Embedded Files
a message from the Studio Art Program Director
In March 2020 humanity started a journey into a new type of normalcy, one that we are still grappling with and trying to understand. We all personally experienced loss and fragility in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, while a crude battle against facts, isolating mediatic echo chambers, necessary physical isolation, social unrest, and the clear visibility of structural and system inequities became part of our everyday life. How does one continue to live and learn in this environment? Did we even have the strength to think of pursuing goals other than staying healthy, adjusting, and protesting in front of the present emergency? It would have been completely reasonable to expect that our ability to reflect on and critically analyze the many related crises we were experiencing would have been crippled, if not completely paralyzed by the urgent need to adapt. But if D I S T A N C E demonstrates anything, it is art and artists' ability to work through difficult circumstances. This exhibition shows how art can critically respond, how artists can quickly adapt to changing circumstances, and how resilient we can all be. Every Single one of the artists in this exhibition has responded to the moment in their work, adapted to the lack of access to space and materials, and managed to work with urgency to communicate clear paths for greater empathy and social engagement. Many of these projects were conceived, conceptualized, researched and constructed in about four weeks, due to COVID restrictions. Despite the time constraint, the makers represented in D I S T A N C E impressively committed and devoted themselves to their own practice. Many of the projected presented in this exhibition are raw and thus extremely vulnerable. The participating artists consciously and courageously decided to create spaces of shared vulnerability and shared responsibility through these collective projects. As more of us are getting vaccinated against the virus that originated this pandemic, as we are starting to look with optimism at our collective efforts to build a more just and equitable society, D I S T A N C E presents itself both as a document and a promise: a critically reflective document of a crisis, and the promise of new paths in search of equity and responsible, sustainable living.
It has been my privilege to witness the strength and commitment behind each of these projects and it is my honor to introduce D I S T A N C E to all of you.
Sincerely
Daniela Rivera
Barbara Morris Caspersen Associate Professor of Humanities
Director of the Studio Art Program at Wellesley College
May 2021
a message from the Gallery Director
This has been a hybrid year. Some of our classes were in person, some were online, and some were a complicated mix of the two. Some students lived and worked on campus while others were remote. For artists, who normally need to work in person and collaboratively, this was particularly challenging. How do you learn painting techniques when your professor is talking to you over Zoom? How do you make a sculpture with messy supplies in your bedroom? How do you make digital art when you can't use the campus computer lab? How do you make a film about human connection when you and all other people have to remain at least 6 feet apart?
In a way, this exhibition is a series of answers to these questions and others like them.
There is no single type of student in this show, and so there is no one universal answer. The 2021 exhibiting artists represent a dozen different majors, with many different interests and areas of focus. Their work encompasses everything from traditional painting, drawing, sculpture, and printmaking to digital photography, video, and new media. What they all share is a drive to create, a desire to communicate through art, and the ingenuity, tenacity, and resilience to make thta happen in the midst of a global pandemic-- not to mention all the usual stresses that come from being a senior at Wellesley College!
And make no mistake: it has not been easy to make this hybrid exhibition happen. On-campus students worked to install their own art while wearing masks and compying with social distance guidelines. Some students had to ship their work from across the world, send files and coordinate printing or display remotely, or drive delicate artwork many miles so it could be safely hand-delivered. It also wasn't enough to concentrate on making the artwork itself. Students had to think about how their artwork might travel, and how it could be safely viewed or interacted with under the current set of restrictions. The exhibition opened simultaneously in person and online, a first for the Art Department. This involved an enormous effort from all the contributing artists, staff, and faculty. Particular thanks should be directed to Photo/Video/New Media Technology Specialist Farimah Eshraghi, Print Studio Technician Stacy Friedman, and 3D Technology Specialist Andrew Kemp for their assistance in fabricating and installing the show. Farimah Eshraghi, Academic Administrator Laura Suárez, and the staff of LTS were all instrumental in making our hybrid opening reception happen. Student Gallery Assistants Hana Sugioka '21 and Sophie Sebastiani '23 worked hard to help make this show, and a variety of other Art Dept exhibition-related work happen, in this very complex year.
What matters to artists isn't whether or not they find themselves faced with challenges. There will always be challenges. What matters is that artists don't let that stop them; they figure out how to go on anyway. D I S T A N C E is a testament to the fact that these artists can and will do just that. Congratulations, and thank you, to the Wellesley College artists in the Class of 2021.
--Samara Pearlstein
Gallery Director
May 2021
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