WESTFIELD — Westfield State University will host an artist reception for Easthampton artist Ruth Kjaer’s exhibit “The Golden Rain: The Myth in Women’s Lives,” today from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in the Arno Maris Art Gallery in the Ely Campus Center. The reception is free and open to the public.
Ruth Kjaer is a painter whose studio is located in the Eastworks Building in Easthampton. An artist for nearly four decades, she has been featured in exhibitions both locally and globally including Le Musee d’art Haitian in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the Jill Spanbauer Gallery in Naples, FL., and the Pulse Gallery in Springfield, Mass. Her collections are permanently housed in a number of galleries and businesses including the Sony Corporation in Tokoyo, Japan, the Mitchell International Airport, Milwaukee, WI, and Gallery East, Chatanooga, TN.
Kjaer’s exhibit is her interpretation of women in Greek mythology.
“Art is a mirror of the world in all its diversity and it is through the visual image that we can sometimes see this universe more clearly,” Kjaer said in her artist statement. “As a woman, I have chosen to address problems females face today, which are some of the most resistant in our times. In order to access these issues I use the stories of women from Greek mythology. These themes relate to female sexuality, violence toward women, and the emotional suffering that human relationships often bring.”
According to Kjaer, some of her artwork are abstract interpretations.
“I have developed a personal taste for color and texture from my travels around the world,” Kjaer said. “Some of my works are largely abstract, or without reference to the representational world. They may depict an ‘interior’ space of dreams or of the subconscious. The world I create is hopefully a window into the realm of human spirituality that seeks, in the end, to provide just a little catharsis.”
Kjaer’s artwork will remain on display until April 16. The Arno Maris Art Gallery is located on the second floor of the Ely Campus Center. Regular gallery hours are Tuesday – Friday, 10:00a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and Saturday, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. For more information on the gallery, visit http://www.westfield.ma.edu/offices/art-galleries.For more information on the artist, visit www.ruthkjaer.com.
