Saturday, January 23, 2016

16 Years Ago...

Spring of 2000 in the Sherman Gallery at BU
Winter of 2016 in the Sherman Gallery at BU

16 years ago on the same walls of the same gallery, I completed my MFA in Studio Teaching at Boston University. The final exhibition was a display of our own artwork next to our students' work. The children came to the show and proudly smiled in front of their artwork. I feel the need to share with you that the little boy in the photo above would now be about 24 years old (older than I was in that photo).
Following this show, I began working as an art educator. 

Last night on the same walls of the same gallery, I had a solo exhibition titled It's not you, it's me. I took photos with family and friends in front of the works in the show. The picture above shows a handful of supportive art colleagues from the AIB/LUCAD low residency MFA family. A degree I completed two years ago as I began working on the piece titled Two Years pictured behind us. 

Things do feel very different than 16 years ago when I showed work in that gallery. I have so many more life experiences now, I felt compelled to dye the gray our of my hair before the opening reception,  I am married and no longer breaking up with boys like I was back then (some evidence of this can be seen in the piece titled 381 Minutes of Letters from Past Relationships),  I am still teaching and I am still working as a practicing artist (which is no small feat while you are teaching so often). 

As an artist, I have grown so much since then. As a teacher, 16 years later and I am still doing that same crayon engraving project pictured above. It is a good project, but still it makes me question whether things have changed enough. You don't realize these things when you start out, but you do hit a point when there is not much growth left in teaching elementary art in a public school system. I am not good a being complacent. There is endless room for growth and expansion when you are an artist. Ideally, there would be a delicate balance between the two, but what happens when the balance goes out of whack? 

I am hopeful that this exhibition may be a pivotal point just as the last show in this gallery was. Sometimes we change and something was once a good fit is no longer… that's when we need to have the courage to say, " It's not you, it's me". Nobody likes having to be the one to say this, but that hasn't stopped me yet…

393 minutes of my graduate thesis (on left)
381 minutes of letters from past relationships (on right) 

Monday, January 11, 2016

It's not you, It's me at Boston University's Sherman Gallery



Sherman Gallery
Stacey Piwinski: It’s not you, it’s me
January 22 – March 4, 2016

Dates and Events: Friday, January 22 – March 4, 2016
Opening Reception: Friday, January 22, 6–7:30pm
Location: Boston University Art Galleries at the Sherman Gallery (775 Commonwealth Ave, 2nd Floor)


Although her work speaks to painterly concerns, Stacey Piwinski (CFA’99,’00) uses textiles and found materials to create intricate weavings that consider the passage of time, the tactility of material, and interpersonal relationships. In her fabric scrolls and mixed media works, Piwinski carefully re-contextualizes objects that have personal significance or simply have been left behind. In these material and personal explorations of memory, Piwinski allows the objects to weave together new meanings and to tell new stories.

About Stacey Piwinski 
Stacey Piwinski was born in Lawrence, MA, in 1976. She received her BFA in painting in 1999, her MFA in studio teaching in 2000 from Boston University, and most recently her MFA in visual arts from Lesley University in January 2014. Stacey participated in the Japan Fulbright Memorial Teaching Program in 2005 and was inspired by Japanese textiles, specifically Saori Weaving. As an arts educator in the Wellesley Public Schools, she has facilitated community-weaving projects as a way of connecting individuals. Weaving as a metaphor for bringing people together is a thread that runs through all of her work.


About Boston University Art Galleries

Dedicated to serving the Boston University community, as well as the greater Boston and New England public, the Boston University Art Galleries are committed to a culturally inclusive and interdisciplinary interpretation of art and culture. Located within walking distance on the Boston University campus, the Stone, 808, Annex, and Sherman Galleries maintain an ongoing schedule of temporary exhibitions that focus on contemporary international, national, and regional art development. Gallery hours are Tuesday–Friday from 11am–5pm, Thursday to 8pm (Stone and 808 Galleries only) and Saturday and Sunday from 1pm–5pm. (Closed Mondays and Holidays). For more information, visit bu.edu/art/.