"Florida's Flooded Future" by Patricia Turner
In the aptly named "Women Take Issue" exhibit, three female
artists expressed their concerns about some of the issues facing
our world today. The art of Patricia Turner, Beau Wild and Fran
Gardner confronted the viewer with societal woes as varied as world
hunger, mass shootings, the resurgence of white supremacy and the
treatment of women. It was an incredibly powerful show.
In "Florida's Flooded Future," Turner
highlights the effects of climate change, an issue that hits very
close to home. In January, Sarasota received a $10M grant from the
State of Florida for infrastructure projects that include raising
Van Wezel Way and improving the shoreline at Bay Park to protect
against erosion and damage caused by increased flooding. Miami
Beach recently announced plans to raise some of its streets by two
feet to counter rising seas. These are just two recent examples of
measures state and local governments are taking to fight the
effects of climate change.
In her piece, Turner has cleverly affixed two puzzles
depicting Florida to her hand-dyed fabric that brings to mind the
waters surrounding us. (If you can enlarge the images in this post,
please do!) Both puzzles are partially covered with netting that
represents rising waters. When I asked Turner how she came up with
the idea of incorporating physical puzzles into the piece, she took
a moment to consider. "Well," she said, "Dealing
with climate change is a puzzle, isn't it?"
"Some Very Fine People" by Patricia Turner
Unabashedly political, Turner has created multiple
works commenting on Trump's negative impact on our country. Words
have consequences. So do actions -- or inaction. In "Some Very
Fine People," Turner recalls Trump's comment that some of the
protesters in the United the Right rally were "very fine
people."
As I'm sure you remember, Unite the Right was a
gathering of white nationalists -- people who self-identify as
Neo-Nazis and Klansmen and similar groups fueled by hatred -- who
opposed a vote by the Charlottesville City Council to remove a s
tatue of Robert E. Lee from city property. Turner's work
incorporates the torches that some of these individuals carried
during the march. It's hard to interpret the torches as
anything other than a threat of violence. It's even harder to
interpret the rally as anything other than a precursor to the
storming of the Capitol on January 6th.
"Hear Me Roar" by Beau Wild
Beau Wild says she "explores the emotional
landscape of the individual" in her work. "Hear Me
Roar" might be the first painting I've seen with a tagline on
the wall card. It reads, "Encouragement. Support. Challenges.
Growth." So her figure is not only a woman with ideas and
opinions, but one who understands the value of working with others
to achieve collective goals.
What you might not notice at first glance is that the
woman's mouth has been sewn shut. Spools of thread create a line of
demarcation between her and the text which reads, in part, "I
will not silence my voice now" and "my time."
I would be remiss not to mention the beauty of the woman
Wild has created. (Wild's brushwork and use of color are gorgeous.)
If only we could all age so gracefully. Perhaps, though, the
woman's beauty is one reason she hasn't been taken as seriously as
her male counterparts.
"Empath" by Fran Gardner
In Fran Gardner's artist statement, she talks about
the inspiration she finds in petroglyphs, architecture and
graffiti. "Think about the caves of Lascaux, the pyramids and
the surfaces of train cars," she says. Her work, like the art
forms referenced, "speak to the human urge for mark leaving,
referring to that enduring historical record while becoming a part of it."
In "Empath," viewers can clearly see what
Gardner means by this statement. Her mixed media piece is filled
with marks and writings and images that give the work an ancient
and magical feel. Then there is the central figure, a woman
beautifully painted in a style that is simultaneously realistic and
abstract. But why is she naked? Does it represent her
vulnerability? And why is she in this position on the ground? Has
her empathy caused her to become physically overwhelmed?
Detail from "Empath" by Fran Gardner
Most people look at a work of art for less than 30 seconds
before moving on. (Hence the rise of the slow art movement.) But a
viewer is rewarded for taking the time to really look at the detail
in "Empath." The writing below the figure provides the
explanation for her emotion. It reads, in part, "in december
2012 a gunman walked into Sandy Hook elementary school in New Town
Connecticut and killed 20 children 6 adults and himself since then
there have been more than 1600 mass shootings..." One of
those shootings was the 2018 murder of 17 people at Marjorie Stoneman
Douglas, a high school in my sister's community of Parkland,
Florida.
"Women Take Issue" was an exhibit that made
me uncomfortable and upset and angry. It was a strong reminder of
the power of art. I suspect this is exactly what Turner hoped for
when putting the show together. To listen to an interview on NPR
with Turner about the exhibit, click here. For more on Turner and her work,
click here. For more on Beau Wild and her art,
click here. And for more on Fran Gardner and
her work, click here.
Here's to taking the time to explore art with meaning.
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"Florida's Flooded Future" by Patricia Turner
In the aptly named "Women Take Issue" exhibit, three female
artists expressed their concerns about some of the issues facing
our world today. The art of Patricia Turner, Beau Wild and Fran
Gardner confronted the viewer with societal woes as varied as world
hunger, mass shootings, the resurgence of white supremacy and the
treatment of women. It was an incredibly powerful show.
In "Florida's Flooded Future," Turner
highlights the effects of climate change, an issue that hits very
close to home. In January, Sarasota received a $10M grant from the
State of Florida for infrastructure projects that include raising
Van Wezel Way and improving the shoreline at Bay Park to protect
against erosion and damage caused by increased flooding. Miami
Beach recently announced plans to raise some of its streets by two
feet to counter rising seas. These are just two recent examples of
measures state and local governments are taking to fight the
effects of climate change.
In her piece, Turner has cleverly affixed two puzzles
depicting Florida to her hand-dyed fabric that brings to mind the
waters surrounding us. (If you can enlarge the images in this post,
please do!) Both puzzles are partially covered with netting that
represents rising waters. When I asked Turner how she came up with
the idea of incorporating physical puzzles into the piece, she took
a moment to consider. "Well," she said, "Dealing
with climate change is a puzzle, isn't it?"
"Some Very Fine People" by Patricia Turner
Unabashedly political, Turner has created multiple
works commenting on Trump's negative impact on our country. Words
have consequences. So do actions -- or inaction. In "Some Very
Fine People," Turner recalls Trump's comment that some of the
protesters in the United the Right rally were "very fine
people."
As I'm sure you remember, Unite the Right was a
gathering of white nationalists -- people who self-identify as
Neo-Nazis and Klansmen and similar groups fueled by hatred -- who
opposed a vote by the Charlottesville City Council to remove a s
tatue of Robert E. Lee from city property. Turner's work
incorporates the torches that some of these individuals carried
during the march. It's hard to interpret the torches as
anything other than a threat of violence. It's even harder to
interpret the rally as anything other than a precursor to the
storming of the Capitol on January 6th.
"Hear Me Roar" by Beau Wild
Beau Wild says she "explores the emotional
landscape of the individual" in her work. "Hear Me
Roar" might be the first painting I've seen with a tagline on
the wall card. It reads, "Encouragement. Support. Challenges.
Growth." So her figure is not only a woman with ideas and
opinions, but one who understands the value of working with others
to achieve collective goals.
What you might not notice at first glance is that the
woman's mouth has been sewn shut. Spools of thread create a line of
demarcation between her and the text which reads, in part, "I
will not silence my voice now" and "my time."
I would be remiss not to mention the beauty of the woman
Wild has created. (Wild's brushwork and use of color are gorgeous.)
If only we could all age so gracefully. Perhaps, though, the
woman's beauty is one reason she hasn't been taken as seriously as
her male counterparts.
"Empath" by Fran Gardner
In Fran Gardner's artist statement, she talks about
the inspiration she finds in petroglyphs, architecture and
graffiti. "Think about the caves of Lascaux, the pyramids and
the surfaces of train cars," she says. Her work, like the art
forms referenced, "speak to the human urge for mark leaving,
referring to that enduring historical record while becoming a part of it."
In "Empath," viewers can clearly see what
Gardner means by this statement. Her mixed media piece is filled
with marks and writings and images that give the work an ancient
and magical feel. Then there is the central figure, a woman
beautifully painted in a style that is simultaneously realistic and
abstract. But why is she naked? Does it represent her
vulnerability? And why is she in this position on the ground? Has
her empathy caused her to become physically overwhelmed?
Detail from "Empath" by Fran Gardner
Most people look at a work of art for less than 30 seconds
before moving on. (Hence the rise of the slow art movement.) But a
viewer is rewarded for taking the time to really look at the detail
in "Empath." The writing below the figure provides the
explanation for her emotion. It reads, in part, "in december
2012 a gunman walked into Sandy Hook elementary school in New Town
Connecticut and killed 20 children 6 adults and himself since then
there have been more than 1600 mass shootings..." One of
those shootings was the 2018 murder of 17 people at Marjorie Stoneman
Douglas, a high school in my sister's community of Parkland,
Florida.
"Women Take Issue" was an exhibit that made
me uncomfortable and upset and angry. It was a strong reminder of
the power of art. I suspect this is exactly what Turner hoped for
when putting the show together. To listen to an interview on NPR
with Turner about the exhibit, click here. For more on Turner and her work,
click here. For more on Beau Wild and her art,
click here. And for more on Fran Gardner and
her work, click here.
Here's to taking the time to explore art with meaning.
• Email to a friend • View comments • Track comments •
MoReview by Sarasota Critic Nanette Crista
Women Take Issue - An Art Exhibit
Nanette's New Life --February 28, 2022
HERstory Quilts: A Celebration of Strong Women
"Quiet Storm" by Nneka K. Gamble
Well before the word "Covid" became part of our daily vocabulary, Patricia Turner approached the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center in Fort Myers about hosting an exhibit entitled "Women Take Issue." The Center liked the idea. In fact, they liked it so much that they asked if she could curate exhibits for all three of the Center's gallery spaces. Never one to turn down a challenge, she agreed.
Patricia's vision included one gallery focused on art celebrating the 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote. (The original exhibit was scheduled for 2020 after all.) When the shows were postponed to February 2022 due to Covid, Turner embraced the nexus with Black History Month. She pivoted to a selection from the HERstory Quilts collection celebrating strong African-American women. What a show!
When I entered the room, I was surrounded by images of both women with whom I was familiar and women to whom I was being introduced for the first time. There was Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth and Ruby Bridges and Barbara Jordan. And of course no such exhibit would be complete without a depiction of Rosa Parks. I loved artist Nneka Gamble's inclusion of an "EQUAL" sign in place of arrest information in Parks' mug shot.
"Nina: A Theme with Variations"
by Sherri Culver
Another portrait featured Nina Simone, the self-described "freedom singer" who originally trained -- at Julliard no less -- to be a classical pianist. The depiction had as much energy in it as Simone herself.
Simone might be best known for "Mississippi Goddam," a song that became a Civil Rights anthem. The song was an outpouring of anger and grief about the racially motivated murders of Emmett Till and Medgar Evers. She is said to have written it in a single hour.
Not surprisingly, "Mississippi Goddam" was banned in several Southern states at the time of its release. (I'm sure DeSantis would like to ban it today.) Hundreds of copies of the record that had been sent to radio stations and record stores were broken in half and returned.
But every coin (and record) has two sides. "Mississippi Goddam" was a rallying cry to those fighting against racism. Simone performed the song in front of a crowd of 10,000 people at the end of the marches from Selma to Montgomery. In 2019 the song was chosen by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant." To watch Simone sing her anthem, click here.
"Nichelle Nichols: The Next Generation"
by Joanne S. Best
I was never a Trekkie (I know, big surprise) so I had no idea who Nichelle Nichols was when I came upon this quilt. A careful look, though, reveals that she's making the Vulcan salute in one of the images. A clue!
Each wall card for the exhibit included detailed information about why the artist chose to depict her subject. After explaining that Nichols' involvement with "Star Trek" was intended to "add a little color to the bridge," Joanne S. Best wrote (in part): "Many taboo subjects got past the censors by being staged on other worlds, not the least of which was the first televised interracial kiss. Nichols has continued to support girls entering the sciences and has been an asset in recruiting minority and female personnel into NASA...including Sally Ride, Mae Jemison and Charles Bolden."
In addition to the wall cards, viewers were invited to make a call to hear more from the artist about her work. If you have a couple of minutes, call 703-520-6404 ext. 1467 for some insight from Best. There is a lot of intention behind each component of her work, including the X's and O's that commemorate that groundbreaking kiss.
"Liberte de l'air" by Ricki S. Selva
I'll leave you with a portrait of Bessie Coleman, a groundbreaking stunt pilot. It was a long way from the cotton fields of Texas where Coleman was raised to Le Crotoy, France where she received her flight training. (In the U.S., Coleman's identity as a Black woman gave flight schools two reasons to reject her.) At the age of 29, she obtained her international pilot's license and came back to the United States to show off her stuff.
Coleman (who became known as "Queen Bess") appeared at air shows performing tricks like loop-the-loops. The mere thought of it makes me nauseous. She also spoke at churches, schools and theaters about attaining her dream (with video that surely impressed her audiences). While Coleman needed the money from these engagements to finance her career, she would only speak at venues that permitted mixed race audiences.
Coleman's final flight was a test run with her mechanic at the controls. She was 34 years old. A stray wrench became stuck in the engine, and the plane flipped over. Coleman was not wearing a seat belt and fell 3,000 feet to her death. The mechanic crashed the plane and also died. It was a dramatic ending to the life of a woman who truly lived her dream.
Each quilt in the exhibit was wonderful, and I wanted more. Happily, there's a book! The quilts shown here are just four of the 108 mixed media fiber art works included in "HERstoryQuilts: A Celebration of Strong Women." The book was put together by Susanne Miller Jones, who also curated the exhibit. I am looking forward to receiving my copy.
Here's to inspiring women everywhere!