The Mariposa Museum opened for the season this summer, thanks in part to new grants from the Couch Family Foundation and Slough Farm. The Oak Bluffs gallery had been facing financial difficulties but the two grants helped make it possible to not only continue to showcase multicultural exhibits but also to renovate its space at 57 Circuit avenue.
India Rose, a board member for the museum, emphasized that Mariposa represents a hub of culture, storytelling and artwork.
“The energy of the artists exhibited at the Mariposa brings to Oak Bluffs, and Martha’s Vineyard as a whole, taps into the culture and history of the place, while also prioritizing voices that are often silent,” said Ms. Rose.
Harry Seymour will serve as the an artist-in-residence this summer. A longtime seasonal resident of Oak Bluffs, Mr. Seymour, 82, has lived in Oak Bluffs year-round since 2010 but has been coming to the Vineyard for nearly 60 years. He became an artist after retiring as a professor of speech pathology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Gallery is located at 57 Circuit avenue in Oak Bluffs.
“Harry’s artwork is extraordinary,” said Ms. Rose. “The poetry corresponding to his paintings, as well as it all being rooted in social justice, is part of why we chose him as our artist-in-residence. In a year of such a chaotic political climate, with certain programs being stripped, a presence like his is more important than ever.”
Mr. Seymour’s medium is scratch art, where he utilizes India ink, wax pastel and egg tempera in combination to create unique images that are often accompanied by his poetry.
“My methodology is still evolving….When you scratch, because it’s the black over the white, the white comes through,” Mr. Seymour explained during a recent visit to the museum. “So I use a straight pin and I scratch and get this image.”
Mr. Seymour said he welcomed the invitation to be an artist-in-residence at the Mariposa Museum.
“My art is heavily infused with O.B.,” he said. “The other part of it is the strong influence of African Americans. The third is that I promote social justice through my art.”
Mr. Seymour displaying his work: Defiant Alliance.
— Jeanna Shepard
He pointed to a specific piece, which he said embodies what he is trying to express in all of his artwork. In Defiant Alliance, a young black girl is helping a young white boy drink from the “white only” fountain, and a young white girl is helping a young black boy drink from the “colored only” fountain.
“I try to make a point that is so significant in society, that is if there’s an injustice, we need to defy it…. It’s a collective thing we have to do together, which means we have to be allies. It captures the essence of what I’m all about as well as the museum,” Mr. Seymour said.
The messages in his art can be heavy, he acknowledged, which is why he creates poems for each piece to enlighten the viewer and add depth to the conversation. But at its core his work is also about the love of making art.
“When I wake up in the morning, I’ve got some fire in me and I’m ready to go because I enjoy and love what I’m doing. But not only do I love it, it’s something about creativity, it keeps you young, and it stimulates you in ways other things might bore you after a while,” he said.
Mr. Seymour said he is looking forward to the coming season and his place at the foot of Circuit avenue.
“This arrangement is ideal for maximizing both the Museum’s mission and the visibility of my work,” he said. “Of all the places I’ve shown, none have given me the feeling of comfort and a sense of belonging that I feel here at the Mariposa Museum.”
For more information, visit mariposamuseum.org.