Syrian Exhibit is Headliner for Visual Arts Schedule in Wilmington

Art and culture lovers are heading for Wilmington, Delaware this summer. A series of art and cultural displays are putting the city on the list of serious art venues.

The most notable is Syria: Land of Civilizations. 385 statues, ceramic vases, mosaics, jewelry, and other artifacts from ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and the Cradle of Civilization will be displayed at the First USA Riverfront Arts Center from July 14- October 21.

The artifacts include a 1,950-year-old silver helmet and mask used by an ancient Syrian man for parade and battle, a mosaic of Hercules as an infant strangling two serpents, and a finely crated brooch of gold and rubies. The oldest artifact is a 1 million-year-old flint hand axe.

The artifacts come from 11 museums across Syria. The display will move to Atlanta in 2002, then return to Syria.

Running concurrently at the Riverfront Center is The Loper Tradition: The Works of Edward L. Loper Sr. And Students. The exhibition features more than 20 works by African-American artist Edward L. Loper and approximately 100 works by his students.

Age 85, Loper is a Wilmington native who used the city as one of his major subjects. Known as "The Prophet of Color," his style used jewel-like colors to create a kaleidoscope effect.

Works by 60 of Loper's students are also part of the display. Many of these are scenes of the Brandywine River and Quebec City, two more of Loper's favorite locations.

The Loper exhibit runs through August 31.

Rounding out Riverfront Center's art exhibition schedule for the year is Maritime Art America: A Celebration of Marine Art & History.

This is presented the 12th National Exhibition of the American Society of Marine Artists. It features more than 100 works by the nation's top contemporary marine artists. The subjects of the paintings and sculptures range from naval battles and submarines to tall ships, racing sailboats, wild seas, and tranquil marshes.

A satellite exhibition of painting from past ASMA shows will run at the same time at the Delaware Art Museum on Market Street in Wilmington.
Both shows are open from September 28-November 25.

The definition of revolutionary is the subject of an exhibition at the Brandywine River Museum, in Brandywine, PA. One Nation: Patriots and Pirates Portrayed by N.C.Wyeth and James Wyeth. brings together 80 drawings and paintings that challenge the definitions of 'patriot' and 'pirate,' primarily in the political arena.

The two Wyeths painted a generation apart. N.C. Wyeth was commissioned by the U.S. government to create posters showing Uncle Sam and brave fighting soldiers during World Wars I and II. He also painted illustrations of Paul Revere, George Washington, and Stonewall Jackson.

James Wyeth, his grandson, painted during Watergate and Vietnam. His paintings reflect the ambiguity of those times and the people who affected and were affected by them.

The exhibit runs through September 2.

For more information and ticket purchase for Syria: Land of Civilizations, The Loper Tradition, and Maritime Art America, contact the Riverfront Arts Center in Wilmington. 888-862-ARTS or www.riverfrontwilmongton.com.

Patriots and Pirates is at the Brandywine River Museum. Call 610-388-2700 or www.brandywinemuseum.org.
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