There are times when it feels like we are at a crossroads where ethical questions take center stage throughout humanity. And lately, we have been faced with addressing cultural, social, political, and economic inequalities like never before. This tipping point represents our touchstone for the worth of human life, dignity, and freedom for all. HUMANITY comes at us hard, reflecting on topics like mental illness, cultural expectations, love, greed, loss, scandal, and SO much more. Here we explore the deeper aspects of injustices, beauty, and life’s simplicity, all wrapped up in one impactful exhibit.
HUMANITY
Best of Show- Lining Up
Director’s Choiec- Asylum Seekers Walking (Country Store Interior, USA)
Gary Westford
oil on panel with vintage screen door, scale, wall, and floor
Salem, Oregon
From inside a country store in the USA, a family of asylum seekers from another country are seen walking in the sun. An open vintage screen door displays a metal bread sign advertising MASTER white bread. A old wall scale holds a bag of peanuts. A young girl clutches her cloth bear and peers inside.
Director’s Choice- Denny
Glitter is the Herpes of the Gay Community
History Repeats Itself. American Travel Bans
Susan Clinard
wood, ceramic, acrylic
Hamden, Connecticut
All figures mark different periods of the past to the present where banning groups of people to and within the US was based in varying degrees of fear. The line of sculptures could have been much longer, but the point was to see the pattern across cultures and time. Yes, history will repeat itself but at what cost? Fear is the building blocks of racism.
Refugee Abstract #5
Margaret Jo Feldman
free motion embroidery on canvas
San Francisco, California
Recent descriptions of the perilous crossings by refugees affected me deeply. This series uses a found photograph of refugees on a boat. I want to create a first impression that reads as purely aesthetic and challenge that assumption with embedded details that hint at the human condition.
Carol
Peggy Magovern
colored pencil, wax, oil pastel
Danville, California
Strong, but also vulnerable.
She is both these things
because by feeling vulnerable,
she knows what bravery truly is
US, A Nation
Buena Johnson
pencil & collage
Los Angeles, California
Surrealist composition dealing with America's history of racism, enslavement, injustices, greed & capitalism w/animals symbolic of deceit, betrayal, trickery, untrustworthiness, etc.; the Preamble-upper left, Door of No Return in clouds-upper right; Auction house+Statue of Liberty as chained slave.
Double Joy
Eva Crawford
watercolor
Charlotte, North Carolina
These women are named Joy and are from opposite ends of the world. Contrasts in skin color, culture, and nationality are thoughtfully collaged and then watercolored to create a unified image. The realism of the torn edges emphasize brokenness in communication and understanding of humans with one another. The paper can not be fixed, but becomes forever mended in one painting as a sacred offering for unity.
Entwined
Executive Order 9066
Susan Zimmerman
fiber- thread, paper, cardboard
El Cerrito, California
Inspired by Dorothea Lange’s and Hung Liu’s portraits of the Mochida family waiting for transport to an internment camp, this pays homage to Japanese Americans forced to relocate during World War II. All materials constructed by the artist, including luggage and historically accurate ID tags.
The Split
Dave Manousos
acrylic on canvas
Sutter Creek, California
Humanity as a collective or an individual. Just as there are two sides to every story, we all have our good and bad sides.
Visible
Sarah Means
oil on canvas
Peoa, Utah
As a former east coaster, I have learned a great deal living in the west. This is my expression of some of my new understanding and cultural awareness. None of us should be invisible.
Project : pills
Shoko Tanaka
glazed ceramic, acrylic paint
Springfield, Oregon
The sculpture consists of two components; "figure" without body which is bending over a pile of pills. The figure is trying to swallow the hundreds of pills just as a man drinks from a pool of water in the desert.
Who Will Buy My Flowers?
Janet Powers
photography
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Wizened woman in Myanmar holding up a string of jasmine that she is selling.
Tibetan Woman
The Personal Is Political
Brenda York
acrylic and mixed media
La Mesa, California
The personal is political was a rallying slogan of the feminist movement in the 60s and 70s. It underscored connections between personal experience and larger social structures. And, as I began exploring the personal narrative of motherhood, I soon recognized that the personal is political. Always.
Determined
Carole Goodwin
digital
Denver, Colorado
A portrait of determination done in black, white, and red.
The Immigrants
Anna-Louise
Sins of My Father Will Never Expire
Tony Armadillo
oil
Corpus Christi, Texas
If an adult robs an establishment and has his kids with him, are the kids sent to jail as well? If the adult enters the country w/o permission are the children guilty as well? Arriving as kids and decades in the US, with many serving in the military they fear removal from their only home - the USA.
A Joy Funeral
Zijun Zhao
ink, pastel and color pencil on paper
New York, New York
It is my understanding of death, even a good wish, again sting the traditional Chinese culture of "the joyful death". The mainline's meaning and expression are pushed from the lower right corner to the upper left corner.
The Thinker: Reexamined
Alyssa Sciortino
oil on canvas
Lexington, Kentucky
40 Years; The Conversation
Molly Mackaman
clay-based wall paint on birch panel
Malden on Hudson, New York
These figures just appeared on my board as I painted. What began as a purely abstract painting evolved into two men. They've been together for 40 years. They've had wild times, flush times and rough times, ups and downs, but they've stayed together. Today they're older, calmer, and having a conversation. Perhaps it's heated. I can't tell.
Gentle Men on the Street
Marie Bergstedt
cotton, polyester, nylon, eco-felt, buttons, needlepoint canvas
San Francisco, California
In respect and recognition of street musicians who do not fit into the acceptable norm of society. Although they see little financial reward and waver between being residents and urban campers, they play their hearts out and live for their passion.
I Will Rise
John Diephouse
photography
Lansing, Michigan
"I WILL RISE” is both a concrete observation and a metaphorical journey of inspiration, determination, and the struggle to defy the obstacles that bind an individual to the past and bar them from advancing to a different future. Overcoming the forces of opposition is an impetus to finding a pathway, a handhold, or step toward achieving the reality that I WILL RISE.
Decline Denial
Amy Bumpus
hand cut paper
Tucson, Arizona
Decline Denial speaks to the human role in climate change. What is our “poof point”? When is the moment that we act with a determination to be a part of a solution for ourselves and our fellow beings so we don’t become part of an extinction story.
Finding Comfort
Linda Anderson
fiber art
La Mesa, California
Knowing that so many children around the world are deprived of the kind of childhood that many of us take for granted, my heart was painfully drawn to the faces and gestures these boys shared with each other as they worked in the brick yard.
The 405 Altar Piece
After II
Joseph Miller
oil on panel
Buffalo, New York
Hypnagogia
Chawky Frenn
oil on canvas
Arlington, Virginia
As a Lebanese immigrant fleeing a war-torn country in 1981, coming to the United States was coming to a land of opportunity, a beacon for democracy, and a pinnacle of human rights. Through years of living and observing our ideals and politics, I learned that even in the Land of the Free basic human rights were always fought for, never given by the ruling powers.
Hypnagogia, a transitional state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep, with vivid sensations of floating, falling, and impending threat, alarmingly reflect the political, economic, religious, and moral predicaments that shamelessly emerged in 2020. The painting questions the identity, the core principles and values the United States upholds. Unscrupulous policies legalize corruption and assault basic rights with vindictive measures. Self-righteous patriotic mantras oppress dissent, generate prejudice, and grant immunity to war criminals. Religious dogmas consecrate submissive beliefs, bless compliance, and sanctify hatred of those with different convictions. Economic policies advocate unrestrained greed, cruel exploitation, and callous consumption over environmental, human, and civil rights. Justice systems, afforded by the rich and the privileged, sanction laws authorizing mass incarceration of the marginalized and supply legalized slavery to private for-profit prisons.
With a history rooted in structural racism, momentous struggles and critical resistance endeavor to ensure the rights of Native American, African Americans and other people of color, women, LGBTQ, veterans, immigrants, prisoners, and refugees. In recent times, latent hypocrisy brazenly reappeared, exposing the Inside Outside and turning Upside Down the values that made America great.
run
Carol Baum
watercolor, colored pencil
Newbury, Massachusetts
Most of us have our daily routine. Mine includes a three-mile run three times a week, something I’ve been doing for forty-five years. I run no matter the weather, all year long.
I’ve run when it’s six below and my eye lashes freeze, and I’ve run in August when the sun is blazing and sweat pours down my face. These paintings are inspired by these runs and
what running means to me.
At first, I experimented with colors, a squiggly line for the road, areas of blue for the marsh, myself as the subject matter. But I was soon brought deeply into the different layers of meaning running has in my life, and I felt compelled to incorporate these meanings into the paintings.
The words are taken directly from the journals of two South Sudanese, Sam and Dhieu, who used to live in a house I pass at the start of my run. I met them the day they arrived in the US in 2001 when they were sixteen and seventeen. As young children they were forced to run from their homeland in order to escape the invading army from the north. Although they escaped with their lives, they lost everything—their families, their homes, their childhood. That first summer I gave them English lessons several afternoons a week. A strong bond formed between us, which continues to this day.
The repetition of the letters ctg one hundred and ninety-six times pays homage to my daughter who has a form of muscular dystrophy and can’t run. The disease is diagnosed by the number of repeats of ctg on the 19 th chromosome. As I run, I think of her, her strong spirit and positive outlook despite her illness.
At a distance the paintings appear pretty. Up close they disturb. This juxtaposition of the ordinary and extraordinary weaves through my life and art.
Homeless and Passing Time
Suzanne Storer
ceramic mixed media-ceramic colorants augmented with acrylic washes
Ogden, Utah
I came across Jack in the local park on a summers day where he was hanging out after being asked to leave a nearby AA meeting. They would not let him bring in his backpack containing all his possessions which he needed to keep with him in order to keep it safe.
He received the dollars I gave him for posing for me with no change of expression. I hope he is doing okay this winter.
Lost Moments
Anguish
Deborah Goudreau
clay and water
Hinesburg, Vermont
The pain of losing a child runs deep and long. The pain never really goes away.
Kay Somber
When I Come Undone - Redux
Damianne Fischer
mixed media sculpture / dryer lint, clay & found objects
Delaware, Ohio
This piece represents the dark female feelings of falling apart; struggling to keep the pieces together and not knowing if they can be put back together even as we are counted on to be the dynamic core of the family nucleus during the most tragic times by showing strength, wisdom and forgiveness.
A Mother's Love
Karen Russo
earthenware, underglaze and mixed media
Elmira, Oregon
A Mother’s Love, was sculpted in response to the separation and trauma inflicted upon the children of migrant families and asylum seekers. Not only at the US/Mexico border, but throughout the world. I hope to express through this sculpture, unconditional love and the resiliency of the human spirit.
Mom and Me
Sheri Hoeger
oil
Garden Valley, California
Oil painting celebrating the complex loving relationship between a mother and her adult daughter.
A Year of Tested Faith
Penance/ #900
Matt Gold
photography / mixed media
Brooklyn, New York
My take on the controversy surrounding the Catholic Church and it's sexual abuse scandels
Mike, with Military Tags
Tend Your Soul
Marga McBride
painted ceramic sculpture
Knoxville, Tennessee
Tend Your Soul is a piece about the Vietnamese Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hanh…”When someone holds up a flower, and shows it to you, he wants you to see it. If you keep thinking, you miss the flower.” Tend your soul like a garden…why doesn’t enter into it…just enjoy the flowers.
It Only Takes a Spark
M. M. Dupay
collage and colored pencil
Bowling Green, Ohio
Our collective humanity is manifest in holding and caring for that "spark" while also realizing that it is impermanent and transient.
Withered Crow
Heidi Brueckner
oil, fabric, thread, paper on canvas
Oakland, California
Based on a photo made by my great-grandfather, who owned a trading post at a crossroads in WY in the late 1800s. He forged many friendships with individuals in the local Crow tribe. Members allowed him to photograph their portraits for both documentary and artistic purposes.
The Pilgrims at Holy Ganges
Contemplation
Fannie Lee
mixed media collage
Brooklyn, New York
A New Day (for Humanity)
Gina Blickenstaff
oil on canvas
Fort Collins, Colorado
In this painting the mother represents the developed nations of the world who is sharing her bounty with the baby (who represents the undeveloped nations). The light pouring through the curtains represents the new spiritual light pouring into the world via a great World Teacher.
American Portraits: The Family Farm
Patty Kennedy-Zafred
original vintage feed sacks, textile inks, silkscreen materials, cotton batting, cotton backing
Murrysville, Pennsylvania
As a storyteller, my goal is to create thought-provoking narratives using fabric, dyes, silkscreens, and ink to inspire a visual dialogue with the viewer. My quilts marry a lifelong fascination with photography, history, and stitch, often reflecting faces of pride and dignity, sometimes under challenging circumstances. The agricultural landscape of rural America has changed dramatically since 1900, when half of the population lived and worked on farms. That number now rests at just two percent, while more than one-third of American farmers are over the age of 65. Every week, faced with economic hardship, long hours, and corporate competition, hundreds of farmers leave their land for good. The independent family farm is an essential part of our diverse American fabric, representing strength, tenacity, patience, and perseverance. Inspired by 1930’s U.S. Farm Security Administration photographs, this is my tribute to the American farmer.
(Original images courtesy Library of Congress.)
2010-04-16 14:31:55
Emily Roynesdal
acrylic on canvas
Boulder, Colorado
This image depicts the day the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Goldman, Sachs & Co. and one of its vice presidents for defrauding investors by misstating and omitting key facts about a financial product tied to subprime mortgages as the U.S. housing market was beginning to falter.
Humanity
Sandra Ceas
wood
Littleton, Colorado
When I think of the tiny word, “one,” I am impressed by its power and inclusivity. Although it refers to a single unit, it also encapsulates the unity of all. This work of art, “Humanity” has been in the studio of my mind for years, as I collected pieces of wood from around the world.
Live at the National: The American Captain
Juliet Hossain
acrylic on canvas and wood
Frederick, Maryland
“Support our troops,” we hear, but do not consider the meaning of such statements. Our military has long been as diverse as our population, serving a cause not yet fully realized. Here on this historic American stage are two Muslim immigrants, proud of their newly minted Captain son.
Lost in (Trans)it #1
Rawley Chaves
photography
Sheldonville, Massachusetts
In my work I aim to dismantle gender essentialism & binarism. As a trans person, I feel at home in my body when I am alone or with loved ones who never misgender me. When people assume my pronouns are she/her based on my appearance, that connection with my true self feels injured, and I dissociate.
Celebrants
Don Manderson
photography
Pensacola, Florida
This piece comments on the hideous and dangerous nature of the bigotry and discrimination still present in the US.
Black Lives Matter #2
Allan Mestel
photographic collage
Bradenton, Florida
We live in unique and dangerous times. We are witnessing the descent of the United Sates into a neo-fascist, xenophobic parody of the nation envisioned by transformational activists of past decades. For the past several years I have captured images of grassroots activism in racial and social justice, immigrant rights, women's rights and other progressive causes. The images presented here are composited from my work photographing Black Lives Matter street activism.
Refugee Family
9-13-2001
Edward Mills
oil on canvas
Brooklyn, New York
The 9-11 site 4 days after WTC collapse taken from a NY Times Photo.
Melancholy Form
Mutuus Consensus (By Mutual Consent)
Sed_tion
Johanna Guilfoyle
viscosity prints on mulberry paper, encaustic, thread, hair
Fort Collins, Colorado
This piece was made on January 6, 2021, when a violent mob stormed the Capitol. The position of our police was unclear- were they standing down or standing by? The underscore oscillates between "i" and "a," between sedition and sedation, the events versus the Trump administration's response.
Anyahs (Self-portrait)
Shayna Sutton
cardboard, newspaper, human hair
Arlington, Texas
Anyahs (Self-Portrait) I know this version of myself is only temporary just like the materials I used. The person I’m becoming is still unfolding, still exploring my Identity as a black women and that is in itself is one my greatest masterpiece in progress.
HACS
Peter Root
mixed media- watercolor originals, photography, text
Hadley, Massachusetts
Part of my High Anxiety/Can’t Sleep series. It’s been a tough year for all of us......
Three Fates
Janet Leombruni
acrylic
Wethersfield, Connecticut
Putting a Price On Life
Ilhana Kisija
ink wash, printed paper, acetone, graphite
Glenview, Illinois
Healthcare is supposed to ease lives, yet in America, it does the opposite. Companies capitalize on healthcare and lives, people often go into debt because of medical bills and sadly avoid hospital visits in fear of the costs that follow. Human greed has caused the purpose of healthcare to go astray.
Another Victim
Happy Minutes
Bouldin Jones Kim
acrylic, photography and resin
St. Charles, Missouri
Portrait of Varanasi Holy Man
Stolen III
Pam Cooper
handmade paper, shipping tags, nails, chain and pencil
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey
Handmade paper formed into shoes, each pair hung over a nail in the wall. Shipping label with text describing the laws written by the USA, UK and Australia to enable the government to remove children from their families for political, racial and social reasons.
Kintsugi
Invisible
Kara Greenwell
acrylic and mixed media
San Diego, California
Don’t pass by. Stop. Look closely. Such beauty and wisdom and compassion hide here. I am not hidden by gender, race, orientation, ethnicity nor age. With haunting echoes of verse atop layers of acrylic and graphite, “Invisible” recognizes the overlooked souls and demands viewers Look @ Me.
The Bond
Mirjam Kustov
concrete
Lääneranna vald, Estonia
We all are more or less connected with each other. But is this bond we share an unconditional one and the frame here is mere means to exhibit the concept or does it restrict the shared bond with conditions? Once again is art reflecting life.
Genesis
John Greiner-Ferris
acrylic paint and graphite on board
Quincy, Massachusetts
Dan
Renato Rampolla
photography
Tampa, Florida
"Could you go in that store and get me a lighter?" he asked. "I'll give you the money. They won't let me or Tom go back in there."
"Why won't they let you go back in there?"
He leaned forward and said, "Cause they're Assholes!"
--
“The hills and the sea and the earth dance. The world of man dances in laughter and tears.” -Kabir
It has been said that a portrait of someone is as much a portrait of the photographer as it is their subject. If this is true, my humanistic and artistic interpretation manifests in these portraits a great deal.
As I travel across the United States, I meet many people. Many whom I meet, live on the streets and in alleys of major cities. With their permission, I make their portrait and write their stories.
Many of these people suffer loneliness at the deepest level. There is regret, lost love, abandonment, fear, loneliness, joy and hope, all mixed together in a composite of raw and unfiltered emotions.
I focus on their humanity and not their circumstance. This is not just about the dignity of the homeless, it’s about you and me and our fundamental human needs of belonging, respect, love and kindness.
After the Fall
Paul Ransohoff
graphite on paper
Menlo Park, California
Man’s original fall was out of timelessness and into time. When historical, political-cultural, or personal upheavals disrupt ongoing-ness , we again become vulnerable, now to a fall out of time. A living, feeling human remnant wanders between two worlds.
