SOULFUL Renditions (in turblent times)
Melissa Dvozenja-Thomas, Director, Development & Marketing, Arts Mid-Hudson for The Poughkeepsie Journal
Nature is a constant reminder of the flow of life. It shows us the cycles and rhythms of our existence as we course through each season. As we take it in, it shows us how to let go, rest and start anew. So much of the balance of life and nature can be seen in Cunneen-Hackett Art Center’s latest exhibition by Harriet Forman Barrett called SOULFUL Renditions (in turbulent times). Throughout the exhibit, the viewer can also read poems and additional interpretations of the artwork by Maura McMahon, Jan Alexander, and Harriet Forman Barrett.
Barrett has been a part of the artscene since she was young. Having over 52 years of experience as a sculptor, painter, and jewelry designer, she focuses her work on spirituality and the feminine, as well as the metamorphosis of a person. “I’ve always worked to provoke conscious thought of our struggles and dualities we endure,” Barrett says. “Each of the artworks represents all of the elements encompassing our life struggles and the power within.”
All of Barrett’s work has a balance of light and dark, warm and cold that provides the viewer with a bit of peace as they take in her work. “Bloom” depicts a glowing calla lily and within the flower is the silhouette of a woman. She is gazing up, out of the petals, taking in the light on her face. While appearing powerful and strong, she has a quiet confidence that glows with her, knowing her worth and place in the world.
Directly below “Bloom”, Barrett has created “Generations of the Masks We Wear.” With cool colors, the portrait bust of a woman reveals many layers of masks being lifted but not quite removed. This work is accompanied by the writing of Jan Alexander. This piece asks the viewer to look at the many masks we wear in our daily lives. Masks to protect, hide, and create the illusion of something else. What if we were all to remove those masks and just appear as we are? What would happen?
“Warrior in the Feminine” portrays the feminine spirit as grounded throughout whatever turmoil may arise. The figure in the piece appears almost tree-like with her roots firmly standing their ground in the earth while the winds are blowing around her. Arms extended, feeling the breeze around her, she faces forward and is calm.
In “We Shall RISE” Barrett created an almost dreamlike image. There is movement in the colors and light in this piece that reminds the viewer of a storm and yet, the figure in the work is at peace. The figure, almost being swept away by waters, rises and the water dissipates into the air above it. This work is accompanied by a poem by Maura MaMahon and Harriet Forman Barrett.
All of the works in this exhibit were created during the pandemic. Barrett spent most of that time in her studio creating. “I focused inward,” Barrett says, “Timeless pain that we all shared but the oneness that we all are” embodies the entirety of her work.
If you go:
SOULFUL Renditions (in turbulent times)
Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center, 9 Vassar Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Dates: May 7 – June 30, 2022
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Contact: (845) 486-4571
www.cunneen-hackett.org