ArtWorks V2 Gallery: Artist-In-Residence

Parts or Pieces: September 29 – November 17

ArtWorks will work with Cincinnati-based Performance Artist and Curator Noel Maghathe. Teen and young adult Artists will meet for three hours twice a week to develop their practice on performance art. Teen and young adult Artists will learn the basic history of Performance Art through a diverse range of contemporary performers. Teen and young adult Artists will learn to speak conceptually about their work and build an understanding of why they are creating it, a vision of the purpose, and the reasoning behind their work. They will also gain experience learning how to display performance work and get an understanding of curating work in a space.

In the exhibition of Parts or Pieces, artist and curator Noel Maghathe collaborates with a group of young artists to craft a poignant weaving of sculpture and performance works. Over a transformative six-week journey, Maghathe encouraged these artists and guided them in the exploration of their bodies and minds, to create works that are deeply personal yet universally resonant.

This exhibition is an intersection of reflections and revelations, an interplay between individuality and collectivity. Under Maghathe’s teaching, the artists have delved into their inner worlds, contemplated their heritage, and examined the socio-political landscapes that shape their existence. Each piece embodies a quest for self-discovery, navigating through the intricacies of memory, longing, and belonging.

The young artists will perform reflections in a mirror paired with prose. They will explore the impact of pollution on aquatic life and confront the consequences of the fishing industry and plastic pollution, share hymns and shoe hanging, delve into the symbolism of Passover and Jewish heritage, and contemplate olives as symbols of consumption and growth, as they engage with interactive and poetic expressions of self, family, and upliftment.

In Parts or Pieces, viewers are invited to witness this journey's culmination, engage with the artists’ reflections on self, family, and the world, and contemplate the ways in which we relate to our heritage and our environment. It is an invitation to explore the intersections of the personal and the political. To question, to understand, and to find unity in diversity.

Young adult artists who worked with Maghathe during the program include:

• Pierce Gravenstine
• Alexandra Leurck
• Faith Lewis
• Chay Mills
• Alexa Theurling