July 12, 1996
Contact: Ann Marie Deer Owens, (615) 322-2706
"Windeyes" exhibit of stained glass panels
opens at Kennedy Center
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- "Windeyes," an exhibit of stained glass
panels by Michael Pilla, a Minnesota artist who has a long-standing interest
in children with disabilities, will be on display at the John F. Kennedy
Center July 15 through Sept. 30.
A public reception to honor Pilla will be held July 17, from 4:30 to 6 p.m.,
in the foyer of the Kennedy Center's MRL Building on the Peabody campus.
Pilla is nationally known for his unique combination of contemporary designs
and jewelry-like craftsmanship in stained glass windows. His projects have
been installed and exhibited in 12 states, Canada and Bermuda.
The title of the exhibit is derived from "windeye," an old Norwegian
word for window. It referred to an opening in a building that let in light
and fresh air but also revealed the soul of the building. The exhibit provides
an interpretation of the inner qualities of children and adults with disabilities,
their pursuit of opportunities for a better life and their search for dignity,
according to Travis Thompson, director of the Kennedy Center.
Pilla designed and executed a window for the chapel of the Courage Center,
a rehabilitation treatment facility for children with physical and cognitive
disabilities in Golden Valley, Minn. He received recognition from the Office
of the Governor of Minnesota for his window for a children's hospice in
St. Paul, Minn. He also rendered in glass a design created by a young woman
with severe mental retardation, which was subsequently exhibited at the
Minnesota Museum of Art in St. Paul, Minn.
This is the 10th in a series of exhibits sponsored by the Kennedy Center
of art work dedicated to or created by people with developmental disabilities
or who are at risk for disabilities. The Kennedy Center is grateful to the
Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission for a grant in partial support of
this exhibit.
Visitors are welcome to view the exhibit Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m.
to 5:30 p.m. For more information, call 322-8240.
-VU-
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