A Vacant Chair]

Mixed-media works by Susan Calza
Drawings • sound & light installation

Opening reception: Friday, February 4, 2022 4-7pm

On view February 4 - March 13, 2022

Gallery Hours:
Fridays 10am - 6pm
Saturdays 10am - 6pm
Sundays 10am - 6pm

“A Vacant Chair is a personal reflection on homelessness as a state of mind or a state of being, where many souls are gathered,” states Calza. The exhibition is meant to be intimate and reflective. The artist created cutouts of hundreds of houses drawn in pen and ink on vellum. These houses become characters in their own right, stitched together to form a 3D drawing, enhanced by a light installation and a twenty two minute audio track which leads visitors through ideas and symbols of home through storytelling, while acknowledging numbers of those in need in the world, our country and our state. Offerings of milk and honey with multiple layers of houses adorn tables, collections of animated houses are gathered on the bare floor - asking questions, inviting interpretation. What is promised? Can one ever know the stories forming in the house with the fresh coat of paint or perfectly trimmed hedge? What sounds, scents and texture of the air in an attic, or cellar, or kitchen invoke stories from our collective upbringing? Is home something tangible, or something we take with us?

Visitors are welcome to let themselves into the gallery during the open hours posted, to experience this multi-sensory exhibition. All are invited to leave a donation if desired which will be given to local organizations in Montpelier who directly serve those who are home insecure. 

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