Sept. 30, 2004 – Sólo Arte celebrates its second anniversary this Friday, Oct. 1, with an Open Studio featuring new work by owner/artist Janet Cook-Rutnik and a sparkling wine tasting by Bellows International.
This will be the third annual Open Studio that Cook-Rutnik has hosted at Sólo Arte where she has produced the new original print series, "The Agnes Prints," which have evolved from images the artist has been working with in recent years.
Also on view for the first time are the two painting/installations that were selected for exhibition in the V Biennial of Caribbean Art in Santo Domingo last November. The theme of this Fifth edition of the Bienal del Caribe was "Perception, how we are perceived in the Caribbean and how we view ourselves."
"How we in the Caribbean are perceived, and how we perceive ourselves, is of paramount importance in these rapidly changing times marked by political chaos and economic uncertainty. This series of paintings/installations, entitled "On The Edge," makes special reference to the physical and spiritual life of the Caribbean and explores the three major viewpoints in
perception: the external world, the internal view and the random, media perspective," Rutnick said.
"In this windswept, sun-drenched, constantly changing world, where sugar cane grew and the people who cultivated it continue to live and thrive, the most important challenge to shaping the future is to perceive ourselves not as victims but as victors," she said.
The public is cordially invited to the anniversary open studio and wine tasting at Sólo Arte from 6 to 8 p.m. An artists' supper will follow at La Tapa at 8 p.m.. Please call La Tapa for reservations, 693-7755. For more information, please call Sólo Arte at 715-2150.

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