The Gallery

Now through September 4, 2023

Weathered Shapes, Wooden Quilts

 
Weathered Shapes, Wooden Quilts, is an installation featuring artist Laura Petrovich-Cheney’s novel constructions that bring together the traditional crafts of wood sculpture and quilt making to show the potential of rebuilding and hope. Petrovich-Cheney repurposes wood collected after natural disasters and assembles the pieces into quilt-inspired sculptures, displaying the very personal impact of natural disasters and the potential for renewal.

Often given as gifts, or passed down through generations, quilts provide reminders of the past and people we love. What if that quilt was made from salvaged, reclaimed, and discarded materials like worn wooden planks, split doors, cracked cabinets, and warped boards, their history visible in the chipped colors, weathered shapes, and speckled nail holes? Quilts can also be a source of inspiration, as the maker can express creativity and artisanship in the unique designs of the quilt. It is often a patchwork of many different fabrics, colors, and textures, sometimes representing different aspects of the maker’s life and can serve as a reminder of the power of love and kindness.

Born in Philadelphia and raised in New Jersey, Laura now lives on the Northshore of Boston with her husband, two dogs, and cat. She earned an MS in Fashion Design from Drexel University and an MFA in Studio Arts from Moore College of Art and Design. She has been teaching as an elementary-level art teacher for more than 15 years, as well as presenting lectures and workshops to adults. Click here for additional information about Laura.

Come experience the new Gallery exhibition and meet the artist, Laura Petrovich-Cheney, on Sunday, March 19 from 2:00-3:00pm.

Menagerie of Movement

Bernie Zubrowski
October 13, 2024–April 27, 2025

In Menagerie of Movement, Bernie Zubrowski explores the ways that multiples of one shape, like lots of squares or lots of circles, can be nested and layered together to create different arrangements. He is interested in seeing the patterns that occur when the sculptures are activated by motion. When the shapes gently twist and turn in the air, they create different rhythmic patterns and interesting views of the sculptures.

Bernie Zubrowski has dedicated his career to science education, both in and out of the classroom, and at Boston Children’s Museum and beyond. During his time working at the Museum, he wrote many children’s science books, designed traveling exhibits, and several exhibits that are still in the Museum today, including Bubbles and Raceways. Beyond science education, Bernie has spent the last 25 years creating and exhibiting sculptures that move, continuing to inspire creativity and scientific exploration.

Perspective Play

By Drew Katz
April 14 – September 15, 2024  

Slate Lines

By Sarah E. Jenkins
September 24, 2023 – March 24, 2024  

Weathered Shapes, Wooden Quilts

By Laura Petrovich-Cheney
September 4, 2023

Small Stories: Vignettes in Blue

By Renee Romero
November 14, 2022 – February 26, 2023

Love and Maya

By Sneha Shrestha
August 6, 2022 – November 13, 2022

Protect Trans Dreams: A Portrait Project

By Noah Grigni
April 13, 2022-July 24, 2022

Looking and Seeing

By Woomin Kim January 28 – July 29, 2021 woominkim.com

Warm & Fuzzy Feels

An Installation by Chanel Thervil
March 23 – July 19, 2020 chanelthervil.com

Sneha Shreshta, also known as IMAGINE

August – December

April 13, 2022-July 24, 2022

Protect Trans Dreams: A Portrait Project

by Noah Grigni

Protect Trans Dreams: A Portrait Project, features a series of large-scale acrylic portraits by artist Noah Grigni (they/them).These portraits, displayed alongside Grigni’s original watercolor illustrations from the children’s book It Feels Good To Be Yourself by Theresa Thorn, celebrate transgender (trans) kids and their visions for the future.

The paintings portray each child on their own terms, in the fantasies they imagined. Some are silly and playful, others earnest and serious. To create these portraits, Grigni connected with 7 trans kids across New England, ranging in ages from 6 to 12 and interviewed them about their dreams. The paintings illustrate the ideas they described, including visions that range from making music and writing stories, to intricate scenes of fallen angels crying tears of joy, and celestial wolves circling in the sky. The scenes depicted in these portraits, painted using soft and vibrant jewel tones, are connected by motifs of stars and flowers, and by simple circles reminiscent of halos framing each child’s head. The halos serve as a reminder that the dreams of trans children—just like the dreams of all children—are sacred, and deserve to be nurtured and celebrated.

The portraits are displayed alongside watercolor illustrations by Noah from the book It Feels Good To Be Yourself by Theresa Thorn. The book was created to introduce and celebrate the concept of gender identity for young readers. The exhibition also features a cozy book nook with drawing prompts focusing on identity and dreams, inviting museum visitors to read, write, and create their own masterpieces highlighting their dreams.