Artist and curator, Ella Watson is pleased to announce the launching of an experimental collaborative, virtual exhibition, Seeing Purple/ Seeing Red. Seeing Purple/ Seeing Red will launch on Oct. 5, 2020 and be live until Nov. 3, for the month preceding the 2020 elections. The exhibition can be found at www.seeingpurpleseeingred.com. Seeing Purple/ Seeing Red will include the work of around 35 artists and participants. Each person was provided a section of painting made by Watson in 2005 that was inspired by Obama as his star was rising. The artists were then invited to create a new work out of the scrap that discusses life in the post-Obama/ Trump era.

At the launch, a handful of works will be posted and then, throughout the month of October as elections near, new works of art will be posted. Please visit the website frequently for new pieces discussing this period of political, social, and environmental turmoil throughout the month of October. Artists and participants come from across the country, including Montana, Colorado, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, Iowa, and Texas. Heralding from numerous backgrounds including painters, sculptors, quilters, bead and quill workers, speech pathologists, Dreamers, diplomats, veterans, and more, participants visually discuss being disenfranchised, terrified, vulnerable, or injured by the state of national affairs.

According to painter, Ron Johnson, “We live in a divided country, chaos, uncertainty...red vs. blue, Republican vs. Democrat, good vs evil, masks vs. anti-mask...etc.  The shift in or lack of humanity the last three years has been seismic. I voted...I'm an optimist...but we all need to do better...we need to be better.”

Countering these sentiments are depictions of hope, faith in the American creed, and prayers of mothers dreaming for a better future for their children. As Montana artist Jenna Hawthorne tells, the act of art is advocacy, “I am unable to do very much in order to make these United States a place where all are treated equal, but I can vote and I can make art that hopefully says to the viewer how important it really is to bring people into office that will advocate for the same values they hold dear.”

This exhibition is 15 years in the making. In 2005, Watson was a junior Painting & Printmaking student at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. Watson was inspired by a Newsweek article entitled “Seeing Purple” about Senator Barack Obama from Illinois, who could bridge party lines. She created a 4 x 8 ft painting in cold wax and oil paint in shades of red, white, and blue, resembling a satellite photo of a building hurricane.  After college, Watson left the painting in Richmond, only to have the piece resurface in 2019, when the political landscape had seemingly reversed from 2005. Watson tore Seeing Purple into dozens of smaller pieces, no larger than 8 x 10 in. She has since been giving out these scraps and asking participants to make a new piece from the scrap that discusses the post-Obama/Trump era.  The artists had complete freedom with the piece, just as long as the original scrap was at least referenced in the final product.

Being highly immunosuppressed herself, the threat of COVID-19 made Watson unwilling to create a public space for people to congregate. Yet, recognizing the urgency of this collaboration ahead of the election, Watson is capitalizing on the new popularity of online shows by making the showcase virtual, in hopes of reaching a wider audience.

By slowly uploading the works, Watson hopes to provide space for each piece to breathe, allowing viewers to consider the featured works individually, similar to spacing the works apart on a gallery wall. Given that the subject matter is political, Watson felt it was prudent to find ways to create space around each work. Alternately, interested viewers can check in weekly for a new batch of works and or wait until Election Day for a rush of politically engaged pieces.

This exhibit is particularly experimental in that anyone who wanted to participate was gifted a scrap of the painting, unlike normal invitationals where the participants are specifically curated and chosen. Given the ubiquitous, indiscriminate nature of the present national turmoil, Watson felt that all voices and opinions should be heard-- that artistic education is of secondary importance. According to Watson, “In times of when political calm is presented, debates about who gets to make art is a luxury. People are literally dying. In the face of this chaos, no one should be denied a voice. If my art practice can help offer a microphone to those that would normally not be heard (at least through art) then I am honored. Likewise, I appreciate giving artists a venue for a political statement—many say it has made them feel better to put their frustration somewhere.”

As for the participants themselves, engaging their skills politically has given a sense of action. According to Richmond artist, Sally Bowring, “I was surprised when I started working on the piece I became more optimistic than I was feeling watching the news - my heart lightened up - - although I have known for a longtime art is always the question and answer!” The exhibit features artists of varying career levels and education, as well as a few non-artists. Considering the democratic, open structure of the internet, Watson is interested if the varying skill sets of the participants will engage the varying art knowledge and appreciation of the general public.

For more information, please visit www.seeingpurpleseeingred.com, find the project on Facebook or Instagram, or email Ella Watson at watsonartadvocates@gmail.com.