AWA Exhibit in Sorrento, Italy
September 20 - October 8, 2000

Combine beautiful art with a dazzling Mediterranean setting. Stir with the collective exuberance of 22 of America's finest women artists, and you have the recipe for one of last year's most exciting art exhibitions. Held in the fall of 2000, The American Women Artists Show in Sorrento, Italy, was the first international exhibition of works by members and guest artists of AWA, a highly professional organization of women painters and sculptors who have joined forces to promote and broaden recognition for themselves and all women in the arts.

The three week exhibit, (which ran from September 20 through October 8,) was coordinated as a joint effort of the City of Sorrento, and the Santa Fe Sister Cities Exchange, an organization which strives to provide cultural experiences which transcend international boundaries. Participating artists included Joy Kroeger Beckner, Nancy Boren, Nancy Bush, Beth Carver, Christine Debrosky, Barbara Garvin, Donna Howell-Sickles, Pam Ingalls-Cox, McCreery Jordon, Cammie Lundeen, Joan Marron-LaRue, Sherrie McGraw, Vel Miller, Kate Palmer, Joan Potter, Rosetta, Sandy Scott, Shirley Thomson Smith, Roxanne Swentzell, Linda Tippetts, Susanne Vertel and Star Liana York.

One of the greatest attractions was the show's diversity (both in terms of artistic style and mediums.) Entrees included landscapes, portraiture, still lifes, florals and 3-dimensional works of bronze and clay. Rosetta, one of the exhibiting sculptors, underscored the fact that none of the 36 pieces were for sale since the collection was curated primarily to show the caliber of art currently being created by American women.

The show was held in a beautiful, old stone building in the heart of the city known as the Cloisters. AWA member, Linda Tippetts, describes the setting. "To reach the exhibition area, which had a wonderfully secluded feel, you descended a stairway and passed through an arch opening onto a lushly landscaped courtyard. Other intricately detailed arches supported covered walkways which encompassed the central gardens. Our paintings hung along these walkways while sculptures were placed here and there on the wide stone walls which ran between the arches."

Member Sherri McGraw emphasized the tremendous support AWA received from both the Santa Fe Sister Cities Organization and the City of Sorrento. "The representatives from Sorrento made it into a truly significant event highlighted by strolling musicians and even a fireworks display. Larry Delgado and Marco Fiorentino, the mayors of Santa Fe and Sorrento respectively, and Clyde Bishop, the vice-consulate of the American Embassy in Naples, were all in attendance at the opening reception on September 22." Tippetts noted, "Not only did we have a tremendous turn out of local citizens, but the show must have been well publicized in other areas for we had visitors not only from Italy, but from all over Europe including England, France, and Belgium."

In retrospect, it was felt that the exhibition enriched the lives of both the artists and the myriad of viewers who were given the opportunity to experience American art. Donna Howell-Sickles, this year's co-chairman of AWA, stated, "Not only were we able to curate a beautiful show and make dozens of new friends, but most importantly, members were able to get to know one another better by sharing time together. AWA members have always been united by our dedication to our artwork, but now we were able to bond on a personal level as well."