Exhibitions

MARIA WILLISON: BALANCING THE TIME

AVA: Association for Visual Arts / 30 Frazier Ave. September 27 - November 8th

Maria Willison

Maria Willison was the recipient of "Best in Show" at the 2023 AVA Juried Member Show. This solo exhibition of sculptural works is the fulfillment of that award.

"This show has three channels of thought: the Extra-ordinary Women series, the Chroma series, and a series of animals. As I attempt to pry a through-line out of the ether I see how the last few years have affected my work in subtle and not so subtle ways. And the threads of this show are no exception. In recent times, as I'm sure many can relate, it has been full of grief. Ranging from
many small (perhaps soon to be forgotten things), all the way to the pain of loved ones dying. My work has always been how I express and explain myself to the world and making beauty in the midst of tragedy has, at times, acted as a talisman against despair at how broken the world is around me. The world attempts to distract from healthy mourning of these losses and it too easily keeps us in a numb groundless state as a constant. And here it is, for me, today: this braided strand of attention. To the stories of women who lived fully, to the whole spectrum of color and feelings, to the extraordinariness of the creatures around us. My art is one of the main ways that I bring my feet to the earth where all these truths are present, it helps me see the beauty in this life, bringing balance back into unbalanced times.
This show is dedicated to the artist, Courtenay James. A kind and generous being who was the best of us. We miss you."
-Maria Willison