The Lightness of Being aka The Exhibition of Delights

June 24 – July 22, 2022

Especially in times of darkness, it is crucial to not overlook moments, glimpses, points of light. Originally, the prints exhibited here were selected because together they reflect the lightness of being in the full range of its meaning.

1: the quality or state of being light especially in weight

2: lack of seriousness and stability of character often accompanied by casual heedlessness

3a: the quality or state of being nimble

b: an ease and gaiety of style or manner

4: a lack of weightiness or force : DELICACY (Merriam-Webster)

But upon further reflection, I realized that actually, the prints first called out to me with delight and only then did I see the pattern. Thus, I thought of the poet Ross Gay, author of The Book of Delights, who noted, “…if one is attending to delight, does that mean that one is not witnessing other things that need to be witnessed? I go over and over it and I think, not at all. I firmly, actually believe that part of the act of preservation is detailing and really hollering about what it is that we love and why we love it. Otherwise, we don’t know why we’re doing what we’re doing.”

I hope you will delight in these prints as much as I do.

-Suzanne Artemieff, Curator Statement June 2022