Installing the Red, White, Blue and You Exhibit at Blue Door Art Center, pictured left to right, Marleny, Lee Romero and Dennis Shelton. Photo by Mary Hardiman
by M.C. Neuda
What do you do on the occasion of a major milestone in the life of your country? Put on a show, of course!
That’s exactly what Blue Door Art Center in Yonkers is doing with its current exhibit entitled “Red, White, Blue and You.” And what a show it is!
The gallery space is saturated with the colors of the American flag, used separately or in different combinations, in two- and three-dimensional artwork. The gallery has enhanced this immersive experience by painting two walls at the front of the gallery in vibrant shades of red and blue.
Naturally, the flag itself is a primary motif throughout this color landscape, facilitating an easy flow from one area of the gallery to the other. Surprisingly, although the art pieces are from some 60 artists, the progression through the gallery is a refreshing, rather than tiring experience.
This might well be because these artists are of such varying stripes, media, sensibilities, and convictions. As such, the show represents a cross-section of points-of-view about this country’s history and future, illustrating that there is more than one way to celebrate this grand anniversary.
As an example of the variety in just one small area of the gallery, there is the somber “Homage to 9/11” by Allen Hart, with sand adhering directly to the canvas⸻signifying to me the destruction of that terrible day⸻placed against a backdrop of Cubist American flags that seem to say, in the words of our national anthem, that “our flag was still there.”
Across from this homage is the poster child for the exhibit, “JFK Sees You” by Annette Back, with its quotes exhorting the viewer to action on behalf of this land of ours.
Up a short flight of stairs is the painting “Blue Ghost Flower Dreams” by Alexandra Brueckner, a lush, blue, abstracted birthday bouquet!
Whatever the artists’ intentions, all of these encourage personal interpretations and emotions, and this is true for the entire exhibit.
In fact, I don’t believe I’ve seen a show that connects so directly with the viewer, at least the American viewer. That’s because we live in the world depicted in the art, although, of course, not in every aspect of that world⸻and that makes for the show’s great interest. There are different stories to America, all of which need to be seen and heard to get the full picture.
Here are some of the narratives rendered in this show…
“Benito” by Eileen Stout is a portrait of Bad Bunny as Superhero, a reminder of the diversity of America’s heritage and its strength, and perhaps making the point, with its two flags of the the same colors, that the United States is the only country in the two continents that has claimed “America” as its other name;
“Truth…I Am America” by Kwafi Gray and “American Son” by David Dixon each point out that Black Americans are a major part of the spirit and identity of this country;
“We the People” by D.L. Shelton and B.R. Fogel, a collaborative diptych, makes clear with its separated flag that the struggle to fulfill the American Dream of equality and justice is far from over;
“Apollo 4” by Livia Gus and “She’s Dying for Their Sins” by Maxine Nodel remind us, on the one hand, of our former triumphs and, on the other, of our current troubles.
“A Little Bit of Light Dispels a Lot of Darkness” by Emily Herzfeld represents hope in the glowing blue-and-white candles of a menorah.
…And many, many more! It bears noting that not all the pieces are narrative in nature, some being focused on color alone. These too are impressive.
For me, however, the stories are what make this exhibit remarkable. It’s impossible not to be affected by the emotions coming off the walls. They encourage the viewer to reflect alone or with others on all the striking images and to engage with the following question. The Red, White and Blue: what does it mean to you?
Go! Now is the perfect time with Yonkers Arts Weekend coming up May 15-17. Blue Door Art Center will be one of the participating venues, so take advantage of this great family weekend and stop by the gallery to enjoy this don’t-miss-it experience!
On display through June 6 at Blue Door Art Center, 13 Riverdale Avenue, Yonkers, New York. bluedoorartcenter.org, @thebdac
