The days are slowly getting warmer here at browngrotta arts. Who is ready for an art-filled summer? I know we are! The first days of May were filled with activities surrounding our annual Art in the Barn exhibition art + identity: an international view. We opened our doors to an abundance of visitors and hosted Art for a Cause, an evening to benefit Our Woven Community, Burroughs Hall and Connecticut institute for Refugees and Immigrants (CIRI).
video link
Throughout the month of May we shared pieces by Agneta Hobin, Polly Barton, Yasuhisa Kohyama and Judy Mulford. Agneta Hobin’s piece Zuni, which was also featured in one of our weekly “Art Live” videos, is a reflection of her travels to Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico. Though Hobin drew inspiration from the Zuni, she conveyed her appreciation for such a special place with an individual gold-leaf technique used in Europe to create icons.
Soon thereafter, we shared Continuum I, II, and III by Polly Barton. The pieces, which are photographed together, are double ikat weavings made of silk. As a student at the Oomoto Summer School of Traditional Japanese Arts, Barton was called to weave by Sumiko Deguchi. Barton’s ceremonial space, her loom, helps her to convey her spirituality with thread.
Next up was Yasuhisa Kohyama’s wood-kiln ceramic sculpture Danpen.
Like Kohyama’s other sculptures, Danpen was made using the ancient Japanese wood-kiln method shigaraki. In addition to sharing Kohyama’s piece Danpen, we also shared a supplemental video titled “Kohyama: Earth, Fire, Heart,” this month, which details Kohyama’s unqiue creative process. Video Link
Last, but most certainly not least, we shared Judy Mulford’sAncestral Totem. Mulford’s piece delves into the multitude of ways in which chairs act as containers for human life. Chairs hold the place of humans, and once a human is gone, chairs sit empty during holidays, birthdays and other momentous celebrations. In making Ancestral Totem, Mulford spent a lengthy period of time collecting chairs to add to the piece, scavenging second-hand and antique stores, while also warning friends to keep their eyes peeled for small chairs of all varieties.You can watch Mulford speak about this work on our You Tube channel video. Video Link