Art in Support of Social Change

Jump!, Louisa Bertman, ink illustration tagged on panel. Courtesy photo.

Exhibit at Local Gallery Reacts to Bullying, Gay Suicides

“It Gets Better/Make it Better,” an exhibit that displays art work created in reaction to recent high profile gay teenage suicides, opens at 13FOREST Gallery on Thursday, February 17. The opening reception is taking place from 7PM-9PM.

Ten percent of all sales from this exhibition will be donated to the Boston-area chapter of PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) “in recognition of its invaluable contributions to the lives of people on a local and national level,” according to gallery owner and Medford resident Marc Gurton.

“It Gets Better/Make It Better” is an exhibition of work by nine artists from across the United States, and a call for people to work toward improving the world socially and physically. The show’s focus was initially on bullying and homophobia in memory of Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University youth who took his own life in 2010 after his straight roommate had secretly broadcast a portion of Clementi’s intimate life over the internet. It was later expanded to present bullying and homophobia within the context of an array of social issues including gender, racial identity, and the environment.

According to information released by Gurton, the exhibit is co-juried by Paula Tognarelli, executive director of the Griffin Museum in Winchester, and it presents artists “who stand testimony to studies of collective action.”

“When people identify with a particular cause, they find the energy within themselves to work towards social change and feel more comfortable in the world itself. Here these feelings are expressed through media as diverse as painting, monotype, photography and LED sculpture,” said a statement from the gallery.

The artists will be available for a talk and reception on March 17 from 7PM-9PM. The gallery is located at 167A Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington.

– InsideMedford.com