Concord Artists' Galleries Promote Powerful Themes

Thursday, November 10, the reception for four artists was held at the Arthur Butcher Art Gallery in the Alexander Fine Arts Center. The artists – Jaclyn Whittaker, Mackenzie Hight, Cassady Berry, and Kayla Harrison – all produced and displayed galleries of some of their finest work.

    Whittaker, in her gallery, depicted a number of sweet treats in acrylic. In her artist statement, Whittaker says: “I believe my artwork is representative of me and my outlook on the world. When I look at the pieces in my show they remind me of happy memories, and of a joyful, lighthearted, bright perspective of the world around us.”

    Hight, in her gallery “Almost Human,” depicted the life and times of a robot designed to provide customer service that tries a little too hard to be something that it is not: human. Hight explains in her artist statement that she wanted to design a character that shows the same kinds of symptoms exhibited by people with autism, in an attempt to raise awareness of the condition. Hight states, “Creating this show has helped me be more open about my disability…I’ll always be almost human, but I’m content all the same.”

    Berry, in her gallery “Tiny House,” exhibits ceramic houses with several odds and ends being shown in juxtaposition to give themes to the pieces; these include bottle caps, hay, leaves, marbles, etc. Berry wished to capture the nature of the environments these houses are seen in, and states that, “taken as a whole, these sculptures represent possibilities.”

    Harrison, in her gallery “Endangered Species,” shows various species that are now on the endangered list, juxtaposed against backgrounds of their once flourishing habitats now destroyed by human activity, sending a very powerful message. Harrison states, “I want to provide a voice for the voiceless. Most of these animals that have been classified as endangered have been given that status because humans are rapidly destroying their homes.”

    Congratulations to all the artists displayed in this gallery.