Mixed media artwork on display at museum

April 3, 2018

An exhibit called “I Contain Multitudes,” featuring mixed media artworks by Madara Mason, is on display in the Café Gallery at the University of Alaska Museum of the North through June.

The large paintings combine paper, beads, fabric and even written correspondence in a reflection of the handicraft traditions the artist inherited from the women in her family. They also include elements of her personal landscape and perspectives.

Mason said her mixed media pieces reference the theme of identity. They reflect her environment and women's work, among others.

"It's not an obvious or overt theme, but the handicraft traditions I inherited from the women in my family are all there: quilt making, beading, china painting, dressmaking, flower arranging and decoupage," she said. "Each of these pieces is meant to reveal themselves fully over time. They're pretty packed with minutiae that I've woven together according to a personal narrative, but I think a story will emerge for anyone who looks at the pieces long enough."

Mason is an instructor for the UAF Art Department and works as a faculty development coordinator for UAF eLearning and Distance Education.

This presentation is part of a rotating schedule of exhibits in the coming year featuring UAF adjunct artists. For more information about the museum’s exhibits and events, visit the website at www.uaf.edu/museum or call 474-7505.