Remain in Light: 'AURA' exhibition at the White Room illuminates artists from near and far

A celebration of unique artwork and sound come together in “AURA: Radiant-Illuminated-Iconic,” an exhibit on display now through Nov. 26 at The White Room.

Featuring 19 artists from not only the local area but throughout the United States and internationally, the exhibit contains a wide variety of work, from found objects displays and metal sculptures to mixed media pieces, paintings and photography.

“Light illumination is so appropriate for the time of year,” said Birgit Straehle, who owns and operates The White Room along with Luis Fraire. But more so, she noted, she wanted to curate pieces that all highlight an aura of creativity and imagination. “Every piece is basically iconic.”

The artwork is surrounded by a 12-speaker sound aura created specifically for the show by Jesse Kenas Collins and Michael Rosenstein, electro-acoustic improvisers based in Worcester and Boston, by utilizing recordings captured from Cape Cod earlier this year. “The echo,” Straehle said, “holds the entire exhibition together.”

The idea for the exhibit originated from a desire to showcase work by Raphaele Shirley, a French-American artist who lives in New York City. It was there that Straehle had viewed Shirley’s work, as well as at an exposition in Germany, and she knew she wanted to someday feature the artist at The White Room.

Shirley’s piece, “Agamemnon’s Dream,” a light structure of birch plywood, mirror acrylic, neon and ink, is modern in design but steeped in Gothic timeframes, Straehle pointed out. It is one of Shirley’s three light pieces in the show; the others are “The Hour” and “Your Very Own Illuminated Garden.”

Straehle said she was impressed with what the artists submitted for the show and loves having an exhibit with different materials and ideas, including work from two members of the Aldrich Astronomical Society, Kevin Boucher and Bruce Card, and German artist Eva Rosenstiel, who contributed a selection from her 100-piece Barbies Series from 2013. Using a combination of painting and photography, Rosenstiel focuses not on the perfect Barbie doll, but rather the creativity of materials and fashion.

“They stand out, but they all work together,” Straehle said of the pieces in the exhibition. “The artwork has a certain vibe. It’s uplifting, it’s humorous, but it makes you conscious of what’s going on in the world. … There are some serious aspects to consider from the artists.”José Criollo, who specializes in found objects art, has a larger-than-life-size seahorse on display, a perfectly symmetrical metal sculpture made of spoons, saw blades, wrenches, license plates, industrial washers, cymbals and even a pair of handcuffs. Sometimes he finds objects at flea markets; other times, family members, friends and neighbors give him pieces. He estimated about 20 people contributed materials for the seahorse construction.

“A lot of times, this material is waste and contributes to the contamination of water,” he said in his native language, translated by Fraire.

Originally from Ecuador and now a resident of Worcester, Criollo has been creating this type of art for 25 years. He once worked in a shop that made windows, and he began welding the leftover scraps to form different pieces. “He found that using leftover scraps was better than buying new artist material,” Fraire said. “At first, it was just for fun. Friends would give him things. He never thought it would become his profession. Now, he’s a dedicated artist.”

Like Criollo, Madeleine Lord, of Dudley, also specializes in found objects art and steel cutting. She began years ago while she was a single mom and working as an IT consultant. Her very first piece, which is displayed as part of the “AURA” exhibit, is called “Westie,” a torch-cut enamel steel piece from an oven side that she made into a portrait of her sister’s dog that had died.

“I could go to a junkyard on the weekend, pick up a bunch of things and, over time, make it into something. It was cheaper than art supplies,” she recalled.

In total, Lord has seven pieces on display, including a scrap metal angel and a smaller version of a large-scale shoe sculpture she had proposed for a project in Beverly that never materialized.

“There’s always a story implied in everything I do,” Lord said, adding, “The scraps always lead the way. I bring something home because I think it’s beautiful.”

Rosemary LeBeau also find stories in art, through old, discarded photographs that she revamps using her unique solvent transfer technique. Sometimes she finds pictures on her own; other times, people leave boxes for her. LeBeau’s pieces in the show capture innocence, but with a taint of darkness in the background.

“I’ve always liked pushing everything. I never liked taking a photograph and leaving it,” said LeBeau, who owns an art gallery, LeBeau Eccentric, in Auburn. “… I am a photographer; I love doing it, but I love pushing the image.”

Abu Mwenye, a Tanzanian/American artist living in Worcester, finds inspiration in pictures, as well, by using photos he finds online and then painting portraits of those images in acrylics and oils. For his “Beauty in the Beads” series — of which No. 6 is on display at The White Room — Mwenye draws from his heritage and from traditions of the Samburu tribes in Kenya. He handcrafts strings of beads, each color having a different meaning, and then attaches it to the finished painting.

“The main objective of the beading is to prepare the young girl for future marriage,” he explained of the tradition.

“Girls may be as young as 9 years old when they are beaded.”

Shrewsbury resident Ted Lilley, whose “Goldbrush” 3D painting is also part of the exhibit, discovered his preferred medium accidentally. A former materials scientist for Norton/St. Gobain, he began working with different types of artwork after retiring. One day, he was spraying newspaper on his studio floor, and when it dried, he noticed it formed a one-of-a-kind pattern. He was captivated by the way the scrunched-up shape changed colors depending on light and position, and since then, he has focused mostly on this type of 3D art.

“Just like in science and technology, things happened by accident,” Lilley said, adding that painting “all came from this accident. I feel that’s important—I am amazed how much is discovered in one’s own life through accidents. I bought those paints with no intention of becoming a painter.”

Other participating artists include Jennessa Burks, Jena DelCid, Katie Dye, Chelsea LeBeau, Kate Morgan, Eric Nichols, Maggi Randall and Brittany Severance.

The White Room gallery, at 138 Green St. in Worcester, is open to the public for viewing on Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 4 p.m. through Nov. 26, as well as on Friday, Nov. 24, from 4 to 8 p.m. for an opportunity to see the exhibition through a daylight-to-nighttime transition. In addition, the venue will host the Night Hawk Art Market from 4 to 8 pm on Saturday, Nov. 18, with vendors of original local artwork for sale.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Local, international artist on display in 'AURA' exhibit at White Room