The founder of the Arts to Heart project, Charuka Arora, alongside Victoria J. Fry and Mona Lerch, was recently invited to curate an exhibition entitled “Alchemy” by Create! Magazine. Charuka was thrilled to receive such an incredible opportunity to showcase some of the best artistic talents out there.
The exhibition received a remarkable response from the art community, with numerous artists submitting their incredible work. Charuka was highly impressed by the level of creativity and skill on display and is honored to have been a part of curating such an inspiring event.
Today, we are highlighting the amazing work of selected artists who participated in this exhibition in our “Arts to Hearts Community Article”.
From intricate paintings to mesmerizing sculptures, each piece embodies the transformative power of art and serves as a testament to the incredible talent that exists within our community.
So let’s dive in to see the work of the selected artist’s work.
But before that Let me tell you what the exhibition Alchemy was about.
Exhibition Essay by Christina Nafziger
Alchemy
al·che·my: a power or process that changes or transforms something in a mysterious or impressive way
As artists, part of what we do is transform. We take materials like canvas and paint, clay and fire, camera and film, and completely transform them into a work of art. We alter the current state of these materials and manipulate them until they are often completely unrecognizable. One minute there are several different materials laying on a studio table, and the next they are changed into our own artistic vision. To others outside this process, it may seem like magic—like alchemy. The process of creating art often goes unseen, left for others to imagine as mysterious or out of reach. Enter the myth of the “lone creative genius”. However, behind this ‘genius’ is a lot of behind-the-scenes labor, a series of endless trials and errors. But when we do achieve that result, when our vision finally comes to life, it often does feel like magic. Our vision is transformed from a mere idea in our heads to a physical (or digital) object out in the world—something that never existed before and will never exist in the same way again. What is more magical and mysterious than that? Perhaps art-making is true alchemy, the process being the vehicle for transformation, the artist’s hands being the conduit for magic.
In this exhibition, the concept of alchemy is explored not just through the creation process, but also through the lens of experimentation, change in nature, the journey to self-healing and growth, otherworldly abstraction, the resilient and transformative power of radical joy, and of course, through looking at the concept of magic itself, wandering down eerie paths of surreal imagery. Themes like inward and outward transformation, everyday magic, and life’s mysteries can also be found throughout the work on view. Together, these works take the notion of alchemy and use it as a way to create something mesmerizing. True alchemy is not in the materials, but in the artist, for they are the true conjurer, transformer, and inventor—they hold the power.
Curators:
- Charuka Arora- Founder Arts to Hearts Project
- Victoria J. Fry- Founder Visionary Art Collective
- Mona Lerch- Founder Art Mum United and Women United Art Movement
Exhibited Artists:
- Emily Budd
- Carla Caletti
- Alexandra Chiou
- Charles Clary
- Raechel Christine Curtis
- Amelia Dennigan
- Mark Engel
- Tara Esperanza
- Madge Evers
- Karen Christie Fisher
- Kristy Gordon
- Annabrooke Hill Greene
- Hee Jung Han
- Cassie Howard
- Erika Jaeggli
- Deborah Kennedy
- Sierra Nicole Kinsora
- Pyre Klein
- Carrie Lederer
- Huey Hyuk Lee
- Caterina Leone
- Rose Malenfant
- David Mcclinton
- Claire Milner
- Nathaniel Moody
- Dena Novak
- Whitney Oberg
- Shelly Pamensky
- Catrin Perih
- Rachel Perls
- Sarah Renzi Sanders
- Kaitlin Santoro
- Debra Cook Shapiro
- Katrina Thibodeau
- Miles Toland
- Shu Tu
- Paula Valenzuela
- Maria Vasconcelos
- Jessie Mordine Young
- Despina Zografos
A Glimpse of Artwork of Few Selected Artists
Tara Esperanza
Carrie Lederer
Carla Caletti
Alexandra Chiou
Charles Clary
Catrin Perih
Cassie Howard
Kristy Gordon
Katrina Thibodeau
Huey Hyuk Lee
Erika Jaeggli
As we highlight some of the exceptionally talented artists featured in the exhibition today, let us acknowledge the importance of such platforms in bringing light to their work and encouraging creativity. The Create! Magazine founder Ekaterina Popova should be commended for her efforts in promoting the power of art in transforming the community.
