Artist Caroline Rust ’97 wins top honors at Pittsburgh Exhibition
March 31, 2016
Caroline Rust ’97 has won Best of Show for her painting “Billie Holiday Wears a Veil Gifted by John Rawls,” part of a juried exhibition titled “In-VISIBLE” at Point Park University’s Lawrence Hall Gallery in Pittsburgh.
John Carson, head of Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Art, judged the exhibition, presented by the National Association of Women Artists, Inc. (NAWA), and awarded Rust’s painting Best of Show.
Rust, a Rock Hill resident, said she was “most honored” to learn that her painting earned top honors.
“I am most honored to receive the Best of Show award for my piece in this exhibit. Pittsburgh and all its creatives are wonderful, as is NAWA and its mission to empower and promote female artists – a mission I believe in stalwartly,” said Rust.
The winning painting is part of the “I Have Come to Make a Crooked Line Straight” series she created in 2015 while in residence at theMcColl Center for Art + Innovation in Charlotte, North Carolina. Rust explained that “Billie Holiday Wears a Veil Gifted by John Rawls” interweaves the themes and stories surrounding two well-known figures: jazz musician Billie Holiday, whose experiences with racial injustice nonetheless contributed to her talent and added depth to her expression, and philosopher John Rawls, whose “veil of ignorance” theory posits that under the veil people can function as equals without bias or prejudice.
“Under the veil we are invisible, without bodies; we are our true essence – that is the gift,” added Rust.
Rust, a native of Charlotte, earned her B.F.A. (concentration in painting) at East Carolina University and her M.F.A. (concentration in painting) at Winthrop. She is a member of NAWA, and she is a recipient of artist grants from both the Arts Council of York County and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Arts and Science Council. Rust has patrons worldwide who collect her work, and she exhibits annually in both solo and juried exhibitions across the U.S.
Learn more about Rust’s artwork on her website, www.carolinerust.com.
