Grove Gallery wrapped up its exhibition “Portraits with Impact,” Sunday. Grove Gallery Director Sarah Kaiser-Amaral said almost 200 portraits were submitted by 63 different artists in the Midwest area, but only about 20 images were blindly selected for the exhibition.
Kaiser-Amaral said she, alongside exhibition curator Joanna Pinsky, was looking for portraits that challenged the traditional norms of portraiture and wanted a diverse range of faces.
“(Pinsky) has a unique perspective in that some of them were definitely not traditional portraits,” Kaiser-Amaral said. “Some were abstract shapes made from collage papers and others had writing on them or were images of the entire body.”
She said they wanted the individuals depicted to have their personality or essence shown through the portraits’ visual elements.
Kaiser-Amaral added that she liked how the opening night attendees were diverse.
“In the wake of diversity, equity and inclusion, and all of the cuts at the federal level, it was nice to promote diversity and see a diverse range of people in the community involved taking ownership and feeling like their cultures were represented,” Kaiser-Amaral said.
Participating artist Zarina Docken said she learned about the exhibition through Kaiser-Amaral, as both have studios at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center. She drew a portrait of Maria Ressa, a Filipino American journalist who fought for press freedom in the Philippines.
Docken said she was inspired by Ressa’s book, “How to Stand Up to a Dictator,” as well as Ressa’s courage and resilience in exposing the spread of disinformation. Cuts can be seen on Docken’s portrait of Ressa, which she said was inspired by Ressa’s writing, as Ressa uses the phrase “a thousand cuts” to symbolize small cuts that break “the foundations of democracy.”
“The tiny little cuts may seem imperceptible and harmless, but at the same time, they’re already cracking the very foundation of democracy,” Docken said.
Evanston legislative advocate and event attendee Meleika Gardner said she enjoyed the exhibit because it focused on social advocacy, inclusivity and diversity. She said her favorite part was walking into the gallery and seeing all the colors.
“I’m actually gonna get in touch with (the artists) because I wanna learn more,” Gardner said. “I love to hear about people who fight the system.”
Grove Gallery is premiering another exhibition, “Flow: The Water Show,” July 12. Forty percent of revenue from the sales of the paintings will go to the Alliance for the Great Lakes.
Kaiser-Amaral has hopes for outreach beyond the art world and looks to invest more in the community.
“We exhibit local artists and focus on unique handmade artwork that represent the people in our neighborhood and the people who live around us,” Kaiser-Amaral said.
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