Sunday, December 11, 2022

Save the Date for the Upcoming Unbound Visual Arts Exhibition: A Woman's Work is Never Done!


Save the Date!

A Woman's Work is Never Done: Women in the Arts

Organized and presented by Unbound Visual Arts - Opening Reception: Friday March 31, 2023, 7:00 - 9:00 pm ET

Curated by Paige Moreau 

Exhibit Assistants - Jingyi Wang, Minhao Yang, Shuxian Zhang, Tricia Park

Arthaus Art Exhibit Gallery - 43 N. Beacon St., Allston, MA

Call for art

This exhibition will investigate the malleable definition of women’s work in the field, in the home, and, importantly, in the arts. While women’s participation in the labor market steadily increased in the second half of the 20th century, participation has plateaued and even slightly declined as we move through the 21st century. Further, women’s workforce labor (distinguished from domestic labor) was disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as more women lost employment than men or remained home to provide child care during school closures. These statistics and events have been met with calls for increased affordable childcare resources, emphasis on paid family leave, and initiatives to close the gender pay gap. According to U.S. Secretary of Treasury, Janet Yellen, via the Brookings Institute, if the obstacles of underrepresentation, unreasonable work-life balance, and pay disparities consist, we will squander the potential of our citizens and our economic growth. So where does that leave us? At this moment, where do women conceive of themselves in terms of “work” and how do we value the different conceptions of women’s work? 

Many recent exhibitions in the greater Boston area have highlighted the work of women artists as well as objects that are specifically designed for women’s work i.e. childcare and domestic chores. Between 2019 and 2021 the MFA Boston mounted the exhibition Women Take the Floor.  Drawing largely from the museum’s permanent collection, the exhibition strove to challenge 20th-century narratives by centering the often overlooked and underrepresented work of women artists. On view through December 18, 2022 the Mass Art Art Museum is hosting the exhibition Designing Motherhood: Things That Make and Break Our Births which investigates the material culture surrounding contraception, pregnancy, birth and beyond allowing us a window into how women’s roles are conceived of via design. Additionally we continually see monographic exhibitions dedicated to women artists that question the canon of art and insert women’s voices into political and racial justice discourses including Frida Kahlo: POSE at the Rose Art Museum in 2020 and Sonya Clark: Monumental Cloth, The Flag We Should Know at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in 2021. A Woman's Work is Never Done: Women in the Arts will join this ongoing conversation and will assert that the work of women in the arts to carve out an equal space is an ongoing process. 

Greater Boston-area female-identifying artists are invited to submit work to A Woman's Work is Never Done: Women in the Arts. Art in all mediums will be considered for this exhibition including but not limited to, 2D images, sculpture, video, poetry, recorded performance, etc. We are seeking artwork that explores and engages women’s identities, challenges preconceived notions of women’s roles in labor and contends with the history of women’s art and the mediums that have traditionally been considered “women’s work” i.e. crafts, ceramics, fiber arts, etc. Are the mediums women work in neutral? Is there something inherently feminine about women’s art? Where do you conceive of yourself and your female peers in the workforce? How does labor, physical or metaphysical, play into your work?

Image credit: A Woman's Work Is Never Done, See Red Women's Poster Collective, poster, 1976, Victoria and Albert Museum, E.1714-2004

Below are some example works we selected from previous exhibits

 

(From top to bottom, left to right:

Andrea Zampitella, Suzie Homemaker, #2

Nancer Ballard, Run Like a Girl

Nilou Moochhala, Singular Multiplexity

Ruth Rieffanaugh, Finding Strength in Broken Places)


Source for material above: https://www.unboundvisualarts.org/a-womans-work-is-never-done-women-in-the-arts/

Sunday, October 16, 2022

UNESCO/UNITWIN Network on Gender, Culture, and People-Centered Development Congratulates UNESCO on 30th UNITWIN Chairs Programme Anniversary!

Please see our congratulatory video highlighting some of our UNESCO/UNITWIN Network's accomplishments in honor of the UNITWIN Chairs Programme 30th Anniversary below:


Brenda Gael McSweeney, PhD

UNITWIN Director at BU and Co-Coordinator with Susanne Sreedhar, PhD, Director BU's WGS Program



Photo credits:
Top Left: Unbound Visual Arts (UVA)
Top Middle: Kassia Karr
Top Right: Mousumi Murmu
Bottom Middle: Cover painting, "Another Side of India": © Anuradha Dey (Shantiniketan, West Bengal, India)
Bottom Left and Right: "Gender Perspectives in Case Studies Across Continents" series in conjunction with Gloria Bonder and the Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender, Buenos Aires, published by UNESCO Paris

Video prepared with Nicole Rizzo, UNESCO/UNITWIN Network Research Associate

Sunday, September 18, 2022

Congresswoman Ayanna Presley visits UVA's Arthaus Gallery!

Unbound Visual Arts, a UNESCO/UNITWIN Network Affiliate, received a visit from Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley at the new Arthaus Gallery! See more of the story here: https://www.unboundvisualarts.org/visit-by-congresswoman-pressley/


Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley visited UVA's Arthaus Gallery on September 1st.  She was very impressed with the gallery, Unbound Visual Arts and the current Inspiring Change for the Climate Crisis exhibit. On hand were several members of the UVA Board of Directors and Council of Advisors, UVA interns and the curator.  The Congresswoman toured the exhibit and took questions on a delightful Thursday afternoon.  She expressed her interest in art that expresses joy and has meaning.   The Congresswoman was also very interested in our last two exhibits - Invisible Disabilities and Emerging from Refuge.


Source: https://www.unboundvisualarts.org/visit-by-congresswoman-pressley/

Original photos courtesy of John Quatrale

Friday, July 8, 2022

Check out BU/WGS's Latest Newsletter from 2021-2022!

Our UNESCO/UNITWIN Network host institution, Boston University's Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Program, has just distributed the Annual Newsletter for 2021-2022! Please see page 16 for the accomplishments of the UNESCO/UNITWIN Network that features our Network Affiliates Gloria Bonder, who heads up the UNESCO Regional Chair on Women, Science and Technology in Latin America as well as the Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender, and Unbound Visual Arts with its new Arthaus Gallery!


See the WGS Newsletter here: http://www.bu.edu/wgs/files/2022/07/WGSNewsletter2021-2022.pdf


Below: screenshot from WGS Newsletter (original photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash; design and copyediting by WGS's Olivia McCargar)



Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Tribute to Gloria Bonder & The UNESCO Regional Chair on Women, Science and Technology in Latin America (based in Buenos Aires) on its 20th Anniversary

Gloria Bonder, who heads up both this Regional Chair and the Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender, has worked tirelessly herself and guiding her colleagues to celebrate the feminist achievements of scholars worldwide. Her partnership with our Boston University-based UNESCO/UNITWIN Network on Gender, Culture and People-Centered Development led to invaluable collaboration on volumes of Gender Perspectives in Case Studies Across Continents that we co-edit and co-publish. For the near future, I suggest that the stellar work of the Regional Chair merits the preparation and publication of a case study in our joint "Women & UN Origins" series, showcasing both challenges the Chair confronted and its accomplishments as a model contributor to the global dialogue promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. (From Brenda’s Tribute on behalf of the UNESCO/UNITWIN on the Regional Chair’s 20th Anniversary Jumbotron). Prof. Asha Mukherjee of our UNITWIN Network in India contributed a Tribute focusing on female training and education in West Bengal (see tributes below). “Brava” Gloria & team! (Photo credit: en.unesco.org)


Interactive Jumbotron website: http://www.catunescomujer.org/20aniversario/



Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Unbound Visual Arts Presents: Invisible Disabilities - NOW In Person Exhibit!

Please see our UNESCO/UNITWIN Network Affiliate Unbound Visual Arts' latest Exhibition below! 

 

Invisible Disabilities Exhibit - In Person

Curated by Samantha M Joyce  

 June 3 - July 17, 2022

UVA's Arthaus Gallery, 43 N. Beacon St., Allston, MA 02134

Artists:  Sam Fein, Kyleah Kirby, Alex Miklowski, Linda Morgenstern, James Perry,  Jr., Stacy Shorr, Jenn Stanley, Susan K Teal, Jennifer Turpin, Yolanda He Yang

Opening Program and Reception:  Thursday June 9th, 2022 6:30 - 8:30 pm RSVP 

Live keyboard music by Mae Siu Wai Stroshane, refreshments and short artist talks

Art previewPress Release

Interactive reading and discussion led by Monica McAlpine, author of Winter Bride, her newly published poetic memoir about her mother's Parkinson's Disease. Issues of visibility and invisibility concerning the afflicted and their caregivers will be addressed. Thursday, June 23rd, 2022, 7:00 pm  RSVP coming soon.

This in-person is a follow-up to the virtual exhibit by the same title.

"...what happens when you have a disability that is not easily seen by the naked eye?" - Samantha Joyce

Curatorial Statement:

Samantha Joyce, Curator

 

When we look at art, we want to see ourselves represented in it and in the space where the art is showcased. But what happens when you have a disability that is not easily seen by the naked eye? 

Disabilities such as ASD (autism spectrum disorder), ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), chronic illnesses, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and mental illnesses are not always recognizable to individuals who are not familiar with them. Because invisible disabilities often go unrecognized, people with invisible disabilities are underrepresented in many gallery exhibitions.

With this exhibition, I want to create a safe and welcoming place for individuals who have invisible disabilities to share their experiences and their artwork. This exhibition aims to represent a variety of experiences and explores questions about representation: In what ways do works of visual art shed light on the experiences of those with invisible disabilities? To whom are different invisible disabilities visible and to whom are they invisible? Can increasing representation of individuals with invisible disabilities in art and other media lead to broader social changes?

It is my hope that this exhibit helps educate the public about invisible disabilities and provides a framework for how invisible disabilities can be better represented in the visual arts. I want other galleries and museums to see what we have created and follow suit, so we can continue to build a wider audience for artists with invisible disabilities.


Source for material above: https://www.unboundvisualarts.org/invisible-disabilities-in-person-exhibit/

Wednesday, May 4, 2022

An Exciting Exhibition at the Intersection of Cultural Heritage and Visual Art!

The Photography of Fran Gardino

Presented by Unbound Visual Arts

Exhibit installers:  Chelsea White and John Quatrale | Publicity: Christina Jang and Kenneal Patterson

Arthaus Art Exhibit Gallery - 43 N. Beacon St., Allston, MA

February 3 - March 27, 2022

Passed: Opening Program and Reception on Sunday Feb. 27, 2022 

Artist talk, light refreshments, live keyboard music by Mae Siu Wai Stroshaneand free raffle for fun prizes.

Gallery Hours
Fridays:  12:00 Noon - 5:00 pm

Saturdays:  12:00 Noon - 5:00 pm

Sundays: 12:00 Noon - 5:00 pm 

Covid-19 Requirements
Please note that all visitors and staff are required to present proof of full vaccination upon entry and CDC-approved face masks must be worn inside the gallery.

Artist's Exhibit Statement

This opening solo show includes some of my photo images from locations both near and far. In 2012, I traveled with my wife and daughter to Italy to visit the home of my grandparents in Sicily for the first time. It became immediately apparent why all four grandparents chose to emigrate to the USA: to escape poverty and limited opportunities in order to seek a more prosperous life. The Italy photos in this show represent a small collection of images from that 2012 trip.



Clouds have always been a fascination to me, wondering how previous artists captured varied cloudscapes with and without the use of a camera. All my cloud photos were taken through the windows of commercial flights in the US and abroad. One such photo, “Coach Class Sunrise”, is featured in a 10 ft X 30 ft photo installation in Logan Airport Terminal A and appears in a smaller version in this UVA show.

The challenge on the ground has been to find varied and compelling combinations of subject matter and mini-worlds that keep me engaged for an indefinite period of time. Fortunately, I have found many such locations. Most notably, the Charles and Mystic Rivers, Boston Public Garden, Emerald Necklace, Mt Auburn Cemetery, seaside and urban locations as well as local plant and animal farms. This show includes several images from these numerous explorations.

Currently, due to the arrival of Covid-19 and my need to stay home or close to my home in Brighton MA, my recent fine art landscape photo efforts have been concentrated on Boston area scenes, especially those of the beautiful parkland spaces.  I have found a greater appreciation for the familiar landscape, possible due to a renewed sense of the importance of simply being happy with what we have.

Artist Biography

Francis Gardino, a Brighton resident and member of the Council of Advisors for Unbound Visual Arts, received his Bachelor's of Fine Art in Painting from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.  He is a member of the Allston Arts District Open Studios, and the Photographic Resource Center at Lesley University.  He has participated in many solo and group exhibitions throughout Massachusetts.

His large scale installations include a 10’ wide x 30’ tall cloud photo at Logan Airport’s Terminal A, and other large format photos at the Mystic Valley Watershed Association, Charles River Conservancy, Boston Public Garden, Massachusetts State House, Brighton Allston Historical Museum, Workbar Arlington, Mt Auburn Hospital Cambridge, Mt Auburn Hospital Clinic Belmont, the Winchester Hospital and the Dedham Wellness Center.

He has self-published four photo books, of which three are included in the curatorial library of Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. His photos have been shown in the Danforth Art Museum, the Peabody Essex Museum annex and the Italian Consulate in the Federal Reserve Building in Boston, and he’s won numerous awards including the “Best of Show” at the Duxbury Art Complex 2015 Winter Show. The Danforth Museum in Framingham MA owns one of his photos titled “Brewster Rock”.

As a current member and past president of the International Association of Panoramic Photographers, he continues to pursue the captured beauty of landscape and non-traditional panoramic photographic imagery.

Email: fgardino@rcn.com         

Website: www.frangardino.com

Twitter: @GardinoFran


Source: Unbound Visual Arts website: https://www.unboundvisualarts.org/the-photography-of-fran-gardino/