Artist to speak at BC Feb. 8

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Artist to speak at BC Feb. 8

Posted Monday, January 18, 2010

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The Brazosport College Art Gallery is proud to announce the appearance on Feb. 8 of artist Valerie Hellermann, world traveler and student of Buddhism.

Hellermann’s appearance comes in conjunction with her show, titled “Witness – Culture in Peril,” currently on display at the BC Art Gallery. The show will run through Feb. 28.

Hellermann is a life-long advocate of peace and social justice and these socially relevant themes inform her art work, primarily through the media of photography and clay. Her work exposes the viewer to issues of oppression and social injustice while offering hope inspired by the wit and wisdom of the Buddhist view on the nature of reality.

A reception for Hellermann will be held from 1 to 4 p.m., on Feb. 8, in the BC Art Gallery, during which time she will discuss her art. At 5:30 p.m., Hellermann will present a talk on cultural oppression, specifically in relation to the current situation for Tibetans in exile and in Chinese claimed Tibet. This talk will be held in the Arnold and Janice Seidule Drama Theater (BC Drama Theater, L100).

Her presentation will reflect upon the Tibetan people’s 50 years of oppression, their struggles, their independence and the preservation of their rich, spiritual culture—a culture that is facing potential extinction.

Hellermann has been a student of Tibetan Buddhism since 1974 and has explored art all of her life. She has earned the opportunity of attending the teachings of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in Dharamshala, India on several occasions. Currently, Hellermann works as a program manager for the Tibetan Children’s Education Foundation, an NGO working for the benefit of Tibetan refugees and Tibetans living under the occupation of the PROC.

Her exhibitions have appeared in more than 20 locations around the country since 2001. A few selected collections include the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts; Foshan Ceramic Museum, Foshan, PROC; Sanbao International Ceramic Institute and the Jingdezhen Porcelain Sculpture Factory.

Hellerman currently lives in the Helena Valley, in Montana, with her husband, four children and three dogs.