BRATTLEBORO — Art historian Tony Gengarelly will lead a tour of the exhibit he has curated at Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC), “A World Transformed: The Art of Jessica Park,” on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.
The exhibit represents the largest collection yet assembled of original paintings by Park, whose visionary world of imagination and creativity has emerged from a combination of artistry and a lifelong struggle with autism.
Admission is free for BMAC members and children 12 and younger, and $5 for the general public.
A native of Williamstown, Mass., Park has been drawing and painting since she was a child. Many of her artworks depict architectural structures, which hold a particular fascination for her.
With a rainbow-colored palette, Park transforms her meticulously rendered houses, bridges, and skyscrapers into compositions of decorative brilliance. Lights of all sorts radiate from the atmospheric heavens surrounding her structures. Day-lit features and nighttime skies appear in the same painting. Intricate details highlighted by carefully applied hues mark her pictures.
According to Dr. Oliver Sacks, the famed neurologist and author of “Awakenings” and “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat,” in Jessica Park, “autism and art have made a magical combination, one which is infused by creativity and a sense of other worlds."
In addition to the Sept. 18 guided tour, BMAC will host two other events in connection with its Jessica Park exhibit.
On Thursday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m., Gengarelly will discuss Park's life and work. Park is expected to be on hand to sign copies of Gengarelly's book, “The Art of Jessica Park” (Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, 2014).
Admission is $5 for the general public, and free for BMAC members and children 12 and under.
And on Wednesday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m., BMAC will convene a roundtable discussion on art and autism featuring professionals in the field. Admission is free; all are welcome to attend.