Flight in Fabric: The Hummingbirds of Adrienne Yorinks
Summit – Reeves-Reed Arboretum announces the extension of Flight in Fabric: the Hummingbirds of Adrienne Yorinks through September 16. This exhibition uses a playful and colorful mix of fabrics cut in intricate, geometric shapes to depict nature’s tiniest acrobats of flight. Each textile painting is both delicate and vibrant showing off the petite size and beauty of each hummingbird. The paintings were created to illustrate Ms. Yorinks’ most recent book, Hummingbirds: Facts and Folklore from the Americas. Yorinks’ paintings can be seen in Wisner House at the Arboretum on Tuesday – Friday between 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.
The Flight continues with an adaption of Ms. Yorinks’ work into a sculpture for the grounds by Dan Kalb of Expressions in Metal, Lake Villa, Illinois. Kalb is known for his metal fabrications adapting artists work which are exhibited at public gardens and arboretums around the country, including Morton Arboretum and the Chicago Botanical Garden. The adaptation is a striking red daylily created of painted steel with an aluminum ruby throated hummingbird dipping into the center. The sculpture will remain on the Arboretum grounds permanently as a part of the Wesson Family Nature Grove.
Yorinks grew up on Staten Island and now lives in Short Hills, New Jersey. She began her love of textiles and art as a child but her career as a professional visual artist came after working in animal behavior with Vilas Zoo followed by teaching dance therapy and psychodrama. Her first forays were in fabric design and book illustration using her textile paintings. She is represented in private collections around the world and numerous museums, including The National Geographic Exhibition Gallery in Washington, D.C.; the Museum of the American Quilter’s Society, Paducah, KY; and the Roberson Museum, Binghamton, NY. She was also included in the 2007 Florence Biennale and the 2010 US Artists Biennale.
Every facet of my work stems from color, in all its saturation: fabrics, their smell and texture; and content, its driving impact, be it political or emotional.” Artist Statement, summer 2010.
Reeves-Reed Arboretum is the only public garden and one of the largest green spaces in the City of Summit. It is the only arboretum in Union County. The Arboretum seeks to engage, educate and enrich its visitors so they may become better stewards of nature and the environment. This mission is achieved through the care and utilization of an historic estate and gardens. Reeves-Reed Arboretum is listed on both the National and New Jersey Historic Registries. For more information, please visit the website at www.reeves-reedarboretum.org.