The next juried artist on display in the Arts Depot’s 20th Anniversary season is Margaret Gregg of Abingdon, Virginia. This exhibit, entitled “Seasonings”, opens on April 18, 2010 and is made possible by the gracious co-sponsorship of A Likely Yarn knitting and crocheting shop of Abingdon. A meet the artist reception will be held on Sunday April 18, 2010 from 2 - 4 pm. This reception is free and open to the public. The exhibit will continue through June 5, 2010.

Why does Margaret call her exhibit “Seasonings? Actually, she says “the seasons called me. I heard them as if for the first time. It came to me as I found silence and refuge on the Creeper Trail. How could I not observe and wonder at the splendor and surprise during frequent journeys by foot or bicycle… friendly persons along the way as well as deer, cats, dogs, snakes, squirrels, horses. This was a gift to me, a new resident of Abingdon, during a time of personal transition that mixed the traumatic and the tender. One phase of ‘Seasonings’ is textile construction and other media. The other dimension is an installation composed of hundreds of contributed worn out well used garden gloves which honor the caring, strong work that goes into planting and tending the gifts earth provides. I am mindful of these words: be all around us in your beauty, good God…and let the work of our hands be lasting. (A Dutch translation of Psalm 90:17)”

As a child, Margaret liked to decorate. In the 1950’s, as a Glenmary Sister, she started to create designs and liturgical banners. This led to the opportunity to study art at Mt. St. Joseph College near Cincinnati, Ohio. Afterwards, she continued to design, decorate, and create both two and three dimensional structures. Over the years, Margaret worked in theatre, film and video, painting, silk screen printing, sculpture, textile constructions, mixed media, installations, layout and design. All of these experiences influence each other and opened up new areas of exploration. Sculpture, silk screen, and textile construction influenced her theatre projects, layout and design influenced her film and video work. Margaret is well in tune with her surroundings and continues to fuel her passion for creating her works through conversation (in and outside herself), listening, and surprises. She is continually learning through interaction with all the people and energies around her.

Living in Appalachia as well as in Lithuania, from which her ancestors migrated, has opened Margaret to cultural realities remarkably different from her Chicago childhood. Appalachia taught her to quilt and to collaborate. Lithuania let her engage with her family roots, and also with politically aware art students at a time of revolution. As an artist engaged in many expressive projects and processes over the years, Margaret now finds that "aging gives me new challenges and choices. I want to focus on the spiraling pilgrimage of my own art life within communities. These shared journeys warrant exploration, experimentation — and, most of all, celebration!”

The Depot Artists Association is a non-profit volunteer organization that operates the Arts Depot and is dedicated to promoting the arts in the community and features the region’s artists. The Arts Depot is located in the historic Depot Square area of downtown Abingdon, VA. The gallery and artists studios are open for your viewing pleasure Thursday thru Saturday, 11-3 pm, or by appointment. There is no admission charge. For further information, please contact the Arts Depot at (276) 628-9091, or e-mail at abingdonartsdepot@abingdon.com, or visit their web site at www.abingdonartsdepot.org. The Association is supported in part by grants from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.