Exhibitions

The phrase “mark my words” is a very commanding and directed message, loaded with determination. It can be received as an action, a threat, a promise, but it actually says more about the speaker than anything else. It’s the speaker’s “(my) words” that are marked with emphasis, or “set in stone” so to speak, as words were set in ancient times. The words to be marked are personal and denote ownership, as a signature, a signing-off, a declaration, an undisputed truth, or as “you have my promise.” Period.

In this exhibition, MARK MY WORDS doesn’t only describe a strong statement, but it indicates the mark left from words regarding a specific time, premonition, or personal feeling. The two artists in this show feel the need to say something, and share their points of view. Making a statement in visual form has more permanence than spoken language, and it can be reproduced and reach a larger audience. These artists are compelled to have their voices heard (and seen), whether on social issues, our current politics, or simply how interesting and dimensional a single word can be. 

Like many artists during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dolores Poacelli had a lot of time to contemplate the political climate, and experiment with her artwork. She expressed her strong feelings as daily relatable statements in textual compositions, which extended to creatively playing with letter shapes. Viewers get to know Poacelli’s concerns up close, in what has grown into a collection of visual megaphones and ultimately a book, The Pandemic Diaries. And getting more familiar with posting these compositions on Instagram, she can shout even further.  

Artist E. Sherman Hayman uses her signature sgrafitto techniques in not only word marks, but in cleverly communicating their definitions. And in HOW. MANY. MORE. select names of cities and locations surround “[Your Town Here]” as a foreboding “fill in the blank.” The statement behind the work is easily understood by anyone who recognizes the growing number of mass shootings in America. Likewise, we understand more about Hayman’s concern just from the title of the work. Symbolic arrangement and word associations, provide the viewer with all they need to know. The message is a loud and clear call to action.