Written by Anna-Li St. Martin, Intern with the City of Worcester’s Cultural Development Division, spring 2023
As an intern for the City’s Cultural Development Division, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the reopening of the “Open Door Gallery” at the Worcester Art Museum (ODG@WAM).
On Monday, March 20th, 2023, I attended the reopening of the ODG@WAM featuring the work of artist Megan Bent. Having exhibited over 100 artists with disabilities, the ODG@WAM returns from a hiatus due to the pandemic. One of the only spaces of its kind located in a world-renowned art museum, the ODG@WAM is a working studio and gallery that creates professional opportunities and representation for artists with disabilities to share their stories and culture.
Before heading into the ODG@WAM, several people involved in this effort spoke about the project’s origins, their goals, and their experiences. During this speaking portion, I learned that three organizations collaborated to support each other’s missions, creating a unique space that none of them could have achieved alone. The Seven Hills Foundation strives to promote and encourage the empowerment of people with significant challenges so that individuals may pursue their highest possible degree of personal well-being and independence. Open Door Arts has spent the last 42 years working to increase access, participation, and representation in the arts for people with disabilities. As for the Worcester Art Museum’s goals, Managing Director of Open Door Arts Nicole Agois shared that the Gallery works in tangent with WAM’s mission to connect people, communities, and culture through the experience of art, while representing people with disabilities.
In closing her speech to the assemblage, Agois shared the following quote by James Baldwin: “The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.” This quote resonated with me because artists tend to bring up topics, subjects, and themes that are often underdiscussed publicly. Artists can help bring down societal barriers through their art and transport viewers into their point of view.
Now that we have covered the history of these amazing organizations, let’s move on and talk about the actual art and artist featured!
Currently on view at ODG@WAM is Bent’s project, I Don’t Want to Paint A Silver Lining Around It. Megan Bent is a lens-based artist who primarily uses photography and its malleability to reimagine the traditional use of a camera. Bent’s interest in art began after the diagnosis of a progressive chronic illness, which informed her image-making process and helped her embrace her experiences with a disability. This project is a personal reflection of her experience on being a high-risk individual during the pandemic. It features chlorophyll prints, an alternative photographic process where imagery is directly printed onto natural leaves using photosynthesis. One print may take anywhere from 8-72 hours to develop, depending on the UV light exposure. According to Bent, “[this] cooperative relationship with the organic materials and the environment is a process that celebrates care, interdependence, slowness, and adaptability – values of belonging I find in the disability community.”
What I loved most about this exhibit was the physical interaction visitors experience when viewing the chlorophyll prints on leaves alongside enlarged photographs of the leaves. The physical chlorophyll prints are in a shadow box covered by a protective cloth, which visitors can lift to reveal the leaves. Seeing the actual chlorophyll prints in person was astounding. I could not believe that a photograph was actually printed onto a tiny leaf. The enlarged prints hanging beside the shadow boxes allow visitors to examine the details of the chlorophyll prints.
The second to last photo showcases Bent’s piece titled Quarantine Day 580 (Booster Shot), which is an oval-shaped Hosta leaf printed with a self-portrait of Bent captured after receiving her COVID-19 booster shot. The photo prints are so incredibly clear, creating the illusion that they are traditional photopaper prints. The last picture is the physical leaf in a shadow box with a cloth lifted to reveal the leaf.
Seeing the chlorophyll print amazed me. It is intriguing to see a natural element, a leaf, so seamlessly integrated with art. The duality of natural plant life and the manipulation of that natural aspect shines through this medium. Bent has stated, “the fact that chlorophyll prints are impermanent, and will continue to decay over time, underscores the interdependence and bodily impermanence we all share.”
I found this partnership between the WAM, Open Door Arts, and the Seven Hills Foundation inspiring. As an avid art and history museum goer, I have rarely seen a permanent gallery like this in an art museum as distinguished as the WAM. Located in the Higgins Education Wing of the WAM, the Gallery’s permanency further acknowledges and supports underrepresented artists. I look forward to seeing which artist is featured next in the ODG@WAM!