by Hannah Arnow
The exhibit is hard to miss. As you cross the threshold into Thomas Crane Public Library in Quincy, MA a brightly painted image declaring, “Don’t look back… you’re not going that way” captures your eye. Vivid, bold, it invites you into the exhibit, which is off to the left as you enter.
The exhibit, “Our Voices: Woodward Celebrates 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage,” celebrates the centennial of the ratification of the 19th amendment, which granted women the right to vote in the United States. The exhibit features the paintings of 24 art students at the Woodward School for Girls in Quincy, MA. The students were asked “what messages they would want people to rally behind today” and these paintings are their response.
The exhibit reaches two audiences: Student Artists and the Community. Marguerite White, the art teacher at the Woodward School, frames this exhibit as a learning opportunity. She taught students to engage with history and archival materials in a new way and how to incorporate it into their art. She guided her students through an examination of old suffrage posters to learn how women in the past articulated their beliefs and presented strong messages. These lessons show through their attention to detail and strong messages. The artwork, created by the students, reflects bold messages about climate change, women’s rights, immigrant rights, vegetarianism, self-love, coming out, and more. This exhibition creates a space for these art students to share their passion and their voices at the library. Through amplifying the students’ work, the library created a conversation piece, sparking a community engagement.
As you approach the exhibition space, there is a small sign and notebook: “We welcome the chance to hear from the community, so please take a moment to add your own thoughts or concerns in the notebook below.” This exhibit reaches out, beyond the art, asking the observer to participate. It welcomes you in and asks you the same questions posed to the students. It creates a community dialogue.
These paintings moved me. As I took in the names and ages of the artists, the concerns that preoccupied these students caused me to reflect on my own beliefs and the causes that have stuck with me from childhood. I slowly walked through the exhibition, taking it all in. Before leaving, I wrote a comment and felt connected to these students and their causes. With this exhibit, Thomas Crane Public Library creates a space for the community generally, along with the students specifically, to have their voice heard and displayed.
This exhibit invites the community into the library and into art. It encourages people coming into the library to see it as a space where their voice – all our voices – matter. Where they can be heard and be a part of the community. The library uses art to reach into the community, transcending traditional barriers, and inviting people to engage with the institution in a new way.
The exhibit will be on display through the end of February 2020. If you are unable to attend in person, you can view the “Our Voices” Exhibit virtually through Thomas Crane Public Library’s flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomascranelibrary/sets/72157712914607312/with/49468630141/
Learn more about the “Our Voices” Exhibit through the words of the artists with a Quincy Access Television interview with Marguerite White and some of the Woodward Art Students: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn2wDb_PpTA&feature=youtu.be
Thomas Crane Public Library hosts monthly art exhibits that serve to invite the community in and visit the library. They are intended to be thought provoking and provide a point of conversation between the artists on exhibition and the community. Learn more about Thomas Crane Public Library’s current exhibits here: http://thomascranelibrary.org/events/exhibits