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Date: 11/17/2020
EASTHAMPTON – Easthampton City Arts (ECA) is hosting its first-ever virtual art exposition, POST PAUSE.
The exposition will feature artwork by more than 70 local and regional artists, all of which was created after March 13, the date when Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced the first in an ongoing series of restrictions in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Baker declared a state of emergency on March 10.
Maggie Nowinski, winner of the first phase of the ECA Artist Grants Initiative, curated the show.
“I think it is important for artists to make opportunity for artists. We need to support and champion one another. This time of pause and the grant provided me with time to do this, and receiving the grant was a vote of confidence in this project,” Nowinski said.
She said they wanted the exhibition to feel live and current through the normal season of Open Studios and Small Works shows. With things being chaotic between the election, the pandemic and the holidays, she felt it was important to give a lot of time to get the word out, so the exhibition will run through January 2021. The exhibition will remain on the website afterward for people to continue to enjoy.
Nowinski said the Artist Grants Initiative program specified community-based programming and she felt a virtual exhibition would be a way to give back to the community.
“It became clear early on, starting with sheltering in place, that this pandemic was just beginning to settle in, and the reality of significant isolation with it. Easthampton has a vibrant arts scene, a monthly art walk, various festivals and other independent art and music events, the loss of this for the foreseeable future, felt like a loss of connection within the arts community and audience,” Nowinski said.
The reality check or pause that the pandemic forced on the country is what inspired her to name the exhibition POST PAUSE. She said during the first few days of lockdown, her busy lifestyle of running around physically and mentally was on a pause.
“It was kind of a precious experience, like the start of a slow long inhale. At some point, I heard this time of quarantine/lockdown referred to as ‘The Great Pause’ and I loved it. I thought of calling the show POST PAUSE because while we are certainly not post-pandemic, we have moved through that initial pause of lockdown, that first big intake of breath,” she said.
Nowinski said the format of the exhibition provided an opportunity for more works to be included because there were no limitations of physical space, but not everyone was accepted because of the requirements. Nowinski required that the artwork had to be made after March 13, the artists needed to live in Western Massachusetts, and some of the artwork did not reflect the time of the pandemic.
“In terms of the theme, I asked that works overly or quietly respond or reflect these times. I also had to be a bit intuitive about choosing works and think about a kind of underlying rhythm,” Nowinski said.
To visit the virtual exhibition and see all 70 artists, visit https://www.easthamptoncityarts.com/galleries/post-pause/.