Bill Berry exhibition opens
February 2, 2015
Suzanne Bishop
907-474-6997
2/3/15
Drawings and prints by the late artist Bill Berry will be exhibited at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Rasmuson Library for six weeks beginning Feb. 6.
The exhibition will open with a First Friday event and book premiere at Rasmuson Library on Feb. 6 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. This is the first time many of the works will be seen by the public. The exhibition features a range of works, from quick sketches Berry made during his “Monday night sketch group” to finished prints of some of the animals he drew and studied throughout his life. Parking is free on campus after 5 p.m.
“William D. Berry Drawing Guides,” a book of guides Berry produced for his drawing classes in the late 1970s, will be premiered at the event. This new book was compiled by Berry’s sons, Mark and Paul, granddaughter Hannah, and Mark’s wife Diana, with help from artist, professor of art and UAF Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Todd Sherman. It also includes sketches and finished drawings from other works in the William D. Berry Collection at the Rasmuson Library. Proceeds from the sale of the book will support making more of Berry’s works available to the public.
Berry is perhaps best known for “An Alaskan Fairy Tale,” the large mural at Noel Wien Library. In the art world, he is widely acknowledged as one of the country’s preeminent naturalist artists. After his death in 1979, his widow, Liz Berry, gave the Rasmuson Library Alaska and Polar Regions Collections and Archives an extensive collection of his drawings, field notes, prints, paintings and other paper works. When opened to the public, the William D. Berry Papers collection will be a rich resource for artists, biologists, historians and others.
ON THE WEB: http://library.uaf.edu/apr
NOTE TO EDITORS: Images from the exhibition are available for limited publication. A brief biography and a portrait of the artist are also available.
SB/2-3-15/182-15