Seeking Care provides a way for viewers to pause and reflect upon the work of our Associate Members as they guide us through their respective lenses of where and how they seek care. Artists include, John Baker, Katherine Borkowski-Byrne, Linda DeStefano Brown, Brenda Cirioni, John Daly, Susan Greer Emmerson, Nan Hass Feldman, Catherine Gibbs, Pat Paxson, Shany Porras, and Jill Pottle. This exhibition was curated by Fountain Street Core Artists Georgina Lewis and Daniel Zeese.

This year this exhibition is presented in a virtual format and can be viewed here. Below Georgina shares some thoughts about the exhibition.

Visit www.fsfaboston.com/seeking-care for the virtual gallery slideshow.

The first time Daniel and I talked we ended our conversation with a discussion about birdsong. We were meeting via zoom to discuss the 2020 Associate’s Show and we talked about COVID and the ways in which artists had been responding to the pandemic, as well as the need for both physical and emotional care. My memories from that time are blurred but a single note in a google doc reads “seeking care + scales of things.” We also talked about nature and how it was a common focus for many of the artists we would be working with. I think that’s where the birdsong may have come in.

In our curatorial statement we wrote “Care may . . . radiate outwards from an object—the gesture conferring solace on the viewer as on the creator. Similarly, even the practice of making creates a space for our own self-care, often with a rippled effect outside of our control.” Certainly there was solace for us in viewing the work, as well as in the gentle reminders contained within the artists’ statements, many of whom extol the benefits and gifts of the outdoors. “An openness with nature creates an inner peace, contentment, and balance” writes Linda DeStefano Brown. John Daly also references nature heavily in his work, and writes “I paint landscapes from a place of deep affection and care.”

For a number of the artists “self-care” includes engaging in the act of making: whether it be getting lost in the work and thereby forgetting oneself for a time, to paraphrase Jill Pottle or as Nan Hass Feldman writes “For me, art really is about enhancing and interpreting reality to create a more optimistic and joyous world in spite of the times.” And then there’s the simple joy of looking at art that Pat Paxson writes about or the optimistic titles Katherine Borkowski-Byrne uses: “New Horizons” and “Spring Cleaning”

There’s a joyousness and energy to much of the work but also an undertone of anxiety and even loss, not surprising given circumstances. Color figures heavily and even works with more subtle palettes still exude energy: Linda DeStefano Brown’s peaceful photographs of nature and Shany Porras’ visual recreations of music, paintings that allow for the viewer's meditative experiences, "seeking care" through object-oriented meditation.” John Baker’s muted but arresting portraits speak to anxiety and the personal toll of our time’s deep crisis.

That sense of loss manifests itself in various ways, like the intense orange hues of Catherine Gibbs’ painting or in Jill Pottle’s examination of objects from the past to divulge their stories and hidden value thereby exposing their beauty. Susan Greer Emmerson writes of “representing feelings of loss, terror, and “hireath,” a Welsh word meaning a profound homesickness for a place that may no longer exist” and I think the word “may” is an important qualifier. If one place no longer exists art can create a new one.

I’m so glad to have had a part in this show and to have worked with Daniel. Outreach and forging new connections are all part of how we seek care in these times. So too is the act of looking at work: ingesting it on its multiple levels and using a different part of the brain to process it than that reserved for fright and sadness. Plus, to bring things full circle there are birds!

Seeking Care + Scales of Things