Maida Withers performs with one of Hilda Thorpe’s hand made paper objects,  designed and painted by Thorpe.

(1999) December 4 – Site Work:  Birthday tribute to Hilda Thorpe at her well-known Artists’ Studio in downtown Alexandria, Virginia.

Maida collaborated with Thorpe, a brilliant American painter and sculptor – a person of note who was part of  the illustrious Washington Color School.  Withers honored deeply several projects engaging the works and materials of Hilda Thorpe (Sky Cloud (1992), Thorpe’s birthday celebration (1996), other birthday events.  Thorpe made her own paper, created light-weight sculptural objects painted with beautiful colors. Hilda insisted MWDCCo dancers carry and perform with her painted paper objects in here studio birthday parties.  Maida has a hand-made paper painting, by Thorp, mounted in a frame, in her home in Arlington, Virginia.

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, Washington Color School, of the late 1950s through the mid-1960s. Hilda 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 with white gauze and her original paper in the auditorium and also a screen on stage for the solo with mature artist, Sandra Kammann. The aluminum pipes were used in Dance of the Earth, Rolling Thunder section performed in the USA, Arlington, Virginia, and in Brasilia for the OMAME Projecto Gala Opening in the stunning National Theatre, and in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for Eco ’92, United Nation’s Earth Summit performance June ???, 1992 on La  Playa da Flemengo beach stage.

Maida was invited, by Hilda, to celebrate Hilda’s life and art with a performances 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 events.  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 / Monstah Black, 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  Brasilia National Theatre performance, May ?, 1992, and the United Nation’s Earth Summit, “Eco 92,” La Playa da Flemengo beach stage, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June ?, 1992.

Maida Withers: Hand-made paper / Painted Objects, Hilda Thorpe

Maida Withers dances with Hilda Thorpe’s paper objects (above) and  aluminum sheets, joints, tubes.

Reggie Crump, Giselle Ruzany, Maida Withers, Thorp’s Studio Birthday Celebration.

During this period, architecture began to expose the heat vents and other construction materials . Thorp used these materials for her art works and supported the use of these tubes for Dance for the Earth / Rolling Thunder performances in USA and Brazil.