WHO: Standing Rock Cultural Arts
WHAT: “Dryads” Art Exhibition
-The 6th Annual Environmental Art Show
-In conjunction with the Who’s Your Mama? Earth Day Festival
-curated by Vince Packard
-paintings, masks, sculpture by Vince Packard, Ursula Rauh, Rebecca
Urbanski, Bernadette Glorioso, Krisztina Hajnalka, Robert Anderson
-Music by special guests at the Opening Reception
WHEN: Saturday, April 5, 2008 Opening Reception
-Show runs through May 3
WHERE: North Water Street Gallery, 257 N. Water St., Kent
CONTACT: 330-673-4970
GALLERY HOURS: Thursday-Saturday 1-5pm or by appointment.
www. standingrock. net for updates
ABOUT DRYADS:
Dryads are female tree spirits in Greek mythology. In Greek drys
signifies ‘oak,’ from an Indo-European root *derew(o)- ‘tree’ or ‘wood.’
Thus dryads are specifically the nymphs of oak trees, though the term
has come to be used for all tree nymphs in general. “Such deities are
very much overshadowed by the divine figures defined through poetry and
cult,” Walter Burkert remarked of Greek nature deities (Burkert 1986,
p174). Normally considered to be very shy creatures, except around the
goddess Artemis who was known to be a friend to most nymphs
Dryads and hamadryads are two types of wood nymphs in Greek mythology.
These female nature spirits were thought to inhabit trees and forests,
and they were especially fond of oak trees.
Dryads were often depicted in myth and art accompanied – or being
pursued by – their male counterparts, the satyrs.
There are many stories of dryads in myth and legend. One famous dryad
was Eurydice, the beautiful but ill-fated wife of Orpheus. According to
the tale, Eurydice was killed by a snake when she tried to escape from
the unwelcome amorous advances of Aristaeus. The fact that a dryad such
as Eurydice could die demonstrates the idea that these nymphs were not
immortal. And indeed, the hamadryads were even more vulnerable, for it
was believed that their lives depended on the health and well-being of
the trees they inhabited. The myth of Erysichthon illustrates this point.
Thank you for supporting the Arts,
Standing Rock Cultural Arts
257 N. Water St.
Kent, OH 44240
330-673-4970
info@standingrock.net
