UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — “Comadres en la comunidad/Comothering in the community,” an exhibition that grapples with issues of gender expression, addiction and recovery, oppression, relationships, and loss and grieving as they relate to mental health, is on display in the Woskob Family Gallery through May 31.
Live music, poetry readings and interactive workshops related to the exhibition will be held on Friday, April 5 (opening reception and First Friday), and Friday, May 3 (First Friday), 5-8 p.m., at the gallery, located at 146 S. Allen St., State College.
The exhibiting artists, Leslie C. Sotomayor, Sophia Villalobos and Katy Ballard, are activists and educators who facilitate conversations about nurturing mental health and intergenerational communities through creative acts. The theme for this exhibition is entangled with an expanding terminology about motherhood and mental health. Works on display include hand-stitched fabric, hand-dyed materials, crochet and embroidery, mixed-media fabric, multimedia on canvas, wall installation and video.
“As madres/mothers, we situate our own lived experiences as sites of data and research as a reflexive premise through our creative acts’ studio practice,” reads the artists’ statement. “We define comadres (comothers) as an active premise that unites collaboration and mothering as has been manifested in our lived experiences as women who have a special connection and shared responsibilities to each other.”
Friday, April 5, 5-8 p.m.: Opening Reception and First Friday
- 5 p.m. “Conjuring love,” a poetry reading by Leslie C. Sotomayor
- 5-7:30 p.m. “Cultural Memories of Place as Offerings,” an interactive intergenerational community workshop (ongoing throughout the evening)
- 5:30-7 p.m. Music by Ady Martinez & Band
- 7 p.m. “Show & Tell,” a performance by Sophia Villalobos
Friday, May 3, 5-8 p.m.: First Friday
- 5-7 p.m. Music by Eric Ian Farmer
- 5-7:30 p.m. “Gestures of the Body,” an interactive intergenerational community workshop (ongoing throughout the evening)
- 5:30-6:15 p.m. Live painting and poetry reading by Leslie C. Sotomayor
Woskob Family Gallery’s regular hours are Fridays, 12:30-5 p.m. For more information, visit the gallery’s website.