“Open Doors” Gallery at Worcester State
{Andrea Binnick}
“Open Doors,” the title of the Mary Cosgrove Dolphin Gallery’s fall exhibition at Worcester State University, inspired show juror Shannon McGinty to draw some deeply meaningful and profound connections from those two simple words when plans for a pride show began taking shape.
The local artist and Worcester State alumnus pointed to quotes from leaders including Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California in the 1970s, who once said, “Freedom is too enormous to be slipped under a closet door." And as another example, the “Open Doors” concept connected McGinty with words of Jason Collins, a former National Basketball Association (NBA) player who publicly declared, “Openness may not completely disarm prejudice, but it's a good place to start."
Regional emerging and established artists alike recently delivered their own interpretations of the exhibit’s title by submitting an extensive variety of work following an “open call for art” announcement made over the summer by Worcester State’s Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) Department. As a result, a powerful and inclusive pride show is presently open for the community to enjoy, and VPA organizers of the show said that they are deeply moved by that.
“It has been my hope from the early planning stages that artists take this show as an opportunity to really express their ideas about PRIDE, and that the gallery will be full of the joy and color and life that is a common thread through the LGBTQIA+ community,” said Gallery Director Stacey Parker, the VPA Professor of Fine Art and Interdisciplinary Studies who created the pride show’s title.
VPA’s juried “Open Doors'' show opens on Thursday, September 7 with a community reception featuring live music from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the gallery located in the Ghosh Science and Technology Center on Worcester State’s campus at 486 Chandler Street in Worcester. The exhibit, which is concurrent with the City of Worcester’s pride month, runs through October 14 during gallery hours or by appointment. In addition to McGinty, local artist David Wesley-White also serves as a juror for the vibrant and sensational show.
According to Parker, subject matter and medium of the accepted works encompass anything reflecting pride in the LGBTQIA+ community. She added that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, non-binary and other related community artists who support the LGBTQIA+ community were encouraged over the summer to submit meaningful, contemporary works that underscore identity, lifestyle, and diversification for consideration.
Worcester State VPA’s Mary Cosgrove Dolphin Gallery offers five main exhibits interspersed with shorter term events throughout the year. The gallery invites artists in all stages of their careers along with our faculty and students to exhibit works that explore the established, edgy, and innovative ideas in the artistic world. The gallery’s mission is to contribute to the cultural offerings of the region by exhibiting work of vitality and interest in the contemporary art world. “Open Doors” follows VPA’s offering of a new Art Major, a 45-credit program of study combining hands-on studio work with art history and theory courses.
"Opening channels for artistic expression is at the heart of the work of Worcester State's Visual and Performing Arts Department, and we're grateful to artists and organizers alike for their important work that reflects pride in the LGBTQIA+ community," said Worcester State VPA Chair Sam O'Connell, Professor of Theatre and Interdisciplinary Arts. "The Mary Cosgrove Dolphin Gallery's fall show marks a wonderful jumpstart to our academic year, and we look forward to an exciting season with our visual and performing arts students as they engage in experiential learning, their audiences, and our greater community. We welcome area residents to visit our state-of-the art gallery for this powerful show."
And as the doors open to the public for VPA's latest show, juror McGinty reflects on Parker's vision, and the show that ultimately took shape.
“It is an honor to be able to stand here and quite literally open the gallery doors to elevate the voices of the queer community,” McGinty said. “Celebrating our identities and choosing to be seen, is a revolutionary act that will serve as a catalyst for social and political change, further community building, and healing.”
The exhibition is free and open to the community. It runs September 7 through October 14 on campus. For gallery hours and more information, visit wsuvpagallery.com, or contact the Gallery at Gallery@worcester.edu by email or 508-929-8651 by phone.
The Worcester State Visual and Performing Arts Department offers interdisciplinary and specialized artistic education that prepares students for professional lives in the arts. Its
educational spaces encompass the Fuller Theater, practice rooms for music, and art studios at the University’s Sagamore Studios. VPA students gain in-depth knowledge of their preferred art form - art, music, or theatre - plus an understanding of what the arts have in common, and how they are performed and exhibited in the real world. Learn more at www.worcester.edu/VPA or connect with VPA on social media: Facebook/VPAatWorcesterState, Twitter and Instagram @WSUVPA. Follow our blog, The Artful Lancer, at WSUVPA.wordpress.com or subscribe to our YouTube channel, search WSU VPA.