PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Fine Art Center will host a reception for “Reimagining the Intersection of Art and Environment: Exploring Natural and Repurposed Materials” from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday.
The exhibit will be on display from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays until May 26 in the center’s Esther Webster Gallery, 1203 E. Lauridsen Blvd.
“Reimagining” features more than 40 pieces by Jyoti Duwadi; the exhibit complements an installation by Duwadi in Webster’s Woods Sculpture Park.
Both Duwadi and Barbara Matilsky, the exhibit’s curator, will be at the free reception Saturday; beverages will be available for purchase from Pacific Pantry.
There will be a discussion “Coffee & Conversation with Jyoti Duwadi & Barbara Matilsky” from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday.
The artist and curator will discuss the evolution of Duwadi’s work, the curatorial process and where artistic inspiration is found.
Tickets are $15 per person, $12 for PAFAC members, and are available at: https://pafac.kindful.com/e/coffee-and-conversation-1.
Duwadi works with an array of materials such as repurposed sanding belts, beeswax, castoff utilitarian objects, date palm fronds and redwood or other trees rescued by arborist friends.
His multifaceted art calls attention to nature’s beauty and the precarious relationship between humans and the environment.
Duwadi has attended college in Darjeeling, India; Kathmandu, Nepal; the University of Montana in Missoula; and Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, Calif., where he earned a Ph.D. in government.
Some of his early inspirations include the sculpture of Isamu Noguchi and Constantin Brancusi and paintings by Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee.
“We are excited to share that a curated selection of Jyoti Duwadi’s artwork will be up for auction at the outset of the exhibition,” said Stacey Rekkedahl, the center’s gallery and program director. “This represents a unique chance to own one of Jyoti’s pieces, which showcase years of expertise fusing natural elements with artistic expression. Jyoti’s generous gesture includes donating all proceeds from this auction to support the Youth Education Program at the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center.”
For more information about Duwadi’s art, visit www.akash-himal.com.