Wings
Sylvia Betts & Barbara Irwin

By Ginger Geyer Arts Consultant to Laity Lodge

Two artists from Austin who work in different media and with distinct styles found common ground when asked to create an exhibition on a single topic of their choice. Sylvia Betts, a painter and silversmith, and Barbara Irwin, a sculptor, surveyed their work and agreed on the topic of “wings.” Both had explored images of winged creatures such as birds, insects, and angels. For this exhibit, they created some new pieces to give us a fresh look at flying. Throughout history, wings have been a sign of divinity. In the Bible, three primary meanings are attached to wings—protection, escape, and spirit. You’ll find all of these here, as well as a delightful sense of playfulness.

An art installation is itself a creative product. When putting their work together, we discovered some nice surprises: Sylvia’s woodcut “Raven in a Basket” hangs above Barbara’s stone Mexican molcajete. Notice the parallel shapes of these two, like a Nike “swoop.” When we hung Sylvia’s “Angel in the Rose Canes” behind Barbara’s caged “Bizzaro Bird,” both works seemed to be peering out of a thicket.

When we aimed a gallery light at Sylvia’s bold hanging wings, the shadow cast on the wall looked just like a dove. More associations occurred when we brainstormed with guests in the gallery. Someone mentioned Icarus, with his waxy wings melting as he sought to reach the sun. A mother who’s just sent her daughter off to college mused about the empty nest but admitted that “I am so happy for her to get her wings.” Another laughed and said, “You may wish her wings would get clipped.” One recalled the “chicken wing Mom” idiom that characterizes a mother who represses her own desires for her family’s by taking the less desirable piece of fried chicken. Someone noted that the side panels of a traditional altarpiece are called wings.

Your thoughts will fly as you look at this exhibit. Please take time to explore further with our “Gallery Guide.” It suggests ways that small groups can engage with the art. There is also a checklist of the artists’ works with information on how to contact them if you are interested in purchasing a work. Laity Lodge is grateful to Barbara and Sylvia for sharing their work with us. It reminds us to pause and look out over the river toward the bluff, where soaring wings are a frequent sight. It also brings to our ears the lyrics of a favorite hymn, On Eagles’ Wings (by Michael Joncas):

And God will raise you up on eagles’ wings
Bear you on the breath of dawn
make you shine like the sun
and hold you in the palm of God’s hand.