Vessels of Belonging
The Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts 2024 Artist in Residence Program
August 2 - 18, 2024
Opening Reception: Friday, August 2nd, 2024 at 6 to 8 PM
RSVP here
Vessels of Belonging creates space for reflection and connection around questions like what does it mean to belong within our bodies, souls, communities, and the valleys of earth?
This exhibition is the culmination of a collaboration between the Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts 2024 Artist in Residence, Alejandra Cuadra and Artist in Residence Interns, Olive Allen, Jacob De Palm, Aaliyah Levy, Carlos Serret, and Neela Willeke, who came together to reflect and create work around questions of belonging, history, and memory. Together with community participants at workshops in partnership with Mudflat Studio, Sociedad Latina, and the Codman Square Branch of the Boston Public Library, they created and decorated small house-like structures called Casitas, which are inspired by Mexican ofrendas (altars) and Peruvian retablos (devotional paintings). The artists covered their Casita with thoughts and imagery that express a collective sense of belonging, and ultimately, open the door to their individual worlds and hearts.
Exhibiting Artists:
Alejandra Cuadra - The Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts 2024 Artist in Residence
Olive Allen
Jacob De Palm
Elian Feliz
Aaliyah Levy
Carlos Serret
Neela Willeke
About Alejandra Cuadra
Alejandra is a proud Latina, a citizen of the world, and most importantly a human being. Alejandra’s practice embraces clay, wood, video, steel, and objects of abundance to weave, braid, and knot together her history—what was, what is, and what is to come. Feeling neither from here nor there, she seeks to reconnect to her roots in Peru while threading together notions of identity, displacement, traditions, belonging, and a desire for freedom. Her current work reflects her quest for what it means to belong within the body, soul, community, and the rooted valleys of the earth.
Alejandra lives and creates on unceded Massachusett and Pawtucket land. She holds a BFA in Sculpture with a Minor in Public Engagement from Maine College of Art and Design. She has attended residencies at Yale Norfolk School of Art, Monson Arts, Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts, Ellis-Beauregard Foundation, and Twenty Summers at Hawthorne Barn, has interned at Indigo Arts Alliance and The Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill, and was an apprentice for ten years at Kemp Pottery in Orleans, MA. She was part of the 2023 Technical Education program at Mudflat. As she continues to pave her artistic path, she seeks to live an inspired life filled with more questions than answers, constantly learning, relearning, and unlearning along the way.
General Overview of Opening & Closing Receptions
Opening Reception on Friday, August 2, 6-8 PM
Join us for this exclusive opportunity to meet and connect with The Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts 2024 Artist in Residence, Alejandra Cuadra, and Artist in Residence Interns, Olive Allen, Jacob De Palm, Aaliyah Levy, Carlos Serret, and Neela Willeke. The artists will present their curatorial and artistic perspectives on the show and residency. Slow down to feast your eyes, ears, and soul, and learn about the process behind the project. RSVP here: https://donorbox.org/events/634489
Closing Reception on Saturday, August 17, 6-8 PM
You’re invited to join The Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts 2024 Artist in Residence, Alejandra Cuadra, and Artist in Residence Interns, Olive Allen, Jacob De Palm, Aaliyah Levy, Carlos Serret, and Neela Willeke for a final opportunity to celebrate and connect with them and the artworks they created throughout the residency project! Join us for a night of joy and community. RSVP here: https://donorbox.org/events/634489
Learn more about the exhibition at https://eliotschool.org/articles/vessels-belonging-exhibit-piano-craft-gallery
Learn more about the Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts 2024 Artist in Residence Program at https://eliotschool.org/programs/artists-residence
