Image via Inspiration Studios
Curator Amy Lynn Marks talks about putting together a show at West Allis’ Inspiration Studios of artists who reflect on their lives during the Pandemic.
What goes into curating a show like this?
This group has shown together previously, in fact, last summer, during the Pandemic. We naturally wanted to show together again and it seemed appropriate to focus on our shared experience. We have added gallery owner, Erico Ortiz this time around.
How did you go about choosing the artists for this exhibit? What do you feel are unique qualities of these artists’ work?
I picked this group of artists years ago when we did our first show, the title was “I Can Tell a Story.” A few artists have come and gone but our core group has stayed consistent. Common qualities in our art are a focus on color, expression of the spirit, a common love and reverence for life, family and nature. Some unique qualities in the group are sincerity, reflection and a sense of humor. I hope people will enjoy a non-pretentious human experience when viewing our show.
The work in this show deals with artists emotions and being able to “Unmute,” as is the title of the show.
Can you explain the title and how you came up with the idea?
We had a meeting together and went around and around with many different ideas. The idea of unmute meant to us at the time, saying all the things we have been feeling and experiencing during the pandemic. Like for example, who did you take care of? Who took care of you? Who stood by your side and listened? How has this experience brought us together and torn us apart?
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I can’t speak for the whole group but making art has saved my life, or at least my mind. Working artistically helped to get at the deep emotions and fears I was experiencing and gave voice to the ruminations we have all been chewing on.
How do you describe your style of art?
My art is playful, colorful, it reflects a curiosity about how the past intersects with the present. I’m working often with paper mache, fabric, knit, crochet and stitching but I’m not super fussy about these techniques. I’m more trying to communicate a vision of something internal that is made manifest through the process of making.
There is a piece I made comprised of 20 hand knit rainbow horses. This piece is dedicated to all the LBGQ+ children who are homeless because of their gender and or sexual identity. It’s a reminder that all children need love and acceptance.
Other artists in the show are Erico Ortiz, Billy Judge Baldus, Heather Eiden, Lynnea Schliesleder, and Anna Stone. Works vary greatly from Folk Art, to prints, to paintings, so there is a taste of something for most art lovers.
Says Erico Ortiz, “Unmute offered me the opportunity to create acrylic paintings that touch on the human experience that we have endured during this pandemic, with its joys and setbacks. Each piece also contains a sense of hopeful recovery.”
Says Heather Eiden, a yoga teacher working in clay. “My process is a meditation. Tiles are versatile like a blank canvas. I am interested in clay as an ancient material for communicating ideas that have been used for practical purposes in all cultures.”
UNMUTE opens 6-9 p.m., August 21 at Inspiration Studios, 1500 S. 73rd St., West Allis, WI. For other viewing times, visit InspirationStudiosGallery.com.
