The James Library & Center for the Arts Recaptures Revolutionary Art Exhibition in All-Women Show

The James Library & Center for the Arts, Norwell’s historic community arts center and lending library, presents 31 Women, a benefit reception and fine art exhibit featuring artists from the South Shore region and beyond at 24 West Street, Norwell. The opening benefit reception is held on Friday, March 3, 6 to 9 pm, light fare and refreshments will be served. The exhibit is curated by artist and gallery director Lisa Flynn and is on display through March 31 during operating hours.

31 Women is modeled after a historic exhibition by Marguerite (Peggy) Guggenheim, who shocked the art world in 1943 with the second exhibit at her newly opened Art of This Century Gallery in New York. The first of its kind, Guggenheim’s Exhibition by 31 Women devoted her entire gallery space exclusively to a show of modern women artists, some unknown, unheard of in her time. Guggenheim herself was considered a cultural revolutionary, being one of three women to open a New York gallery in the 1940’s, setting the groundwork to propel the careers of many modern artists. Exhibition by 31 Women was later regarded as important gauge of how integral women were to the art scene as far back as the 1920’s, and continue to be today.

Scheduled to coincide with Women’s History Month, the exhibit gained speed from Curator Lisa Flynn’s vision. “A year ago I viewed Peggy Guggenheim Art Addict, a documentary about the legendary Peggy Guggenheim, and was inspired to recreate her famous Exhibition by 31 Women. It left me fascinated by her strength and keen eye for the arts,” says Flynn. “The work chosen for the show consists of pieces from a diverse range of mediums, with 31 women exhibiting one piece each. I am very excited to celebrate these amazing women artists.”

The James’ reinterpreted 31 Women exhibit features a broad spectrum of creativity from 31 female artists from Massachusetts’ South Shore and beyond, including Dee Dee Agee (monoprint, Scituate), Kim Alemian (oil on linen, Cohasset), Karen Baker (mixed media collage, Hanover), Marcia Ballou (acrylic collage, Marshfield), Christine Bodnar (pastels, Marshfield), Carole Bolsey (mixed media, Kingston), Renée Caouette (oil on canvas, Rockland), Gillian Christy (mixed media sculpture, Boston), Nancy Colella (oil, Norwell), Jane Deutsch (encaustic, Boston), Darlene De Vita (archival pigment Hahnemuhe paper, E. Boston), Donna Dodson (mixed media, Maynard), Lisa Goren* (watercolor, Boston), Liz Gribin* (acrylic on canvas, Needham), Sheryl Jaffe (handmade flax, linen, Abaca paper, Ludlow), Marjorie Kaye (mixed media sculpture, Cambridge), Shelley Thayer Layton (oil on Belgian linen, Rockland), Helen Lavelle (oil on canvas, Fleetville, PA), Nella Lush* (oil and cold wax, N. Andover; President, Massachusetts chapter of National Association of Women Artists), Anne D. Marble (Monotype, Narberth, PA), Esther Maschio (etchings, Scituate), Eileen Marolla (oil on paper, Wyndmor, PA), Cynthia Maurice, Brickbottom Studios (lithograph, Somerville), Jesse Morrisey (mixed media sculpture, Southhampton), Hope M. Ricciardi (transfer monotype akua on paper, Boston), Tracy Spadafora (encaustic, mixed media, Westborough), Sallie Strand, Lincoln Studios (mixed media, Waltham), Dorothea Van Camp (watercolor, monoprint, solarplate, Boston), Anne Wulsin (acrylic and oil stick,Waltham), Joyce Zavorskas (oil, sand on canvas, Orleans) and LaLa Zeitlyn (mixed media on paper, Villanova, PA). (* indicates members of the National Association of Women Artists)

Tickets to the opening benefit reception of 31 Women are $25. All proceeds directly benefit the James’ arts programming and historic Victorian building. Admission to view the exhibit during March is free of charge.

The James Library is open from Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 5 pm and on Saturday from 10 to 1 pm. For more information about The James Library’s programs and events, please call 781-659-7100, visit www.jameslibrary.org or follow our social media channels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About the James Library & Center for the Arts

Since 1874, The James Library has served the South Shore community as a warm gathering place. Housed in a landmark Victorian in historical Norwell Center, The James is dedicated to serving the community by providing high-quality programs, resources and materials through a concert hall, art gallery and the operation of a free lending library. As an independent, non-profit arts center we foster a mission for the creation, appreciation and enjoyment of the arts for residents of all ages on the South Shore, while preserving the historic character of our home. The James Library is located at 24 West Street, Norwell and is open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 5 pm and on Saturday from 10 to 1 pm. For more information, please call 781-659-7100, visit www.jameslibrary.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.