Graffiato Art Exhibition Coming to The Y Arts Center
A Community Interactive Art Exhibition
FREDERICK, MD-The newest art exhibition coming to Gallery 115 at the Y Arts Center in Downtown Frederick will run from May 14 through August 15, 2022, with a Reception on Saturday, June 18 from 6-8pm. The exhibition concept comes from Frederick-based artist, curator, and writer Rula Jones.
Graffiti derives from the Italian word graffiato which means “scratched”. The term “graffiti” is used in art history for works of art produced by scratching a design into a surface and would later evolve to refer to the art genre that means writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view.
“I am so pleased to host this exhibition in our gallery over the summer as it is a uniquely immersive experience that is fundamentally inclusive of all ages and artistic skill levels,” says Anthony Brock, Director of Arts and Humanities.
GRAFFIATO invites the Frederick, Maryland community to use chalk to express themselves through text and drawings within an interior gallery space that has been transformed with black chalk paper. Local artists have also been invited to contribute.
“I am excited to participate in Graffito at Gallery 115 because, for me, it’s so immediate and spontaneous, yet evolves over time. I am accustomed to work that has to be carefully planned out over months and months. Adding marks to an already emerging image gives the artist the opportunity to respond so immediately!” Says local Artist, Sarah Hempel Irani.
“During these difficult times, I wanted to create an exhibition that would present the Frederick, Maryland community the opportunity to express themselves and share their current thoughts through both text and visual language, which is critical to our human experience and essentially cathartic,” says Rula Jones, Artist, and Curator.
Additionally, documentation of the room will occur through a single photograph taken in the same place every day. This, in turn, will be used to create a stop-motion film that will be presented during the reception.
This community project concept was conceived by Rula Jones, a Frederick, MD-based artist, curator, and writer. Jones has worked in the visual arts for over twenty years in various roles at a number of notable organizations including BlackRock Center for the Arts, The Corcoran College of Art + Design, and The Brooklyn Children’s Museum.
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About Gallery 115: Gallery 115 is a non-profit Contemporary Art Gallery, a subsidiary of the Y Arts Center, located in a newly renovated historic building in downtown Frederick, Maryland. Frederick, Maryland is located less than one hour from Washington, D.C, and Baltimore and boasts a walkable and thriving downtown area with a variety of unique specialty shops, restaurants, galleries, museums, and theaters.
About the Y: The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,700 Y’s engage 21 million men, women, and children – regardless of age, income, or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but also to deliver lasting personal and social change. www.frederickymca.org
