member of the South Carolina Watermedia Society. “How Long Must I Wait” was the first piece of “the Faith Series”, and it was included in the 2009 traveling show for SCWS.  Barbie has also exhibited in numerous shows around the state, winning various awards including 1^st Place at the Trenholm Artists Guild Show in March, 2011. Her works may be seen in private collections around the country, and online at www.BarbieMathis.com, www.BarbieMathisStudio.blogspot.com,  www.BarbieMathisStudio.Etsy.com . Listing of current venues will be on Barbie’s Blog.

       

The unique nature of this exhibition is summed up in its title: it’s all about Faith.  Faith Mathis is featured as both model (for her mother Barbie and for 20 other local artists) and as artist in her own right.

Both Barbie Mathis and Faith Mathis will be available for interviews and appearances in the weeks prior to the show’s opening, and at the venue the opening day of the event. 

It’s All About Faith will run Thursday, 5/26 through Mon. 5/31 at Vista Studios/Gallery 80808, located in the heart of the Congaree Vista at 808 Lady Street, Columbia, SC, 29201. Gallery hours are weekdays 11 am – 3 pm, Sunday 1 – 4 pm. Barbie Mathis will be on hand those days to meet the public.  An opening reception, with many of the featured artists including Barbie and Faith, will be held Thursday evening, 5/26, from 6 to 9 PM at the gallery.  

Barbie Mathis                    Anastasia Chernoff

Faith Mathis                      Michael Krajewski

Susan Lenz                       Ron Marsh

Howard Hunt                     Gail Cunningham

Bonnie Goldberg               Lauren Maurer

Roy Paschal                     Tam Hicks

Peggy Nunn                      Michael Bolin

David Phillips                    Palei Leonard

Ingrid Carson                    Renee Ittner-McManus

Karen Langley                   Rachel Parker

Jonny Mondragon             Jean Bourque

Attachments: Faith.ImagineThat.full.jpg  – “Imagine That” is an Original Watercolor Painting of Faith Mathis by Barbie Mathis