Gallery • 9 Photos

Eliza Farley

NATURAL NOTES. At the entrance to the gallery, viewers can leave notes for the artist in a notebook.

The first art piece in Joy Liberman’s “i WONDER” exhibit in the Harry M. Drake Gallery is a painting of a tree, branches mostly bare, facing straight out into the Davern lobby. It’s an incredible 72 inches tall and 36 inches wide, and although its colors are muted, its presence fills the gallery and sets the tone for the rest of Liberman’s exhibition.

“This body of work chronicles my wonderings about fractals in nature,” Liberman wrote in her artist’s statement. “[It] explores the many manifestations of branching, expansion, and connection, ranging from microscopic subjects to realms more massive than our brains can fully fathom.”

Indeed, the artwork transcends the typical human frame of view. One piece, titled “Family Tree,” chronicles the branching of Liberman’s family in a literal tree form. Another, titled “Universe,” mimics the interconnectedness of neurons, with bright orange hotspots and muted, intertwining tendrils. Liberman expertly depicts her incorporeal subjects in a visually interesting way.

Some paintings are more grounded in visible reality. On one wall, the paintings “Dragonfly” and “Honey Bee” hang together, showcasing the delicate wings and colorful bodies of the two insects. Each vein on the wing is clear and crisp, and the iridescent eyes of the dragonfly are a beautiful mix of yellows, blues, and reds. On another wall, “Lightning” looks out over the gallery. Its bolts of lightning seem to glow against the darkness of its clouds, and each of their branching offshoots are drawn in increasingly fine detail. Although none of these subjects are alien to the average person, Liberman’s artistic skill recreates them as new, intriguing images that beg for closer examination.

Liberman has been an art teacher at the Lower School for over 35 years, but is retiring in May. Encouraging notes wishing her well fill the guest notebook by the gallery’s entrance. For what may be her last exhibition at SPA, Liberman pulls out all the stops in a beautiful display of curiosity and discovery. It’s well worth a visit (or two, or three), especially considering its proximity and ease of access to anyone on the Randolph Campus.

Watch a Q&A with Joy Lieberman at the show opening Feb. 10.