“The Furies” Exhibition Taps Into World Issues, Spurs Action through Art

Aug 25, 2021Arts & Culture

Three female artists address prejudice, injustice, environment and more

Newburyport, MA, August 23, 2021 – The PEG Center for Art & Activism announced its latest art exhibition, “The Furies,” which runs from Sept. 7 through Oct. 30, 2021. It features work by three New England artists: Misoo Bang, Sophy Tuttle, and Marcia Wise.

The title of the show springs from the mythical goddesses who expose untruths with unwavering purpose and superhuman strength. “Righteous fury, accountability, responsibility, honorable actions…The Furies steer us to truth and right action with unwavering purpose and superhuman strength,” said Gallery owner Paula Estey. “Each of these artists uses art to convey what infuriates them about our world: our environmental collapse, our social and human justice mistakes, abuse and prejudices.”

The public is invited to attend three special events as part of this exhibition. First, there will be a special extended artist talk by Burlington, VT, artist Misoo Bang from 4-5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 9th at the Paula Estey Gallery, 3 Harris Street in Newburyport, MA. Later that day, an opening reception with the artists will be held on Thursday Sept. 9th from 6-8 p.m. Finally, on Friday, Sept. 17th, contributors to Exposed Brick Literary Magazine will share poetry and prose inspired by the artwork and the latest issue in a program entitled “Boundless Fury.”

“I believe this is what the planet and humanity need right now. When all else fails to change the destructive nature of our treatment of each other and the environment, we call upon The Furies to bring us to our senses and influence our hearts and minds. These artists take us through the truth of our abuses and the passion it takes to stop, change, renunciate—and then to find resolution —through creative expression and masterful art,” explained Estey. She added that ten percent of all sales will be donated to the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center and to Storm Surge to advance their efforts.

The three master artists addressing their deepest areas of concern include:

Misoo Bang, who was selected as one of the Emerging Artists of New England in 2019 and Vermont Artist to Watch in 2020, has exhibited in galleries and museums across the U.S. and the world. She was born in the Bronx in 1980, but moved back to her parent’s homeland of South Korea when she was one. Seventeen years later, she returned to the U.S. with ambitions to use painting as her mode of emotional communication and storytelling. She will be giving a special talk about her Giantess series, which contemplates the unique intersection of gender-based violence and racial stereotypes for Asian women living in the United States. The Giant Asian Girls take up huge spaces in the paintings and dwarf various tumultuous vignettes from children’s stories.

Sophy Tuttle is a visual artist born in Colchester, England and currently residing in Lowell, MA. Her work is focused on the natural world, our place in it, and the conflicts and collaborations we find ourselves in everyday with nature. She lovingly renders birds, animals, and plants to evoke a sense of awe and reverence for these beings. Although extinction and loss loom large, she hopes that her paintings call attention to the magnificent beauty that still exists. Sophy uses visual storytelling to reimagine the future, re-situate our position in the web of life, and create new narratives that explore regenerative, resilient culture-building among all forms of life. Her paintings and installations have been shown extensively in New England, as well as nationally and internationally including at the Cape Cod Museum of Art and the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her murals can be found from Massachusetts to Colombia and she continues to show regionally while becoming more engaged in public and community-based art projects in Boston and beyond.

Marcia Wise, a native of Cape Cod, began painting as a child. She received formal training at L’Ecole Nationale Superieure Des Beaux Arts in Paris, France; The Art Institute Boston; and Boston University. Marcia describes her fury through the hyper energy of her landscapes, awash in a whirlwind of movement and intensity. Her paintings of abstracted landscapes evoke the powerful emotional reactions that aspects of nature stir within her, filled with color and endless joy. She believes art is a manifestation of love and her goal for her work is to spread love.

Bookending this art exhibition will be an event on September 17th with Exposed Brick Literary Magazine, whose second issue, “Boundless Land,” has just been published. The PEG Center and Exposed Brick will host an evening of spoken word from many of the artists of “Boundless Land,” as well as a presentation of each artist dialoguing with a piece from “The Furies.”

The artwork can be viewed virtually on the website at www.paulaesteygallery.com and during regular gallery hours: Tuesdays through Thursdays from 12-5 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays from 12-4 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to wear masks while in the gallery.

About the PEG Center for Art & Activism

The mission of the PEG Center for Art & Activism, a nonprofit organization, is to provide our clients and visitors with the transcendent beauty of contemporary art and to be a catalyst for conscious change. We seek to elevate the quality of our community and lives through creative expression, engaging conversations, and committed action. We create and nurture programming to address human rights, social justice and the environment. Visit us at the Paula Estey Gallery, 3 Harris Street in Newburyport, MA or follow us at www.paulaesteygallery.com for events, special programs and more. Paula Estey can be reached at 978-376-4746 or paula.estey@yahoo.com.

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Photos/Captions: The Furies is on display at the Paula Estey Gallery, Newburyport