Through personalized gallery boxes, each woman reflects on meaningful aspects of her life, shaped and inspired by her experiences in the workshop. The exhibition dates have now been extended through August 1st at the Mother Jones Center for Resilient Community (MoJo House) on 88 14th Street Wheeling, WV.
In the midst of the tragedies surrounding flood victims that have left our community in a state of recovery, an empowering exhibit at the Mother Jones Center is currently on display. With so many facing so much trauma because of recent damages, any source of community gathering and mutual support has been crucial to the healing of our city. The Mother Jones Center for Resilient Community, located on 88 14th Street in Wheeling, acknowledges these needs.
Over the past six months, women from across the valley united to create artistic renditions of their lives, stories, and struggles. With Kate Marshall, the leader of this project, as their guide, and Wendy Barbeau, therapist and owner of Unique Miniatures, this group of women were able to experience many different opportunities for growth. The Creating Women: Curating Our Lives workshop consisted of eight sessions featuring speakers, discussions, art workshops, and four field trips, each focused on specific themes.
Gallery Gals, Gorilla Girls, and Shattering Glass Ceilings
This session included a field trip to the Carnegie Museum of Art, followed by dinner in Pittsburgh, PA.
Elephants, Experiences, and Environments
Participants visited Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, with dinner afterward in Pittsburgh, PA.
Cooking, Curating, and Tough Choices
This session included a trip to the Romeo and Juliet Broadway Theater performance and dinner in Pittsburgh, PA.
Yes, Nope, and Behind the Rope: The Power of a Gallerist. This session featured a visit to The Other World exhibit, followed by dinner in Columbus, OH
The gallery boxes themselves were hand-made by participant Ashlie Howard. Although most of the women were not self-proclaimed artists, once they were prompted to express their life values in gallery form inside wooden boxes, their stories effortlessly exuded passion and creativity.
Kate Marshall, the organizer of the workshop, and Georgia Tambasis, the curator of the exhibition, go into depth about the significance of the wooden boxes. Georgia explains that once the top is removed, the structure collapses,
“symbolizing the constant rebuilding many have had to endure in their own lives” –Georgia Tambasis, Exhibition Curator
In a time consumed by community rebuild, the importance and impact of projects like these will reach the hearts of many. Several of the participants were able to, with Georgia’s help, write stories that coincide with the values portrayed in their boxes. Elena Wiselka labels her work, “my safe place”, as she explains her battles with breaking free from abuse. Another participant, Robin Rusk, describes her experience with the group and her gallery box as her “temple”. It is clear that this project offered these women a place where they could feel secure and free from societal restraints. In Melissa Seals’ gallery, she features pictures of her family, and includes a line from one of her favorite songs from the 80s by Swing Out Sister:
“When situations never change, tomorrow looks unsure. Don’t leave your destiny to chance-what are you waiting for? The time has come to make your break… BREAKOUT.”
The gallery exemplifies what it means to be a woman, “-what it means to face obstacles, endure heartbreak, and still hold onto hope” (Georgia Tambasis, exhibition curator).
After visiting the exhibit myself on July 1st, the message of the workshop is clear. Resilience.
Reality in a Box
These women, time after time, have been subjected to personal and societal battles some can’t even begin to imagine. Yet they remain, transforming their pain into something beautiful and admirable.
A huge thank you goes out to everyone who helped bring this exhibition to life. A special thank you to the courageous women who participated in the workshop despite the business of daily life. Please come show your support for the community by attending the galleries, as you are sure to come away with an inspired mindset and deeper insight into the livelihoods of our fellow neighbors.
The Mission at the Mother Jones Center
A growing community art center in the heart of East Wheeling, the Mother Jones Center for Resilient Community, aka ‘the MoJo’, is a dedicated safe place which aims to maintain an atmosphere that fosters healing, support recovery, and grow resilience through creativity, education, and meaningful relationships.
Since opening its doors originally in 2020, the MoJo has focused on gathering people from all walks of life to create art while building bridges between those who may have otherwise never had the opportunity to get to know one another. As the headquarters for HoH-Share Inc. the MoJo hosts several community projects, including Art-Share, The Fun-Raiser Urban Mobile Playground, The Bill Hogan Community Gallery, Mustard Seed Mountain Street Paper, UpLIFT WV, Street MOMs, and the MoJo Gift Shop. The non-profit addresses and acknowledges poverty, ACES, recovery and other trauma-related issues affecting people in the Wheeling area.
Regular weekly activities keep the MoJo flowing. ranging from Youth Art Classes, Chess Clinics, and workshops. Some of the available workshops include stained glass art, mosaics, sewing, printmaking, woodworking, paper mache, and so much more! Community art-making events and various workshops are scheduled throughout the calendar year.
After hosting an exhibit and workshop as powerful as Creating Women: Curating Our Lives, it’s safe to say that the organization’s mission is in full effect. The volunteers, staff, partners and participants all “highlight the beauty” within each other, and within the people of Wheeling (Mojo Website Mission Statement).
“-a space that aims to bring light to art that is often overlooked and to highlight the beauty that exists within places and people where society often tells us beauty cannot exist.” (Mojo Website Mission Statement)
Observe the Art, Appreciate their Stories
Kate Marshall, Georgia Tambasis, and the entire Mother Jones Center of Resilience community invite you to take the time to explore each miniature gallery, read the stories behind them, talk to the women who created them, and reflect on the lives they share through this work. The gallery is open with extended dates. It is being displayed now until July 24th in the Bill Hogan Community Art Gallery inside the MoJo at 88 14th Street in Wheeling, WV. The MoJo’s hours are Tuesday through Friday from 12pm-5pm and Saturdays from 10am-4pm.
This workshop and exhibition were made possible by the generous support from The Women’s Giving Circle: An Initiative of the Community
Foundation of the Ohio Valley and presented in partnership with Unique Miniatures: Wendy Barbeau, Owner.
For more information about how to get involved with any of MoJo’s activities and programs, please send an email to themojocrc@gmail.com (mailto:mojocrc@gmail.com), check our Facebook page, or call the MoJo at (304) 238-9484.
