Maida Withers, performs with Hilda Thorpe’s hand made paper objects
December 4, 1999 – Site Work:  Birthday tribute to Hilda Thorpe at her Artists’ Studio in downtown Alexandria, Virginia.

Maida collaborated with Thorpe, a brilliant American painter and sculptor – part of the illustrious Washington Color School – on several projects engaging the works and materials of Hilda Thorpe (Sky Cloud (1992), Thorpe’s birthday celebration (1996). Thorpe made her own paper for her color paintings.

Thorpe was a prolific artist who did not start working professionally until she was nearly 40, and had raised three children.  She was one of the few females who was part of this visual-art movement of the late 1950s through the mid-1960s. She taught many upcoming artists. Although her pieces appeared in South American and North Africa, her work was shown predominantly in the Washington area, at such locations as the Phillips Collection, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Gallery K In DC. (Wikipedia)Thorpe was a versatile and much-heralded artist who taught a generation of metro Washington, D.C. artists. Contemporary multimedia artist Barbara Januszkiewicz recalls Thorpe’s combining music, dance and art “happenings in her studio.”

Hilda Thorpe was a major collaborator for MWDCCo project, Dance for the Earth premiere in Arlington, Virginia.  She created a large canopy above the audience in the auditorium and a screen on stage for the solo of Sandra Kammann. The aluminum pipes were used in Dance of the Earth, Rolling Thunder section in the USA and in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for Eco ’92, United Nation’s Earth Summit.

Maida was invited, by Hilda, to celebrate Hilda’s life and art with a performance in her studio in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Thorpe graciously opened her attic and other storage areas for selection of her art works to be used for the event.  Hilda encouraged dancers to hold and cherish her hand-made paper/painted objects and her functional objects from her art works.  Hilda was a fearless woman. She passed away just one year following this performance after a dinner party at her home to celebrate her birthday.

Photos were taken of the dance artists during the performance: Giselle Ruzany, Maida Withers, Reggie Crump, Jonathan Modell (composer/drummer).

“Hilda invited many friends to her home for a special birthday celebration.  She retired to bed early because she was feeling tired.  When I left, about midnight, I called up the stairs, ‘Goodnight, Hilda.  I love you.’  Hilda passed away in the middle of that night.  We were deeply saddened and rejoicing in our final ceremony.”  Maida Withers

Jonathan Modell with Thorp’s art objects (aluminum pipes) used in Dance for the Earth, Rolling Thunder, in DC and Brazil “Eco 92”

Hilda Thorpe’s aluminum sheets

During that period, architecture began to expose the heat vents and other construction materials .  Thorp used these materials for her art works.