A new exhibit at the Suffolk County Historical Society Museum in Riverhead uses painting, mosaics, sculpture, glass, fiber and photography to explore freedom, democracy and women’s ongoing struggle for empowerment in America.
“Visions of Freedom: America 250,” curated by Women Sharing Art, opened Saturday in the museum’s Gish Gallery. Inspired by this year’s 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States, the exhibit features 45 works by 38 artists.
About 200 people attended the opening reception at the museum, located at 300 West Main Street.
The historical society’s Executive Director Victoria Berger described the exhibit as “moving, humorous, powerful and meaningful.”
“Each of the artists created a written statement that sits on the wall next to their art to explain their meaning,” Berger said. “There’s a lot of emotion in their stories and a multitude of viewpoints of where we are now as a country.”
In notes accompanying the exhibit, curator Christine O’Malley wrote that the artwork reflects both “the ongoing struggle for a more perfect union” and the contributions of women throughout American history.
Among the first works visitors encounter is “Broken Barricades,” by Women Sharing Art founder and president Sue Miller. The piece, made from two halves of a wooden orange barricade placed on either side of the gallery entrance, reflects barriers women have faced over generations.
“I’ve experienced and shattered so many ceilings in my lifetime,” Miller wrote in her artist’s statement. “This is a remembrance of all the struggles we have endured visible and invisible, personally, politically and socially over the last 250 years.”
Gail Neuman, an Islip Terrace artist who works in jewelry and sculpture, created an oversized version of the U.S. Constitution marked by blood-red hands.
“I’m trying to say that our founders couldn’t have thought of everything at the time, and I don’t think they were thinking about women,” Neuman said. “The hands mean we will spare no blood to get our rights addressed.”
For Patchogue artist Mireille Belajonas, inspiration came during a walk with her dog on icy pavement. Her piece, “Slippery Slope,” a drawing of footprints, reflects her concerns about the fragility of democracy.
“What we do now about our democracy and freedom will have consequences for future generations,” she said.
Other works include Gabi Grama’s red, white and blue mosaic of Rosie the Riveter, which Grama described as a symbol of women’s strength, and two mosaics by St. James artist Eileen Palmer depicting Gloria Steinem and Rosa Parks. Palmer said she included a QR code so younger visitors unfamiliar with the women could learn more about them.
Wading River artist Blanche Gyberg’s painting of the Statue of Liberty, created in the Japanese brush-painting style known as Sumi-e, was selected for the exhibit’s promotional material.
The exhibit runs through April 22 at the Suffolk County Historical Society Museum. More information is available on the museum’s website and Women Sharing Art, a Bayport-based nonprofit.
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