The Arts Center at Duck Creek in Springs presents “Field Notes,” an exhibition of new sculptural work by Sara Mejia Kriendler in the Little Gallery and “En Casa,” an exhibition of mixed-media paintings by Misla in the John Little Barn.
“I moved to the East End during the pandemic, pregnant with my son. I have spent a lot more time with trees than with people during the last few years and nature has crept into the studio. I have considered myself for some time as a landscape artist, but the landscape I used to depict was human and the body was my central focus. This exhibition turns away from the human and towards the earth; we have placed ourselves at the center for far too long. ‘What are we attuned to?’ Perhaps it is time to tune into something different. And so, in these works, I am thinking less like a sculptor and more like a spider or a vine,” said Kriendler.
At the heart of Kriendler’s exhibition is a sculptural installation that spans almost the entire length of the gallery’s longest wall. The work is composed of dozens of bundles of sage and cedar raining down from the ceiling in a dense pattern to create a kind of tapestry. These cocoon-like forms are the culmination of many months spent wrapping fresh leaves with gold, tan, and yellow-toned thread, a repetitive process that appears almost devotional at this scale. While the sage and cedar recall cleansing rituals and make a connection to the healing properties of the natural environment, the gesture of wrapping implies a desire to protect, preserve, and to nurture.
Misla is a native New Yorker and mixed-media artist specifically interested in the Nuyorican (New York – Puerto Rican) experience. For “En Casa,” she will present an ongoing series of mixed-media paintings alongside an installation of furniture and other domestic trappings, all of which celebrate the imagery and ephemera of distinctly Nuyorican apartments.
Many of the paintings on view depict interior scenes of the artist’s Queens apartment of over 28 years. Some pieces also reference interiors from apartments in the Lower East Side where she was born and her father was raised. Painted at nearly life-scale, and collaged with various materials (a lace tablecloth; bottles; brand-name labels; a birthday banner) they invite you to enter the image as you would enter the space of a room.
Both exhibitions will be on display from June 10 to July 9. An opening reception for “Field Notes” will be held on Saturday, June 10, from 3 to 5 PM. A reception for “En Casa” will be held from 5 to 7 PM.