In this Virtual Gallery, curator Katherine Wilson has selected pieces that explore the theme of waiting. She states: "The possible diversity of subjects is what attracted me to the theme and it presented a creative space for expression, particularly now, during a time where the nature of waiting has taken on new meanings." Read more from her full statement below.
Click on any square image to launch the slideshow.
When I suggested the theme WAITING for a SAQA virtual exhibit, the first thing that came to mind was the universal nature of waiting and how it is a common situation in our daily lives. We are all waiting for something. Waiting can come from our observations and concerns or our internal hopes and desires. It can be as casual as passing the time or as demanding as experiencing anxiety over troubling times. For me, waiting for positive outcome change and social, racial and economic justice has always driven my career and my art.
In usual fashion, SAQA members took the subject of waiting head-on, displaying their talents and venting their concerns and interpretations of waiting in creative ways. A diverse response was asked for and received. The possible diversity of subjects is what attracted me to the theme and it presented a creative space for expression, particularly now, during a time where the nature of waiting has taken on new meanings.
As I had hoped, several submissions addressed some of the large global and national issues of the day, like the pandemic in Unprecedented and Waiting to Fly, immigration in Mother of Exiles, American citizenship in Waiting for…, climate change in The Colours of Nature and world peace in Wouldn’t it be Nice.
I was glad to see how personal anxiety while waiting was addressed. In Waiting and Wall of Fire, we see anxious waiting during natural disasters. Not knowing where your next meal appears in On the Streets. I know of the anxiety mothers of color face while raising children, waiting to see if their children have survived another day or have become the victims of systemic violence, in Soar to the Light. I’ve lived with the personal threat of not reaching my full potential because of my gender and skin color depicted in Waiting for Opportunity to Knock. And I personally know of women who have experienced body shaming and wait for acceptance, the subject in Injurious Pressure. Departure: 16th November 2019 touched my heart because like the artist, I learned of my father’s passing while waiting in an airport away from home.
Artists attacked other topics that I enjoyed like waiting for others to get their act together in Time Waits or What’s Your Excuse, idling time in Wondering if She Should Go, Waiting for Pizza and On Her Way or going through grow pains and the metamorphosis of adolescence in La Grace de I’Incertitude. How children might view the threats of today while waiting for safety is seen in Monsters.
I extend my sincere gratitude of thanks to SAQA for the opportunity to be the first volunteer curator for the Virtual Gallery and to SAQA member artists for their tremendous response to this call. Please enjoy the presentation!
About the Curator
Drawing on history, current events and personal experiences for inspiration, Katherine Stewart Wilson’s journey as an artist has allowed her creative inner spirit to be expressed. In her reflective art form, a variety of processes are favored and improvisational techniques are practiced. Compositional decisions embrace traditional art, as well as quilting concepts, as she explores new avenues of expression through surface manipulation.
The importance of Katherine's culture and the impact of social commentary have profoundly influenced the visual depictions seen in her stitched and layered art.
“My artwork, if nothing else, is a statement. I decontextualize and reconstruct. My creative goal is not to reflect what is obvious; it is reflecting what is not obvious.”
Genevieve Attinger - La Grâce de l'Incertitude
Bobbi Baugh - Wondering If She Should Go
Maria Billings - Wall of Fire
Sue Dennis - Wouldn't it be nice?
Paula Jean Gron - Time Waits
Edith Gross - Waiting for Opportunity to Knock
Jill Kerttula - Waiting for Pizza
Karol Kusmaul - On Her Way
Kim G Laffont - Waiting for . . .
Sue Lewis - Waiting to Fly
Alicia Merrett - The Colours of Nature
Keri Renee Mills - Soar to the Light
Cynthia Parry - Waiting
Claire Passmore - Departure: 16th November 2019
Candace Hackett Shively - Unprecedented
Joan Sowada - Monsters
Wendy L Starn - What's Your Excuse?
Barbara Triscari - Injurious Pressure
Hope Wilmarth - Mother of Exiles
Vivien Zepf - On the Streets
