By Tamara Gaskin
THE ROANOKE TIMES
381-1671

It's six Blacksburg artists doing a show

Let's tackle the name first.

"HexaQuiddity,' a partially-invented word defined by artist Amy Splitt as "referring to the confluence of six unique beings,' is a special collaborative art exhibition which will open with a special reception at 8 tonight at the XYZ Art Gallery in Blacksburg.

TAMARA GASKIN | The Roanoke Times From left, Adam Wilson, Jan Downs, Jacki Covington, Amy Splitt, Pris Sears and Knic Umstead

Although each of the six local artists participating in the show appreciate the exposure their work will receive, they all view this as more than an opportunity to showcase their talent.

For these artists - who are also a tightly-knit circle of friends whose work is supported, respected and appreciated by the group as a whole - the chance to share space with one another is the most important thing.

"Hexaquiddity' consists of Splitt, Jacki Covington, Jan Downs, Pris Sears, Knic Umstead, and Adam Wilson. Between them, they've lived in Blacksburg for a total of 57 years, with several having studied at Virginia Tech.

It goes without saying that each artist's work is distinctly individual.

"I would definitely say that the people complement each other, more than the artwork,' Sears said as she arranged several of her small metal sculptures atop a pedestal earlier this week.

"Each artist's work has its own personality,' said Splitt, who primarily creates small watercolors and handmade books and currently works for the art department at Virginia Tech.

"So we'll just put them all up on the wall and let them duke it out,' she added with a smile.

However, it's this lack of cohesion that the artists appreciate most about one another's work.

"The presence of so many eclectic personalities and different mediums should make this show really unique,' said Wilson, who specializes in etched mirrors.

Along with Sears, Splitt played a major role in bringing "HexaQuiddity' to the XYZ.

Their primary motivation, along with collaborating with their friends, is the hope of restoring the somewhat weakened relationship between the gallery and the local art community.

"I had begun to notice recently that XYZ has changed and is more exclusively oriented toward student work,' explained Splitt, who began volunteering at the gallery almost immediately after coming to Blacksburg five years ago.

"Pris had the idea of having a local artists' show, something to merge XYZ back with the community.'

The pair found an ally in Beth Pacentrilli, one of the executive officers of XYZ, and soon their ideas sprouted into a full-fledged group effort.

They decided to schedule the show's opening on the first night of Virginia Tech's reading period, in the hopes of encouraging frazzled students in the midst of studying for finals to come out and take an artistic study break.

Along with the bonus of working together, the artists expressed excitement about the prospect of starting a trend which will bring the work of less-established artists to the public.

"Unless you're a student or an established artist, it's hard to find a venue,' said Downs, a respected photographer currently studying at Radford University for her master's degree in fine arts.

"I really wish that there could be more support for the art community, especially for non-professional artists.'

And for these artists, a few of whom have only recently returned to their art or haven't had a public showing in quite some time, being on the slightly less professional side leaves plenty of room for showing their work in exhibitions that they truly enjoy.

"I'm completely untrained. I just do this stuff for fun,' Wilson said of his work. "I basically decided to do "HexaQuiddity' because it was with my friends.'

Umstead also points to the group dynamic as a large part of his reason to participate.

"I like to work with the other artists. It's a good opportunity to show my work with a bunch of different people I know,' he said.

He also welcomes to the chance to showcase his art for the first time in two years.

"I've kind of lightened up a bit since then,' he said, pointing to the fact that his work has moved from wall-sized collages to smaller paintings he creates from photographs.

Laughing, he added, "I've gotten a lot better.'

Sears, whose most recent solo show was during the summer of 2000, said that the public venue the XYZ presents was a welcome change from what most local artists do to get their work shown.

"A few friends of mine are having a Christmas party and are going to show some of their work simultaneously,' she said. "You find that a lot of artists sort of do private showings like that, from their own homes.'

Covington, who plans to display several selections from her black-and-white photography repertoire, echoed this sentiment.

"There's constant room for improving the local art scene. There's already plenty of energy, and a lot of potential. There are so many artists around here, many of whom are globally renowned, but not many people really know about them,' she said.

However, Covington feels confident that "HexaQuiddity' can play a positive role in opening the door for promoting more local talent. The support that the "HexaQuiddity' artists give one another is something that she feels can be reflected throughout the Blacksburg art community.

"I feel more comfortable trying to dig out a scene for myself now' she explained.

"This is a good example of finding a community with people who work well together. We are genuinely interested in each others' work. We're all so fond of each other.'