Watercolor – Rosemary Meza-DesPlas

Marching Across Your Lawn, The Grass is on Fire

Marching Across Your Lawn,

The Grass is on Fire

Amos Eno Gallery

April 22 – May 16, 2021

Centered upon the act of marching, my solo exhibition March Across Your Lawn, The Grass is on Fire opened in April at Amos Eno Gallery. Marching is the simplest use of the physical body as a political force. Affected by the tumultuous past year of demonstrations, I chose to re-examine the history of marches. In particular, protest marches led by women. Feminine bodies reflect the varying tempos and pauses of a demonstration; therefore, they illustrate the visual structure of marching. Emphasizing the vulnerability of the physical body during a demonstration, figures are depicted nude. The invisible becomes visible – it is a risky exposure. Art historically, partially nude women sometimes convey political symbolism. Eugene Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People depicts Liberty striding forward over fallen men. A robust figure, with breast exposed, holds high the French flag. Incarnation of the French Republic reveals her breasts to inspire political feelings of nationalism: the breast becomes a symbol for freedom. During a demonstration, the individual is subsumed by the larger group. However, when the protest is over – is political activism embraced as an ongoing individual practice? How much power does the individual have? At the beginning of the 20^th century, Mary G. Harris Jones, aka Mother Jones, organized marches to highlight the absence of child labor laws and the plight of women workers. When asked about her socio-political organizing work, she replied, “I’m not a humanitarian, I’m a hell-raiser.”

Marching Across Your Lawn, The Grass is on Fire, 2020, hand-sewn human gray hair on black twill fabric, 32″ x 37″

Hand-sewn fiber works are featured in this exhibition. Meza-DesPlas’ embroidery of hair speaks to material culture, its relationship to identity and the sociological meaning of hair. A self-taught fiber artist, she approaches the process of stitching hair from a drawing perspective. Watercolors and a new video piece round out the exhibition. Bleeding watercolors are stained and layered to create figurative forms; the textural application of color conveys fleshy blemishes. These United States, a video piece, begins with a montage: drawings emphasizing the faces of silenced women. A voice-over narration of an evocative mantra accompanies the imagery followed by three stanzas of poetry performed by the artist.

Groundswell, 2020-21, installation with specialty fabric, hand-sewn human hair, watercolor & color pencils, 4′ x 12′

Groundswell #14, 2020, hand-sewn human hair and watercolor on canvas, 24″ x 12″

These United States, 2020, video 3:34, MP4, three still shots from video

Groundswell #1, 2020, hand-sewn human hair on canvas, 16″ x 12″

Featured Image at Top: Artist posing with Jane Marches #1 (left) and Jane Marches #2 (right) Jane Marches #1, 2020, hand-sewn human hair, thread, fabric, appliques, and watercolor washes on unprimed canvas, 60″ x 36″. Jane Marches #2, 2021, hand-sewn human hair, thread, watercolor washes, appliques on unprimed canvas, 62″ x 39.5″.

Chester Arts Fair, Chester, UK

I was the overall winner in the Visual Art Open Competition 2018. Subsequently, I was in the VAO 2018 finalists exhibition at the prestigious Chester Cathedral and at the Chester Arts Fair in November 2018. Part of my prize package included the opportunity to showcase my artwork in a solo exhibition at the Chester Arts Fair 2019. In addition, I was awarded a monetary award and a mentorship on career development. The photographs are from my experience at the Chester Art Fair, 2019. I presented an artist’s demonstration & talk on my hand-sewn human hair drawings.

Deepbridge Chester Arts Fair, a leading annual art event takes place in mid November at Chester Racecourse (Chester, UK). An iconic setting, the Chester Arts Fair takes place in one of the cities most iconic locations — Chester Racecourse. It is located within the centre of the city. Since the art fair first opened in 2012, it has grown considerably. It now attracts over 100 UK & international artists exhibiting paintings, sculpture, photography, illustration, glassware, digital art, ceramics and much more. Chester Arts Fair welcomes thousands of visitors throughout the weekend with a passion for art, from serious collectors to those investing in their first piece of original art.

Launched in 2016 by Black Mango Art, The Visual Art Open is a not-for-profit competition that offers both emerging and established artists the platform to advance their creative career, grow their presence in the industry and develop their passion for the arts.

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Exhibitions this Spring

Venues to find my artwork over the next couple of months:
the/magazine Project Space
12 New Mexico Artists to Know Now
1415 W. Alameda St., Santa Fe, NM
March 1 – April 27, 2019

Keep Contemporary
New Contemporary: High Art, Low Art, and Everything in Between
142 Lincoln Ave., Santa Fe, NM
February 22 – March 17, 2019

Clamp Light Studios
Cuerpos Unidos
1704 Blanco Rd., San Antonio, TX
March 8 – 29, 2019
Reception: Friday, March 8th, 7-10pm

Site: Brooklyn Gallery
Birthday Suit
165 7th Street, Brooklyn, NY
March 15 – April 13, 2019
Reception: Friday, March 15, 6-9pm

500X Gallery
40th Anniversary Exhibition
500 Exposition Ave. Dallas, TX
March 16 – April 7, 2019
Reception: Saturday, March 16th, 7-10pm

Brownsville Museum of Fine Art
660 E. Ringgold St. , Brownsville, TX
March 28 – April 27, 2019
Reception: Wednesday, March 27th, 6-9pm

Arc Gallery
Fahrenheit 213
1246 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA
April 13 – May 11, 2019
Reception: Saturday, April 13th, 7-9pm

Waterworks Visual Arts Center
Latinx: El Grupo de los 10
123 East Liberty Street, Salisbury, NC
February 9 – May 18, 2019

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Solo Exhibit at Amos Eno Gallery

Amos Eno Gallery is pleased to present Jane Anger, an exhibition of new works by Rosemary Meza-DesPlas. Jane Anger features hand-sewn human hair drawings, watercolors and onsite installations. The title refers to a 16^th century pamphlet published in England titled Jane Anger, Her Protection for Women. The exhibition runs until February 24th at the gallery’s location at 56 Bogart Street in Brooklyn, NY. D739D15F-7DD1-40B7-97BC-27989746F35F IMG_1129 (1) B292599B-E661-4EC0-981D-45E80929A92B

“Every woman has a well-stocked arsenal of anger potentially useful against those oppressions, personal and institutional, which brought that anger into being.” –Audre Lourde

Meza-DesPlas explores the concept of anger as a tool for change by juxtaposing found imagery from social media, art history and mass media. She is interested in how the social movements, Women’s Marches and #MeToo, harnessed anger in order to forefront an array of gender-based burdens.

Note on Floor Installation:

These Boots Are Gonna Walk All Over You, 2018

Gallery visitors are encouraged to walk on the vinyl floor applique. This floor piece, comprised of abstract portraits, depicts various men accused of sexual harassment, assault, and/or misconduct. To walk all over someone means –

Treat them with contempt
To treat someone badly
To disrespect
To dominate a person
To make someone feel inferior

While a small gesture, walking over these perpetrators can provide a sense of empowerment. As you walk across the floor applique, contemplate your personal experiences with sexual harassment, assault, and/or misconduct.

Conversations * Self-reflection * Accountability * Social Transformation

“Jane Anger” opens at Amos Eno Gallery

“Jane Anger” will open at Amos Eno Gallery on Friday, February 1st with a reception from 7:00-9:00pm.

Amos Eno Gallery is pleased to present Jane Anger, an exhibition of new works by Rosemary Meza-DesPlas. Jane Anger features hand-sewn human hair drawings, watercolors and onsite installations. Rosemary Meza-DesPlas’ figurative artworks emphasize line and movement. The title refers to a 16^th century pamphlet published in England titled Jane Anger, Her Protection for Women. An opening reception will be held on Friday, February 1 from 7-9 PM at the gallery’s location at 56 Bogart Street in Brooklyn, NY.

Meza-DesPlas, also a spoken word performer, will present her piece titled Intervals of Anger at the opening reception. She will perform a poem every fifteen minutes in conjunction with an artwork in the exhibition.

This exhibition includes Meza-DesPlas’ most recent drawings which incorporate her gray hair. She has been sewing with her own hair since 2000. Her hair is hand-sewn into a variety of grounds with small embroidery needles. Meza-DesPlas’ decision to collect, sort and utilize hair as a vehicle for art-making is informed by socio-cultural symbolism, feminism and body issues, and religious symbolism. Hair embodies a dichotomy: it can be sexy and engaging to people, on the other hand, it can be repulsive – like a hair in your soup or a hair on your hotel pillow. There are religious connotations to hair which coincide with symbolism reflecting strength, sensuality and reverence; such as Delila cutting off Samson’s hair and Mary Magdalen washing the feet of Jesus with her hair.

Rosemary Meza-DesPlas received a MFA in Painting from Maryland Institute, College of Art (Hoffberger School of Painting) and a BFA from The University of North Texas. An article on her hand-sewn human hair drawings was featured in the Huffington Post Arts & Culture section in 2015. Ms. Meza-DesPlas parallels the themes in her artwork with the written word and spoken word performances. In 2018, she presented the academic paper “Reclaiming the Tool of Anger: Year of the Angry Women” at the 9th International Conference of the Image in Hong Kong SAR. Ms. Meza-DesPlas’ recent spoken word performances were at the Feminist Art Conference, Ontario College of Art & Design, Toronto, Canada; Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe, NM; ARC Gallery in Chicago, IL and the Durango Arts Center in Durango, CO. Ms. Meza-DesPlas currently lives and works in Farmington, New Mexico.

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The Evolution of the Burden Hat

The “Burden Hat” made its debute at my exhibition “nevertheless: She Persisted” @ the Durango Arts Center. My exhibition focused on the theme of gender-based burdens. It spoke about burdens which disproportionately impact women such as poverty, domestic violence, body image and political inequality. In my artworks, some of the women carry organic forms on their heads. The organic forms are inspired by the rock formations at the Bisti Badlands south of Farmington, NM. Those same rock formations later served as inspiration for the “burden hat”. If one could give visual form to their psychological burdens, what would they look like in the abstract? This is how the “burden hat” evolved. I used it as part of my costume for my spoken word performance at the Durango Arts Center in March 2, 2018.

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nevertheless: She Persisted @ Durango Arts Center

Crop Wall Drawing

“No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens” First Lady Michelle Obama.

The title of this exhibition “nevertheless: She Persisted” refers to a phrase by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. In defense of silencing Senator Elizabeth Warren, McConnell said, ““Sen. Warren was giving a lengthy speech. She had appeared to violate the rule. She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.” Subsequently, the phrase was embraced on social media and became a battle cry for women across the U.S. in 2017. Women did not want to be told — to sit down and stop talking.

The works in this exhibition are grouped into categories to reflect gender-based burdens. These are hardships disproportionately shouldered by women in society. These gender-based burdens include gender-based violence, political inequality and gender-based-poverty. This weight hauled by women can have a palpable physical existence or take on a psychological shape of enormous proportions. Many women live day-to-day hindered by gender-based burdens; yet, they continue to persist.

The goal of “nevertheless: She Persisted” is to raise awareness of gender-based burdens. By fore-fronting gender-based burdens, inequities surrounding violence, poverty and politics and their impact on women can continue to be highlighted and discussed. Ongoing visibility of these issues is a necessity in order for change to occur – whether it manifests in small steps or larger advancements.

Heaviness, Hardship, Heft @ ARC Gallery An Exhibition of Artworks by Rosemary Meza-DesPlas

ARC Gallery

2156 N. Damen Ave., Chicago, IL 60647

773-252-2232, www.arcgallery.org

info@arcgallery.org

Rosemary Meza-DesPlas * Heaviness, Hardship, Heft

Opening: Friday, September 1, 6:00-9:00pm

Spoken Word Performance: 7:15pm

Exhibition Dates: Wednesday, August 30 – September 23, 2017

Gallery Hours: Thursday – Saturday: 12 – 6 pm; Sunday: 12 – 4 pm

ARC Gallery presents Heaviness, Hardship, Heft, an exhibition of works by Rosemary Meza-DesPlas.

Rosemary Meza-DesPlas presents a series of artworks reflecting gender-based burdens. Weight hauled by women can have a palpable physical existence or take on a psychological shape of enormous proportions. Fluctuating states of poverty, violence and politics encumber women on a daily basis. Feminine onus is heightened by entrenched patriarchal institutions and reaches a crest during political unrest and instability.

Rosemary Meza-DesPlas is a Latina visual artist, writer and spoken word performer. She has exhibited at the Koehnline Museum of Art, Art Museum of Southwest Texas and the New Mexico Museum of Art. Ms. Meza-DesPlas has exhibited internationally at Hoxton Arches Gallery in London, Yorck Studios in Berlin and LuXun Academy of Fine Art Gallery in Shenyang, China. In 2017, she presented spoken word performances at the Center for Contemporary Arts in Santa Fe, NM and at the Ontario College of Art & Design in Toronto, Canada. She is a featured artist in Of Note Magazine (where art meets activism), The Gun Issue, Summer 2017. In October 2017, Ms. Meza-DesPlas will be presenting an academic paper titled Heaviness, Hardship, Heft: Gender-based Burdens in Images at the Eighth International Conference on the Image, Venice International University, Venice, Italy.

ARC Gallery and Educational Foundation is a not-for-profit gallery and foundation whose mission is to bring innovative, experimental visual art to a wide range of viewers and to provide an atmosphere for the continued development of artistic potential, experimentation and dialogue. ARC serves to educate the public on various community-based issues by presenting exhibits, workshops, discussion groups, and programs for, and by, underserved populations.

ARC Gallery and Educational Foundation is sponsored in part by grants from the Illinois Arts Council, City Arts, the Department of Cultural Affairs, the Chicago Community Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Ravenswood Bank, the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, our members and ARC angels.

ARC Gallery is an internationally recognized exhibition space that has been an integral part of the Chicago art scene since its inception in 1973. Founded during the women’s movement as an alternative to the mainstream gallery system, ARC is one of the oldest co-ops of its kind in the country. As a non-profit, woman artist-run cooperative, ARC continues its feminist tradition by providing exhibition opportunities for professional and emerging artists working in all media based on excellence of artwork, without discrimination toward gender, race, age, class, physical/mental ability, sexual, spiritual or political orientation.

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New Artwork: Gender-based Burdens

8meza-desplas_rosemary_you-couldnt-cry-if-you-wanted-to.jpg This artwork reflects symbolic gender-based burdens. Weight hauled by women can have a palpable physical existence or take on a psychological shape of enormous proportions.

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1Meza-DesPlas_Rosemary_I'm the Wilderness I'm a White Noise

2Meza-DesPlas_Rosemary_Carry Something Beautiful

3Meza-DesPlas_Rosemary_Somewhere Between the Beauty and the Buzz

7Meza-DesPlas_Rosemary_Invader of Skin Invader of Bone

9Meza-DesPlas_Rosemary_Shackle Bound But Still I Roam

Rosemary Meza-DesPlas

This is the post excerpt.

My official website is https://www.rosemarymeza.com/ – I started this blog when my current website was under construction. This blog served as a temporary archive of exhibitions, artworks, poetry and spoken word performances.