'Cocked and Gagged,' at Susan Calza Gallery, Addresses a Horrific American Phenomenon 

Passersby the Susan Calza Gallery, on Montpelier's Main Street, can see through the tall bay windows streams of red ribbons hanging from the ceiling. It looks festive. But "this ain't no party, this ain't no disco," as David Byrne sings in "Life During Wartime." As it happens, other lyrics in that song, released in 1979, fit the theme of the gallery's current exhibit: "Heard of a van that's loaded with weapons / Packed up and ready to go ... The sound of gunfire, off in the distance / I'm getting used to it now."

Pamela Polston, Seven Days VT, June 2023

“Susan Calza Revisits Her Past in 'Our Demons Are Translucent' “

“Elements of Calza's psyche certainly present themselves here, in pieces such as the large-scale "Mother was home but every room is empty." In it, faces and house motifs, drawn with sumi and walnut inks, float in a sea of white space.”

Pamela Polston, Seven Days VT, February 2023

“Susan Calza’s Installation in Montpelier Invites Telling Stories About Trying Times” 

"Red Oculus" demonstrates her interest in art that touches on social and political issues and evokes universal themes... Her recent work has engaged with such challenging subjects as immigration, the slave trade, mass shootings and homelessness.”

Erik Ssckilsen, Seven Days VT, July 2022

“Of her overall artistic and curatorial philosophy, Calza offered, “This is a terrible generalization, but I always feel the best work is [from] cultures that are really stressed.” For the U.S., she said, "The time's right now; it's rich and juicy and dark — let's look at it.”

Surveying her glowing-red installation, she added, "I think it works best when it's dark outside."

Rachel Elizabeth Jones, Seven Days 2019

"In the non-objective department, Susan Calza shines..."

Vivien Raynor, NY Times

"Calza shows an uncanny knack for transforming acutely political topics into highly personalized manifestations. Nothing is on the nose. There is no moralism, only the self-aware creation of objects that can be both frustrating and friendly. With genuine wonder, Calza has formed a poetic puzzle that invites viewers to navigate human contradictions, consumerism and the confounding question of how we construct beauty and value."

Rachel Elizabeth Jones, Seven Days 2017

Much acquainted...missing is a non-authoritarian body of work. It is everything opposite of coercive control and authority. It is a show that gives power to the non-dominant in the most literal way: she uses her non-dominant hand for all of her drawings...Instead of speaking of things that are in control and have the ability to control others, Calza calls on wobbly authenticity. Her left hand is allowed to feel, touch, experience what the right hand is generally in charge of. Her non-dominant hand cannot hide behind confidence, knowing, and exactitude. Instead, it is allowed to reveal its own squirm – lack of strength becomes a strength through repetition.

“Calza shows an uncanny knack for transforming acutely political topics into highly personalized manifestations. Nothing is on the nose. There is no moralism, only the self-aware creation of objects that can be both frustrating and friendly. With genuine wonder, Calza has formed a poetic puzzle that invites viewers to navigate human contradictions, consumerism and the confounding question of how we construct beauty and value.?

Rachel Elizabeth Jones, Seven Days VT,  May 2017

Leila Bandar, Vermont Art Zine 2012