DISTRICT Arts hosts first themed exhibition since COVID
May 13—The COVID-19 pandemic has touched nearly every aspect of life. School, work, travel, even simple daily tasks have changed since the virus arrived in the United States in March 2020.
As DISTRICT Arts, a downtown Frederick gallery, put it, "The world is a far different place than it was just a year ago. For far too many, it meant loss. For others, it meant unbelievable changes. For still others, it meant isolation."
The gallery is hosting its first themed exhibition in over a year, "Ordinary Objects, Extraordinary Times," giving artists an opportunity to tell the story about how what used to be ordinary has changed.
Cathy Abramson, while shopping at Costco, stopped and took a few pictures of a scene that stood out to her: shoppers snaking their way around big, blue wooden palettes that had been set up to keep everybody socially distant.
"They had these blue palettes set up, which I thought was just the most amazing color, and the line was snaking around those palettes, and ... everyone was on their phone, and there was no engagement, which I think is very typical of this past year," she said.
Abramson snapped a few pictures and later turned them into an oil painting that is featured in "Ordinary Objects, Extraordinary Times," which runs through May 30.
Artists from Maryland to California submitted pieces to DISTRICT Arts, each with a different interpretation of how the pandemic has shaped daily life.
"We're feeling a little bit safer to have people in the gallery, and we want to encourage people to come in and encourage the artists to stay involved," said Bill McLauchlan, who co-owns the gallery with his wife, Staci McLauchlan. "We thought for this first [show] back, the theme should be something that reflects what's been going on in people's lives for the last year."
For Abramson, the theme fits in with what she generally likes to do as an artist — capture a moment in time as people go about their daily lives.
"I try to capture something that could be easily ignored," she said.
DISTRICT Arts received more than 150 pieces for the exhibition, and 25 were selected by an independent juror, to keep it fair and unbiased. The juror also selected a Best in Show and Award for Merit. Submissions were judged based on how well they fit the theme, technical merit, and overall as a work of art.
Both Staci and Bill said it's wonderful to be curating themed exhibitions again, and they hope to continue opening the gallery more as pandemic restrictions ease.
"It's wonderful [to be back], and we were just amazed at the work that we got, not only the quality of it but the way people interpreted [the theme] differently," Staci said.
The current exhibition is a mixture of paintings, photography, sculptures and mixed media.
Some pieces can be quite emotional, Staci said, because they bring back memories of a painful year.
Abramson, who caught COVID last year, said she and many other artists have been drawn to documenting COVID in various capacities.
Follow Katryna Perera on Twitter: @katrynajill
Follow Katryna Perera on Twitter: @katrynajill
