Sankofa Doll Artistry's Sherry Burton-Ways in Liberated Muse Art Exhibit in DC

(in photo: Sherry Burton-Ways piece "Cherished", featured in the Liberated Muse art exhibit at the Potter's House)

Sherry Burton-Ways, a Washington, DC-based art doll and mixed media artist creates straight from the soul. Ways is a self-taught emerging artist, born in the “City of Brotherly Love”, Philadelphia, PA and raised in rural upstate New York, her imagination and artwork began to evolve slowly. She began working with cloth dolls four years ago after participating in a doll making workshop with notable Washington, DC textile artist Francine Haskins.

Her mixed media work consists of creating meaningful images by bringing together the figurative form of One of a Kind (OOAK) mixed media dolls into a two dimensional textural form on canvas, watercolor paper or other surface as part of a collage. In her work, Ways intricately sews her mixed media art dolls using advanced techniques; others are fused collage with top-stitching, painting, beading or other embellishments. Burton-Ways uses various fabrics, particularly, batiks and African fabric, as her base medium in all her mixed media work. Adding other media such as paper, yarn, Popsicle sticks, canvas pieces, wire, pipe cleaners, photography, watercolor, acrylic paint, beads, metals, crowie shells and most recently spray paint to this base.
Burton-Ways artistic style is influenced by her personal spiritual journey, racism, the feminist movement, and urban life. African and African American folk art movements are also evident in her work.

Her work have recently been published in “Black Dolls: A Comprehensive Guide to Celebrating, Collecting and Experiencing the Passion” by Debbie Behan Garrett, Doll Castle News Magazine and Soft Dolls and Animals Magazine. Recently, Burton-Ways has been asked to contribute to another book by another nationally known doll artist. Burton-Ways is a former Board member of the Ward 7 Arts Collaborative, in Washington, DC; a member of the Advisory Committee of the Honfluer Gallery in Washington, DC and also serves as a Patron member of the National Institute of American Doll Artists (NIADA).

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Visit Sherry on http://www.liberatedmuse.com/ to view more photos and read more about her by clicking HERE

Visit her work in the current Liberated Muse art exhibit at the Potter's House in Washington, DC @
The Potter's House
1658 Columbia Rd NW
Washington, DC
The art exhibit is curated by Sharon Burton of Authentic Contemporary Art. The artwork is from artists from the book Liberated Muse Volume I: How I Freed My Soul and the network www.LiberatedMuse.com. The exhibit runs from Sept. 11-Dec. 1

Double Vision: Twin Artists Hold Exhibit Reception in Maryland this Weekend

(In photo: Emancipation of Rachel by Sherry Burton-Ways)

Twin sisters, Sharon J. Burton and Sherry Burton-Ways, will hold an art exhibit of collages and mixed media, entitled “Double Visions,” from November 18, 2008, through January 3, 2009, at the Space 7:10 of Kefa Cafe,in Silver Spring, MD.

Sharon and Sherry are members of the Liberated Muse social network and prolific artists who have appeared in various exhibits throughout the United States. Their work incorporates a fusion of materials that they use in their respective art of collage and doll-making. Both artists speak to the culture and traditions of the African diaspora through their work.

There will be a special reception on Friday, December 5, from 6:30p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at which the artists will talk about their work.

The exhibit will be open Monday through Thursday from 7 am – 5 pm, Fridays from 7 am until 9 pm and Saturdays from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.The sisters’ artwork is a series of mixed media, including dolls and collages that provide a snapshot of inner thoughts and celebrates women of all cultures and backgrounds.

Burton describes her artwork as: “a series of images and words which invites the viewer to take time to escape the everyday to visualize inner hopes and dreams.” Ways says that her artwork concentrates on “the artistic and stylish side of women and the everyday quirky yet fashionable sides of life.”

Sherry Ways' studio Sankofa Doll Artistry is featured in the December issue of East of the River.

"Double Visions" special reception on Dec. 5 will feature poetry by Def Jam poet Bassey Ikpi. Ikpi will be a reviewer of the Liberated Muse Productions anthology "How I Freed My Soul" which will debut in Spring 2009. (shameless plug:-)