WESTON - Every day the news is full of racial injustice, gender inequality, genocide, and more. Now on display in the Carney Gallery at Regis College are the works of artists who use canvasses, paint, wood and vinyl to confront these very issues.
Titled “The Diversity Walk,” the exhibit features the works of prominent artists as well as artists from the Regis community. It explores racism, gender issues and genocide, and is jointly sponsored by Regis’ Center for Inclusive Excellence, the Fine Arts Center and the Department of Humanities.
“Diversity is so much more than the physical things we see: race, class, gender,” explained Michelle Cromwell, associate vice president of inclusive excellence at Regis.
This exhibit is not just meant for viewing.
“The idea behind ‘The Diversity Walk’ is to take people on a journey to explore and engage,” Cromwell said. “And through that exploration to create a deeper engagement with the ideas.”
Entering the gallery, the visitor’s eye is immediately drawn to the three-dimensional piece by artist and retired teacher Gordon Chase, of Shirley. It features wooden figures representing the silhouettes of unknown perpetrators and victims. Circling the piece, it virtually - but not literally - moves, drawing the viewer into the reality of genocide.
“Art is a great way to ask and to seek answers to… questions,” Chase said. “In many of my pieces I try to pose dilemmas for the viewer to solve. I ask, ‘Can you believe that this happens?’ and dare the bystander to come up with an answer.“
Looking further through the gallery, visitors will notice an entire wall filled with two large calendars. This work invites closer inspection. On approach, it looms large. The full scope and the details emerge. Then the enormity of its meaning is realized.
Wayland artist Christina Zwart’s installation is not subject to interpretation. It is an unambiguous representation of the gender pay gap. It visually portrays Equal Pay Day, the symbolic day of the year when women’s earnings “catch up” to men’s earnings from the previous year.
“This year that date is April 10th,” said Zwart. “That means 100 extra days that women have to work to make the same amount that men earned last year. I just couldn’t stop thinking about those 100 days and how much extra work that is!”
“Even in a progressive state like Massachusetts, it's insane that, at this rate, it will take 40 years to close the 21-cent pay gap. This moment in time, though, is ripe for change: With the ‘Me Too’ and ‘Time's Up’ movements, we have an opportunity to again sound the alarm and renew efforts to abolish wage inequality.”
Zwart, a member of the Boston Sculptors Gallery, said the subject of her art usually originates with the news.
“When I read something that gets me really upset … that sound unjust, it often turns into a work through which I can express my anger. I will come up with something that will bring awareness to the problem and possibly offer a solution.”
And there is no holding back when Zwart is at work. Her media have included crayons, condoms, vellum dollar bills, photos of roadkill (painstakingly collected by the artist over years), and buckets of dead bees. Zwart intentionally injects the element of surprise into her art.
The Diversity Walk contains two paintings by world-renowned multicultural visual artist Synthia Saint James. The Los Angeles artist is best known for the original cover art of Terry McMillan's novel “Waiting to Exhale.” She also designed stamps for the U.S. Postal Service, including the first Kwanzaa stamp in 1997 and the Kwanzaa Forever Stamp in 2016.
Saint James’ art is bright and exuberant. “I liken myself to a sponge in that I soak up inspiration from so many things including nature, people, animals, travel … and I love color!”
“Origin of the Dream” is an acrylic painting by Saint James which fictionally depicts civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., poet Langston Hughes, and Simple, a character in several of Hughes’ published stories, walking the streets of Harlem in the early 1960s.
It was commissioned as cover art for the book “Origins of the Dream” by W. Jason Miller, about the literary connections between King and Hughes.
A second painting by Saint James, "Sisters of Courage," is part of a series on strong women.
“It depicts courageous multicultural women of various backgrounds.” said Saint James. Her vibrant canvasses are peopled with her signature-style featureless characters.
The exhibit includes several works by Sirarpi Heghinian Walzer, who was born in Aleppo, Syria and now lives and works in Lexington. Her indescribable mixed media abstractions are stunning and sometimes disturbing.
“I immigrated to the United States when I was 13 years old. This immigrant experience finds expression in my work. In many pieces, I express my empathy for those suffering loss, displacement, and the universal fear of homelessness,” she said in an artist’s statement on her website.
“The Diversity Walk” includes the intriguing works of many more artists than can be mentioned here.
“There is so much here.” said Jennifer Potts, director of the Fine Art Center and assistant professor of Humanities. “What is really important is that this is not just an exhibit to take in art, but to spark discussion on the themes that are so important.”
BOX 1
‘The Diversity Walk’
WHEN: Through April 12
WHERE: Carney Gallery, Regis Fine Arts Center, 235 Wellesley St, Weston
GALLERY HOURS: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday
ADMISSION: Free
INFO: 781-768-7070; www.regiscollege.edu