Gallery 51 manager Julia Morgan-Leamon and North Adams, Massachusetts artist Sarah Sutro, who has a studio in the Eclipse Mill, have curated a group show of 10 local, national and international artists, in “Water and Earth,” a call to protect fragile ecosystems.
“Sutro brought the idea to the gallery. It has roots in a trip abroad, she said. She lived in Bangladesh for two years and in Thailand for four.
Bangladesh is a burgeoning society, she said. It has come through rough conflict in 1971 and has begun to develop: Small businesses are coming back and are open to sharing knowledge. And in Bangladesh she grew to work with a collective, Aranya, run by Ruby Ghuznavi in the Banani region of Dhaka.
Ghuznavi has revived a long craft tradition, encouraging artist to using natural inks and paints made without toxic chemicals. She has given jobs to farmers growing plants like indigo to make the natural colors, Sutro said.
She and Sutro have become firm friends. Sutro paints abstracts with natural inks and dyes — from indigo, iron, molasses, acacia and walnut. On her travels she learned processes to make sure they will not fade.”
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What: ‘Water & Earth’ group show of 10 artists
Where: MCLA’s Gallery 51,
51 Main St., North Adams
When: Through Nov. 30, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
Upcycling plastic-bags-to-basket workshop 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 22
Admission: Free to the gallery
Information: (413) 664-8718