Last chance to see Brookfield Craft Centers Us All exhibition

Last chance to see Brookfield Craft Centers Us All exhibition is Sunday, June 18th! The exhibition celebrating diversity and inclusion. US All, an exhibition opened from June 19^th through July 18^th in the Lynn Tendler Bignell Gallery located in Brookfield Craft Center’s Mill Building. This juried show features the works of 28 artist from around the country. 

The fabric of the United States is and was always made of many-colored threads. Lately, these threads are frayed. There is outrage and fury emanating from people in response to inequality and injustice which have increasingly revived calls for civil rights, cultural sensitivity, and protecting vulnerable groups from discrimination and hate crimes.

Art can be a powerful catalyst, both for social protest and for promoting harmony and unity among us.

As the name implies, the exhibition US All shows the diversity that binds us and is woven into the fabric of our country. In this exhibition, we seek to showcase diversity through portraits of our pluralistic, multi-ethnic/multicultural peoples. We show the images of people to promote our inclusive, harmonious diversity. This begins by including artists of all races and cultures, of all ages and genders. The subjects also reflect the same diversity and multi-faceted images of America. We celebrate the power of unity by showing ‘US All’. Who are we All?

We are America. We are the indigenous, the immigrants and children of immigrants, and the descendants of enslaved peoples. We are of diverse races, religions, socio-economic backgrounds, sexual orientations, ages, and genders. This exhibition focuses on those images that make us unique and when taken together form our American Mosaic.

The exhibit is curated by Bibiana Huang Matheis, this exhibition celebrates the power of unity by showcasing diversity through portraits of our pluralistic, multi-ethnic/multi-cultural peoples.

Bibiana Huang Matheis is a professional artist, photographer and curator. She has curated many dozens of physical and virtual exhibitions, from solo shows to group shows with hundreds of artists, in all types of art shows in top galleries, museums and art centers in the Hudson Valley of New York.

As an Asian-American woman, she focuses on inclusion and diversity in her curation, as well as social and environmental issues. Over the past decade, she has established working relationships with top tier artists locally and internationally, including all ethnicities, religions, genders, of all ages, and sexual orientation. Her exhibitions have been critically acclaimed and are highly popular with artists as her focus on giving artists their own voice. Her mission is to connect them together, to bring interest and unity to a show.

Her expertise is putting the various works together harmoniously and to create something interesting and important for both the artists and the public. Her focus has always been to integrate up-and-coming, local artists and those of underserved communities, with internationally recognized and renowned artists. Her own artwork has been exhibited and published worldwide, including in the National Museum of African American History and Culture – Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. (on display and in the permanent collection).

Howard Lasser, Brookfield Craft Center’s executive director commented: “Brookfield Craft Center is committed to supporting efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the artistic community.  We are excited to present this exhibition, which shows the faces that make up the American mosaic.”

Participating artists include:

Pat Allen

Jessica Baker

Suzanne Benton

Cassandra Jennings Hall

Joy Brown

January Yoon Cho

Susan Hennelly

Wennie Huang

Kanika Khurana

Tanya Kukucka

Andrew Kung

ShawnaLee Kwashnak

Barbara J Lloyd

Crystal Marshall

Linda Martin

Jackie Merritt

Barbara Masterson

Danielle Nielsen

Julia Provey

 Bridget Pavalow

Dustan Osborn

Irene Osborn

Meg Seymour

Rosalind Shaffer

Ayman Siam

Franklin Silva

Danielle Wassmer

Pam Smillow

“Say Their Names,” by Cassandra Jennings Hall, “Reinvention,” by Kanika Khurana “Let Go, Let God” by Jackie Merritt, “Brotherhood,” by Ayman Siam, and “Proud,” by Rosalind Shaffer  are just a few names of the artworks that constitute the exhibit.

WCSU artist Kanika Khurana opined “I was born and raised in Delhi, India. America gave me a chance to reinvent myself as an artist.”

Rosalind Shaffer said  “It is impossible as an artist, to stand on the sidelines of these turbulent times. My work is a reflection of the issues that most affect me.”

Ayman Siam commented “I hope my photos help others see the colors we all have within us and promote individuality and equality.”

 The in-person exhibition is sponsored by Reid & Riege PC of Hartford and Rio Grande Jewelry Supply and will be open till July 18, 2021 in the Lynn Tendler Bignell Gallery.

Gallery hours are Tuesday – Friday noon -5:00pm, Saturday 11:00am – 5:00pm and Sunday noon – 4:00pm, and by appointment (203) 775-4526.