Springfield Museums featuring work of area residents

Date: 11/17/2020

SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield Museums are showcasing artwork of local residents in their “This Is Us: Regional Portraiture Today”  exhibit. This is the Museum's first iteration of the exhibit, which is running from Oct. 24 to Jan. 10. “This Is Us” is a complimentary exhibit at the Museum that is inspired by another current showcase called “The Outwin: American Portraiture Today.”

Submissions of portraiture for “This Is Us” range from photography, painting, sculptures, drawings and more. The works, created within the last two years, focus mostly on responding to current events and themes such as human connection, political climates and social events.

“Many of the works represent people from right here in our community, which is wonderful, whether it’s painting other artists or representing friends of theirs. Some of the works alternatively really speak to the national conversations that we’re having in this current social and political moment,” said Maggie North, curator of art at the Springfield Museums.
Some pieces, she said, feature portraits of people such as Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and historical figure Ida B. Wells.

The open call for portraiture began in early August and, according to North, received sixty five submissions. Twenty three pieces are displayed on the museum walls and the others are featured on a digital slideshow. This iteration will lead into another beginning on Jan. 23 and running through April 4, 2021. The open call for art is ongoing, and pieces submitted through Jan. 3, 2021 will be considered for physical display within the Community Gallery.

“The Outwin: American Portraiture Today” was one of the main inspirations for this showcase.

“We were really inspired by “The Outwin: American Portraiture Today.” This is an exhibit that results from a call for portraiture that The Smithsonian makes every year. Their call for portraiture is nationwide so they invite artists from Puerto Rico, as well as the Continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii to submit work. This past iteration they received over 2,500 entries. About 50 of the best they show  at the National Portrait Gallery and send them on tour,” said North.

The Springfield Museums wanted to display where portraiture is right now in the country and include local artists in the conversation, according to North.

“It was an opportunity to showcase local talent which is always something that, when we have the time and the opportunity to do, we are so excited to do. We have such an amazing and rich artistic community here in our region,” she said.

North also talked about COVID-19 and the power it has had on this exhibit.

“There’s something to be said for the power of portraiture in this time of social distancing. We are all looking for ways to connect with each other that aren't necessarily our normal face to face gatherings and encounters. So when you enter the gallery you have an opportunity to really see work by your neighbors and see the faces of your neighbors. I think that can be a really powerful opportunity to commune with their stories,” said North.

Wynne Dromey is one local artist featured in “This Is Us.” A seventeen year old Longmeadow resident, Dromey is the youngest artist displayed in the exhibit.
Dromey’s love for art stemmed from an early age.

“I’ve loved art ever since I was young. I would always be drawing all the time, doodling in my notebooks and sketching all the time. I think I got more serious with painting specifically Freshman year,” she said.

Dromey paints almost every day and, little by little, her skills improved, which lead her to where she is now. Dromey set up one of her first art exhibits at the Bing Arts Center, where she had her art displayed with two other artists. She also now runs her own small business called Colors of the Wynne, where she does commission paintings for friends, family, and others through social media.
Dromey says she heard about “This Is Us” from two of her friends who sent her its application link.

“I thought why not give it a shot and see if I could get chosen,” she said.

Dromey ended up submitting an 11x14 acrylic painting of her friend Sandra. In the Summer of 2019, Dromey had a goal of painting portraits of all of her friends with flowers coming out of their hair. Sandra was the first friend she decided to paint.

“I feel like the meaning kind of came after I finished the painting. I kind of grew in admiration for Sandra,” said Dromey.

In the Summer of 2020, Sandra became very involved in the Black Lives Matter movement. Dromey said that Sandra started her own peaceful protest for the movement. Dromey’s admiration for her friend is what inspired her to submit her particular piece for the display.

“I just love my painting so much because I’m happy that I was able to honor how amazing of a person she is. Every time I’m with her she always puts a smile on my face. She’s one of the sweetest, kindest people that I know and that was definitely one of the reasons that I chose to paint her too,” said Dromey.

Another local artist featured in the “This Is Us” exhibit is Terry Gibson. Gibson is originally from Pittsburgh, but moved to Holyoke about a year ago. He started out writing and then ventured into photography, painting and collage and assemblage work.

“I never really considered myself an artist, just kind of a hobbyist,” said Gibson.

Over time, he began to show some of his pieces at shows and get his work out there, which led to him calling himself an artist. He showed some of his pieces in the Three Rivers Art Fest and was also a part of The Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse’s secret show, where he displayed his piece “Black Life as a Spectator Sport.”

Gibson heard about the exhibit online and decided to submit one portrait, which ended up getting accepted. The photograph is called “Faces in a Protest” and features a young man standing in the center of a crowd with an almost pensive face. A woman’s hands are clutching his chest and in the background there are other smiling, laughing faces.

Gibson said he took this photo during his final year living in Pittsburgh. It occurred at a small demonstration against police brutality.

“There was something about this young man’s face that just drew my attention at that time. I just kind of snapped the photo not really knowing how it was going to turn out, but I really, really love the image. There’s a lot going on there,” said Gibson.

“This Is Us: Regional Portraiture Today” is on display at the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts. The Springfield Museums are open Tuesday-Sunday, with hours of operation available on their website. There is an admission fee to see the exhibit, but the admission covers all five museums at the Springfield Museums complex. As always, Springfield Museums are free for residents of Springfield to visit, according to North.

“We hope to keep people’s interest and continue to invite artists to submit work,” said North.
The D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts is located at 21 Edwards St., Springfield. The museum can be reached at 263-6800.