Honan-Allston Library Art Gallery
300 North Harvard St., Allston, MA
June 6, 2015 – July 31, 2015
Curated by John Quatrale
Unbound Visual Arts (UVA), a nonprofit based in Allston-Brighton and serving the Greater Boston area, is presenting Healthful at the Honan-Allston Library Art Gallery, 300 North Harvard St., Allston, from June 6 – July 31, 2015. A free opening public reception for this interpretative and thematic exhibition with the 18 artists and nearly 60 works of art is Saturday, June 6th from 2:00 – 4:00 pm.
Art has been shown to help in many physical and emotional healing and preventative situations. Human beings are by nature inclined to seek out good health of mind and body for themselves and those around them. This exhibition explores how and why we strive to achieve and maintain good health but sometimes still become unhealthy. Some of the questions to be considered include: What does healthful look like? What are the effects of health and ill health on our well-being? How can art contribute to good health?
The UVA artists include: Linda Clave, Pete Cormier, Phoebe Ann Erb, Dianne (Iyan) Freeman, Francis Gardino, Pauline Lim, Grace Luk, Nhung Mackey, David Matcham, Nadia Richman, Ruth Rieffanaugh, Richard Salvucci, Atara Schimmel, Katha Seidman, Diane Sheridan, Paul Theriault, Christine Winship, Ellen Zellner. Selected artist statements below.
See the Public Opening Reception photos with pianist Mae Siu Wai Stroshane; read the blog review on File Under Fiber by Ellen Katz.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Boston Cultural Council, a local agency which is funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, administrated by the Mayor’s Office of Arts, Tourism, and Special Events.
Selected Artist Statements
Christine Winship, Kitty Love
A lot of the health benefits of owning a pet may stem from the mental and emotional benefits. “People who have pets are less harried; there’s more laughter in their life,” says Dr. Becker.
“When you come home, it’s like you’re George Clooney. You’re a star.” This is a primary reason pets are used in various forms of therapy.
Because of this, pets also reduce stress, lower blood pressure, ease pain, lower cholesterol, help people socialize, prevent strokes, prevent allergies and improve immune systems.
Atara Schimmel, Project Angel
These eight angels belong to a larger body of work that consists of thirty angels. Each angel represents one million of the 30 million American women that suffer from some form of chronic pelvic/genital/sexual pain. I created Project Angel in order to raise awareness about the prevalence of pelvic pain and in order to encourage and inspire myself and my fellow pain warriors. While painting these angels I reached out to my facebook support group friends and invited them to send me a photograph of themselves. I thought that having real faces behind these conditions would help inspire viewers to take a closer look.
As the angels came into being, more and more women wanted to join what I began calling Project Angel. All of the women that joined Project Angel are unique in that they have chosen to share their story with facebook friends and with wider audiences through exhibits such as this one. Our mission is to raise awareness about conditions that cause genital pain such as Pudendal Neuralgia, PGAD, Interstitial Cystitis and Endometriosis.
We want to ensure that the next generation will not suffer the way that we have suffered due to the lack of awareness of these conditions in the medical community and the general public. Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent a lifetime of pain and suffering. We send you hope, healing, and awareness.
Pete Cormier, Healing Chimes
I believe that nature has a unique power to heal, and so this piece attempts to bring the soft sounds and gentle movements of nature inside this exhibition space. The sounds from the chimes suggest the sound of the wind and bird song while the movements of wood and leaves evoke branches blowing in the breeze. The wood used in this piece was carefully harvested from a tree growing on private land in Leominster, MA. The ceramic leaves were crafted by Derek SooHoos, an artist and potter from Lowell, MA.
Grace Luk, I Have Hip Dysplasia
I have been wearing eye glasses since I was a child and I am very familiar with the eye chart. I just found out that I have hip dysplasia and had two surgeries within six years to keep my own hip joints. It is obvious to spot that I have sight problem, but hard to notice when I have hip joint issue. The eye chart reminds me that there are things we may overlook when we talk about our health. We all are trying hard to do something good for our health. Let’s not lose sight of small and hidden conditions.
Phoebe Ann Erb, An Apple A Day
An apple a day, we say,
keeps the doctor away.
One for Monday, one for
Tuesday. Another for Wednesday,
and another for Thursday.
An apple for Friday and one for Saturday.
Rest on Sunday under
the apple tree.
Dianne (Iyan) Freeman, Reflections, A Self-Portrait
Having your heart stop is an eye opener. It makes you appreciate every breath you take, aware of how fragile life is. It doesn’t get any more poignant than that. I felt so humbled to be alive, and an intense need to create. I drew “Armadillos’ Resilience” in the recovery room after having an emergency pacemaker installed. Armadillos are inherently resilient because they use their armor to roll up in to a ball and protect themselves.
I was in the hospital for five and a half weeks, during which I began this body of work. My hospital bed became my sacred space to create art, with unbridled expression, inspired by the journey of life, taking in the beauty around me that gave me hope. I savored every moment because at the end of my hospital stay, I knew I would be returning to a shelter. I was being given back my health, only to be discharged back to circumstances that placed my life in jeopardy in the first place.
I believe in a free exchange of energy. For myself, affirmations are where I find them, and my artist’s eye leads me to abstract expressions of resilience, patience, tenacity and self worth. These qualities sustain me and my homeless brothers and sisters. My raw art in this body of work—completed in my favorite media, pen and pencil—is intended to shine a light on the plight of the homeless.