Statement pieces: Gallery A3 in Amherst hosts juried show to foster unity through art

Painter Robert Rauschenberg once said, “The artist’s job is to be a witness to his time in history.” A new juried art show in Amherst wants to bear witness to the current political moment by promoting unity.

Gallery A3 in Amherst will hold its 10th annual juried show, “United We Stand: Art for Divisive Times,” from Thursday, Aug. 7, through Saturday, Aug. 30. It will have an opening reception on Aug. 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. and an online art forum (open to the public) on Thursday, Aug. 21, at 7:30 p.m.

“In these divisive times, art can ask questions and suggest answers — and give artists an opportunity to speak through their artwork, whether it be overt commentary, thought-provoking, healing, contemplative, timeless, or contemporary,” said exhibit coordinator Paula Hite in a press release.

The show will feature 45 works, including paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, photography, mixed media, and fiber pieces, by 37 artists in New England. Its juror is Billy Myers, the artistic director and curator of the Art for the Soul gallery in Springfield, who also came up with the theme.

“He has an amazing talent for installing art and making pieces speak to each other and creating a beautiful installation,” said Hite. “He’s also an artist and makes very powerful work.”In a juror statement, Myers said, “Judging an exhibition is a challenging task. The parameters and vision behind the work, along with the connections woven into a collective narrative, shaped my evaluation. Did my chosen theme prompt a literal response, or did it fall into cliche? I sought subtle impacts — humor, irony, or layers beneath the surface.”

Hite said the theme was approved in part because she had seen other galleries in Massachusetts holding similar shows, which felt as though “we were joining others in doing this – being united in that way.” Beyond that, the gallery needed a prompt that was broad enough to accommodate artists in different mediums while looking for “work that wasn’t just blatant commentary, but maybe more nuanced commentary.”

Still, some of the work in the show is relatively overt. In “Struggle” by James Steinberg, a light-skinned figure and dark-skinned figure press against each other as if trying to topple the other over. In “We had a dream” by Paul Gruhn, Martin Luther King Jr. watches as his surroundings are literally whitewashed with paint. In “Indecision” by Marc Simmons, a man hesitatingly holds an American flag near a flagpole as people behind him antagonize each other – one person brandishes a gun; another flips that person off. Lauren Hazel’s “Justice” shows the scales of justice atop a bold yellow and orange background with text underneath that reads, “more than just ICE.”

Other pieces are more subtle. “Meet Me in The Middle” by Kyra Teis suggests a patchwork quilt, largely in shades of purple and white, which Hite says is “a wonderful representation of differences and coming together.”

“Mirror,” Betsey Hansell”s photograph of a reflection in a swimming pool, connects to the theme because the artist herself swims in that pool, and “the sense of calm that she gets from that is really important to her right now,” Hite said.

In a piece by artist Mr. Twogoobs, “More Equal” (which takes its name from “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others,” a quote from George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”), a smiling pig nearly crowds an annoyed grey horse or donkey out of the frame atop a vivid pink background.

And while it’s poignant to promote unity in any time like the current political moment, this show has an added significance – its venue was created in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Marking another divisive time with an art show is “a mixed feeling,” Hite said, but she noted that the founding members of the gallery would likely feel good about “putting this out there, being right up to date with what’s happening and people’s concerns about our country.”

When asked about the importance of promoting unity through art, Hite said, “I think it can be healing. I think it can remind us that we do have power – we’re not powerless,” she said. “I just love that you can say these things through art. It sort of gives art a power to speak. People might not always understand that art can do that.”

The gallery is open Thursday through Sunday from 2 to 7 p.m. For a full list of participating artists or to register for the art forum on Thursday, Aug. 21, visit gallerya3.com.

Carolyn Brown can be reached at [email protected].