In celebration of
Lowell Women's Week 2004
the Ayer Lofts Art Gallery presents:

Jurors:

Maxine Farkas' many accomplishments include Director, Quilt 21: American Art Quilts for the 21st Century, Chair of the Women's Week Public Art Subcommittee, and Massachusetts Representative for Studio Quilt Associates. Her work has been shown nationally and internationally and has been published in books and magazines in the US, Japan, and France. She is currently a resident artist at Friends Fabric Art in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Patrick Pierce is a sculptor and poet of long practice who has recently relocated his sculpture and painting studios to Lowell, Massachusetts. He has had multiple one-man and group shows in New York at the Denise Bibro Fine Art and other venues. In summer he exhibits with the Turtle Gallery on Deer Isle, Maine. His work is included in many private and organizational collections across the country and has been reviewed in the Atlantic Monthly, the Boston Globe, and other publications.

Brenda Pinardi is a professor emeritus of the Art Department at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell and a painter with major regional and national exhibitions. Public collections include the New World Bank and the DeCordova Museum. Ms. Pinardi is represented by the Vorpal Gallery in New York City and San Francisco.

Artists:

Betsy Adams
Amy Boger
Cindy Cloutier
Cathy George
Kathy Halamka
Mira Hnatyshyn
Melissa Kulig
Ginnie Lupi
Bea Meyer
Susan Shie
Marcella Stasa
Meghan Sullivan
Gay Tracy
Petra Voegtle
Paul Weiner

Events:

(all events are free and open to the public)

Sunday, February 29, 3-6pm:
Opening Reception

Sunday, March 14, 4-7pm:
Film Night in the Gallery
Come watch a movie (The Joy Luck Club) relating to the topic of the show and talk about it afterward. This cozy event will be facilitated by Raquel Bauman and Pamela Goncalves.

Fridays, March 19 and 26, 7-9pm:
“Stories on the Question of ‘Mother?’” Bring your own or someone else’s fiction or nonfiction, anecdotes, songs or poems to share aloud with a small group at either of these two sessions. We will sit in a circle and take turns sharing what we have brought. We hope this will be fun and thought-provoking.

Saturday, March 20, 4:30-6:30pm:
"Women and Preconceived Ideas"
Storytelling performance and discussion facilitated by Pamela Goncalves, featuring the story of "Tatterhood" (from a volume of folktales edited by Ethel Johnston Phelps). Bring your ideas and stories, too.

Friday, March 26, 2-3pm:
Video Viewing Room
Join us to watch several short videos of performance pieces relating to the theme of the exhibit (and not). We will be featuring "The Waiting Room" by Penny Lane and "Mothers Milk" by Brenda Clews (Clews' video will also be shown on March 27 as part of the spirituality event). Lane is an artist from Upstate NY. Brenda Clews is an artist and poet from Vancouver, BC; visit the "Mother of Milk" painting and presentation online to learn more. Also featured will be a short video from "The 40 Days Project" by Ginnie Lupi (one of the artists in this year's show and also from Upstate NY).

Saturday, March 27, 4:30-6:30pm:
"Mothering As Spiritual Experience"
During this afternoon, we will explore the ways in which people connect to spirit through the body, particularly through the experiences that some mothers have as they give birth, nurse, and relate to their children. Meg Landers and Amanda Sawires Yager will present different aspects of this topic. Visit Landers' "Mother and Child" photograph for an example of her work and Sawires Yager's Birthwhile Resources web site to learn more about her work as a Doula.

Sunday, March 28, 3-6pm:
“Tea and Scones with the Artists of ‘Mother?'”
Ayer Lofts will host an afternoon of tea and scones where visitors can meet and talk with artists from this year's show, in the gallery, free.