The Dance of Dementia: New Exhibit at Gallery A3 in February

Source: Gallery A3

Gallery A3, 28 Amity Street 1D in Amherst annouces its new exhibition for February: Dances of Dementia an exhibit of fiber art by Cheryl Rezendes. The exhibit will run from Thursday February 1 through Saturday March 2. There will be an opening reception on Thursday February 1, from 5-7 p.m. and a free online art forum on Thursday February 15 at 7:30 p.m. (register here). Gallery hours are Thursday-Sunday, 2-7:00 p.m.

The Dance of Dementia
Cheryl Rezendes will be exhibiting wall-hung fiber art pieces known as art quilts, ranging in size from 20×34” to 34×79”. With the use of paint, dyes, and thread on textiles she presents abstract work that speaks to the emotional and vulnerable states of caregiving for two people she loved who suffered from dementia. Rezendes employs a wide variety of techniques, such as direct painting on the fabric, monoprinting using original hand-cut stamps and stencils, painting with acrylic, and oil painting with cold wax on panel.  All the pieces in the exhibit were created during the years 2021-2023.

The Dance of Dementia is about the difficult and painful eight-year journey Cheryl Rezendes made as caregiver for her husband Alan, who bravely struggled with Parkinson’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease dementia which came about from exposure to Agent Orange when he was drafted to fight in Vietnam. It is also about her role as caregiver for her mother who struggled with both Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, overlapping with Alan’s illness for the first five of those eight years.

The collection is also about the personal struggles for Rezendes’s husband and mother, as they danced between a distant light that periodically still glowed in their eyes and the unfettered and demoralizing decline of both their cognitive and physical abilities. With her mother’s glow just a memory after she passed in December of 2020, Alan’s glow quickly dimmed to a clouded filmy grey, masking the glory of all he once was, until he too passed away in October of 2022. 

Rezendes has been an artist her entire life.  As she states: “I had the good fortune of having parents who recognized and encouraged my creative side. I make art simply because I have to. It is a life work that runs through my veins, fueling my desire to live this amazing life through all it has to offer me. There has never been a time in my life when I did not make art, even during the hardest of times. My work is very visceral that connects me to something bigger than myself.”  It is her hope that her work will speak to people on an emotional level. 

Cheryl Rezendes is the author of Fabric Surface Design – a book that covers over eighty techniques for putting imagery on fabric using textile paints. Her work has been in galleries throughout the United States. She was recently juried into the prestigious show Quilt National 2023. 

Art Forum Online
In an Art Forum Online on Thursday, February 15 at 7:30 pm, Cheryl Rezendes will discuss her work and the complex array of techniques she uses to create it.  Registration is at www.gallerya3.com. This Art in Community outreach program is supported in part by grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

About Gallery A3
Gallery A3 is a contemporary, fine art gallery in downtown Amherst, Massachusetts. Members of our artist-run gallery include painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers and mixed media artists. You can find us in the Amherst Cinema complex along with Amherst Coffee, GoBerry Yogurt and Osteria Vespa restaurant.

Gallery A3 was founded in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on 9/11. A group of local artists believed art to be essential to the health and healing of a community and began the gallery as a place to share ideas and artistic support. Since that time, the gallery has been home to over sixty artists and is now celebrating twenty years of monthly shows with openings and forums. All events are free and open to the public.

Gallery A3 strives to enliven and enrich our community by offering exhibits with public openings and open forums. It established and actively participates in the monthly art walks, Amherst Arts Night Plus, and supports regional artists with an annual juried show. It serves its own membership with conversations and programs that bring established professional and newly-emerged artists together, promoting artistic development and encouraging the creation and exhibition of exciting, new
contemporary art work.