you don't remember me, but I remember you

Spent a lovely afternoon at the A.R.t Galerie at the New Boston Art Colony today. It's a lovely little space, the cherry trees are in bloom, and the gallery itself has a clean, fresh, open layout. But what I think is so unique is what they're displaying, right now.

Unfortunately, today's the last day to see this exhibit, so I'm going to try to make this quick, so some of you who see this might be able to get down to the gallery!

Remember when kid's art was relegated to the refrigerator? Curators of the A.R.t. Galerie, Miss Teofila Matova and Mr. Karl Nostram, wanted to change that over February and March:



Young artist Rachel Diana Sowers, exhibited on the first floor of the Galerie, died at age seven of acute leukemia. Part of today's Radio Riel closing of this exhibit was to draw attention to that. In addition to a donation kiosk outside the gallery for the RFL, there's also one by the docks specifically for donations to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Foundation, and all proceeds donated to the Galerie today will go towards research into the cure for that Foundation.



Does Miss Sower's work have more or less power, knowing she's no longer with us? Does her work have more or less impact in an art gallery setting, than it would in a home, on a corkboard, pinned by magnets to a fridge? These were questions that kept occurring as I walked the exhibit.

I thought of hobo chip carvers, of Hmong refugee textile art, of Hmong and Amish quilters, and found art in general. What gives art its power? What moves us?

This exhibit brings such questions back to the beginning, with how art evolves, how figure and concept are realized, through the eyes of the very young.



Miss Kati Bruekner exhibits on the top floor, and there is such an exuberant vitality to her work, especially in a gallery setting. It's very nearly embryonic--one can see the seeds of artistic expression here, gain insight into what the artist may explore, if they keep creating, as an adult--which makes the first floor of this exhibit all the more poignant, for the loss of the artist shown.

On the second floor, just for that sense of whiplash, are shown some truly stunning exhibits of an adult artist, Tony Bartlett, whose photographs of sea and sky are vividly captured, intense and striking. But it's the art of children, found on floors one and three, that really shines.

Do come if you can. Artworks shown are for sale, and remember, there are donation kiosks outside the Galerie. Support research for the cure, if nothing else.