Banner Artist: Judith Carlin
An Art & Education Partnership Retrospective
February 22-March 27, 2022
Mary Harvey & Hope Ricciardi
Curators' Statement
In 2010, Violence Transformed and Lesley University began what was to become a diverse and long-lasting partnership, with visual arts exhibits accompanied and highlighted by dance performances, conferences that included a diverse range of artists, partnering arts organizations and speakers, and participants from around the globe. Together, we embraced a focus on programming that would follow and acknowledge the long and continuing history of violence both here and around the globe. From “Black Lives Matter” to “Art as Activism,” and “Can Crimes Against Humanity be Prevented?” to “Meditations on the Role of Memory in Aftermath of Atrocity,” we asked artists to tackle tough issues through our annual exhibition series entitled “The Future of the Past."
Alas, with COVID, we had to cancel live admission to our 2020 exhibit entitled “Unfinished Business: The Complicated History of Voting Rights in America”—celebrating the 100th anniversary of American women achieving the right to vote and acknowledging that racial equity in the world of voting rights still has a long way to go. Hopefully, as the pandemic recedes, our partnership with Lesley University will resume with the same spirit and dedication that has driven our partnership this far!
Exhibitions with Lesley University
2010
March 16-April 20, 2010
March 23, 2010, 4:30-6:30 PM
University Hall Atrium Gallery, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA
Co-sponsored by Violence Transformed, Lesley University’s Creative Arts in Learning Division, and Cambridge United for Peace and Justice, this exhibit brought together historical posters from the 1960’s and 70’s and recent work by local artists. The posters included iconic work such as War is Not Healthy for Children and other Living Things and Ben Shahn’s Stop the H Bomb Tests. The posters expressed popular discontent with America’s wars against Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan; supported popular movements and revolutions in Portugal, Latin America and South Africa; and called for equal rights and justice for women, children and people of color. This was Lesley University’s first Violence Transformed exhibit.
Brenda Steinberg
2011
May 25 – August 30, 2011
June 12, 2011, 4 PM
University Hall Atrium Gallery, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA
Ann Tobey and Ubuntu colleagues
Poster
2012
December 1, 2012
Marran Theater, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA
Mary Harvey (Director of Violence Transformed and Founding Director/Senior Psychologist of the Victims of Violence Program at Cambridge Health Alliance) spoke on the “Arts in the CommonHealth: Engaging Creativity, Changing Expectations” panel on the second day of Lesley University’s “Arts in the CommonHealth” conference. Moderated by Vivien Marcow Speiser, the panel also included: Charles Washburn (Executive Director of VSA Massachusetts), Sean Caulfield (Co-Founder and Creative Director at ARTZ: Artists for Alzheimer’s), Alexa Miller (Owner of Arts Practica and Co-Creator of the Training the Eye Program at Harvard Medical School), and Sandra Bertman (Professor of Palliative Care, Medical Humanities and Arts).
Photo from Lesley University's Arts & Health Institute
2013
February 14, 2013
University Hall Atrium, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA
Performances: Lesley University’s Dance/Movement Therapy Graduate Students, Undergraduate Dance Team, Expressive Therapy Graduate Students, and Conscious Kinetics . Violence Transformed and Lesley University invited the community to rise up and join the global movement to end violence against women. One Billion Rising, a national movement, is a call to men and women to form an alliance in an act of solidarity and support for women around the world, demonstrating the commonality of their struggles and our collaborative power to take action and bring awareness through dance. In addition to dance performances and a “Speak Out,” there was a screening and discussion of "Power and Control: Domestic Abuse in America."
One Billion Rising Movement Logo
2014
February 15–22, 2014
University Hall Atrium Gallery, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA
Elliot Salloway, Manuel Schroeder & and the young artists of Project eXodus
Elliot Salloway artist’s statement: “In spite of much research that demonstrates the reluctance of humans to kill one another, the world has had over 262,000,000 people murdered by genocide in the 20th century. This body of work poses the questions of how is this possible and what can be done to prevent it in the future? Because art can only ask questions, not answer them, my images are meant to stimulate discussion among viewers. This will hopefully help to expand both public and political awareness of the complexities and possibilities of solutions to these questions.” Manuel Schroeder artist statement: “The messages we get through advertising, tv, internet and other public media have two basic objectives: the first is to create fear, the second is to fuel desire. The codex of colors and words often mask the evil behind. My work is concerned with uncovering those hidden messages.” About Project eXodus: “The mission is to create awareness of the importance and complexity of preventing genocide which we have expanded to include all human rights violations and crimes against humanity. One of Evil’s greatest tools is that of apathy and closed mindedness. Project eXodus looks to present art as an instrument of communication, which has a long cultural history going back to ancient cave art, religious art, propaganda up to todays advertising campaigns. Through the language of art ‘project eXodus’ seeks to stimulate sustainable impact in terms of awareness and discussions among young people and professional artists addressing the question: are crimes against humanity preventable? The founders of project eXodus are Dr. Elliot Salloway and Manuel Schroeder.”
Poster
2015
March 9–18, 2015
Lesley University Graduate School of Arts & Social Sciences, Washburn Auditorium, Brattle Square Campus
A Conference and Companion Exhibit Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
Hope Ricciardi (Violence Transformed) and Nancy Beardall & Meenakshi Chaabra (Lesley University Faculty)
Image Gallery
2016
Black Lives Matter
March 7-29, 2016
Symposium:
Monday, March 7, 2016, 6:30-9:30 PM
Location:
Marran Theater & Gallery, Doble Campus, Lesley University, 34 Mellen Street, Cambridge, MA
Curator:
Hope Ricciardi
Image Gallery
2017
March 6-April 2, 2017
The Future of the Past, Voices of Partition and Lessons Learned
March 22, 2017, 6-8 PM
Lesley University
Alumni Hall, Doble Campus
34 Mellen Street, Cambridge, MA
Elizabeth Tallett
Annu Palakunnathu Matthew’s photo-animation exhibit, “Open Wound: Stories of Partition,” and the work of The 1947 Partition Archive seek to address that gap by giving voice to the turmoil and resilience experienced by those who were displaced by the Partition. Click here for the more about this solo exhibition.
2018
Women Against Violence: Resistance and Resilience
March 19-April 28, 2018
Symposium & Reception:
Tuesday, March 20, 2018, 6:30 pm
Location:
Lesley University, Marran Gallery, Margaret McKenna Student Center, Doble Campus, 34 Mellen Street, Cambridge, MA
Curator:
Hope Ricciardi
Image Gallery
2019
Art & Activism
March 18 - April 15, 2019
Opening Reception and Artist's Talk:
Tuesday, March 26, 6:30-8:30 PM
Location:
Marran Gallery (adjacent to Marran Theater), Lesley University, 34 Mellen St, Cambridge, MA
For information, contact:
Mary Harvey: harveymr@comcast.net / Hope Ricciardi: hopericciardi@gmail.com
Image Gallery
