Recent local show featured the socially conscious work of two area residents
By Debora Gordon for Ashland.news
PHOENIX — A recent presentation at Phoenix’s Langford Gallery with writing and artistic elements focused on politics and bridging the political divide.
The October 25 event featured Marla Estes of the Building Bridgers, a group founded in 2017 as a means for people of all political persuasions to bridge the divide, and painter and printmaker Abby Lazerow. Coordinated by Phoenix Art & Culture Council chair Beca Blake, it was intended to foster engagement, develop community, and support economic development.
Bridge building
For eight years, Estes has given presentations on bridging the political divide, both in person and online.
At the Langford Gallery, she gave her “How to Build a Bridge,” presentation, followed by questions, and invited discussion at the end.
Estes was inspired to begin the ongoing series of talks after the 2016 election.
“I wasn’t political before, but the morning after the election, I felt I had to do something,” she said.
She began doing presentations on a range of issues, including freedom of speech. The idea was to present both sides and explain why there is friction. She began working on how to foster conversations that would connect people, especially between those who have significant disagreements.
As she began to craft her program, her thinking evolved (and continues to do so).
“It reminded me that I really have to try to see the person as a person with a feeling of identification and compassion,” she said.
In considering her own thinking when differing points of view arise, she notes, “I really trust people who can be critical of their own side. If it gets to the point where you can’t criticize your own side, what happens is it makes our nervous system too wobbly to think that we’re wrong.”
She avoids the words “agreements” and “disagreements.”
“I like to talk about people coming to different conclusions,” she said. “It’s about viewpoint diversity.”
“The more we can learn to live with nuance and complexity, the better,” she added. “Bridging can also be called depolarizing.”
Estes presents her ideas on the third Wednesday of every month at the Rogue Valley Metaphysical Library (RVML), facilitating an ongoing series of discussions, with the next talk set for November 19. Her past talks can be accessed at the RVML library website.
Capturing the state of the world
Abby Lazerow is a self-described “narrative and expressionistic painter and printmaker.”
Her subject matter ranges from mythological imagery, death and birth, the human relationship to nature, and the contemporary political landscape. Her current exhibition is called “Beneath the Surface,” as a way to start to consider what is “there” but not always explicitly expressed.
“It is hard to ignore the state of the world, the unrest here and in other countries, and the ecological crisis,” she said. “I think people want to find answers and a way to connect. There’s a conversation that happens through looking at paintings.”
Lazerow expressed gratitude to Jack Langford and Beca Blake for offering the space for community dialogue and and for helping elevate voices through art in the Rogue Valley. Her website is https://www.abbylazerow.com/.
Debora Gordon is a writer, artist, educator and non-violence activist who recently moved to Ashland from Oakland, California. Email her at [email protected].
