Congratulations to ConVal Art teacher Mary Goldthwaite whose work has been selected to be on display at the Aviary Gallery during the month of February. The exhibit’s title is “Guided By (Female) Voices.”
Ms. Goldthwaite’s medium is the art of cut paper, or “Scheerenschnitte.” According to Wikipedia, Scheerenschnitte is an art form with a long tradition. It is rooted in folk practices in Switzerland and Germany in the 16th century and was brought to Colonial America in the 18th century by immigrants who settled primarily in Pennsylvania. Scherenschnitte were traditionally made by women and used as valentines, thank you notes, or greeting cards.
Ms. Goldthwaite’s work puts a new twist on the tradition, one that makes it thoroughly contemporary — and women-centered in a different way. “Guided By (Female) Voices is a kind of self-portrait and acknowledgment of the women I most admire,” Goldthwaite said. “This body of work began late in 2016 when I was feeling completely inundated with the constant onslaught of negativity that was being directed towards women.”
“I started making cut paper portraits of creative women that I admire: Nancy Spero, Yoko Ono, Zadie Smith, Alma Thomas, The Guerilla Girls. I took 9 of these portraits and made an edition of 50 posters to sell at Broke: The Affordable Arts Fair, which I have been organizing since early 2008. I sold all 50 posters in a day and donated $500 to Planned Parenthood. At the end of the day, something that I made helped me to make a positive action that I could not have otherwise.”
“I have spent 2017 dedicated to making portraits of women whom I admire, and the women who have helped to make me who I am today. As the project has worn on, I have expanded beyond looking solely at the famous artists and writers, and have focused more on celebrating the people in my life who embody qualities that I admire and inspire me.”
The Aviary Gallery is located at 48 South St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130. For more details on the exhibit and opening hours, please see the Aviary Gallery events page on Facebook.