WEST BRATTLEBORO — “Bearing Witness,” an art exhibit by Karen Becker, is currently on view at the All Souls Church in the West Village Meeting House, 29 South St. The public is invited to an artist's reception on Saturday, June 10, from 3 to 5 p.m.
The exhibit is a retrospective of Becker's watercolors, gouache, pastels, and prints, created over the past 40 years and inspired by her love of nature. The animals and trees represented are all bearing witness to the devastation that is unfolding, due to industrialization and war.
Also on display are drawings of animals and birds, which combine monoprints and charcoal, a series of self-portraits, and fantasies, including the Sphere Series. Many of these paintings and drawings have been in her private collection.
Also bearing witness to her family history, Becker has dedicated this show to her parents, George and Marianne Becker, for their lifelong courage, generosity, kindness, and devotion to the arts in southern Vermont.
Becker received a Bachelor of Fine Art in Graphic Design from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and has exhibited her artwork in New York City, Boston, Maine, and Vermont. As part of the Vermont Arts Council's Artists-in-Education Program for 25 years, she led more than 150 mural painting workshops for children and adults.
The exhibit is on view Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays between 9 a.m. and noon, or by appointment (call 802-257-4710) or contact kb4art@earthlink.net) through June 30. Selected paintings are also on view on the All Souls' website, ascvt.org/karenbecker.
(1)This exhibit runs concurrently with a show of Becker's work at Next Stage Arts, “Bearing Witness, Part 2,” on view now through Aug. 13, at the NXT Gallery located at 15 Kimball Hill, Putney.