Pauly Friedman Art Gallery at Misericordia University to host ‘Voices: Immigration’ exhibition and reception

Misericordia University adds a new component to its highly regarded “Voices Project” psychology research initiative with the presentation of the exhibition “Voices: Immigration,” on display in the Pauly Friedman Art Gallery through October 10.

“Voices: Immigration” is a new exhibition component of “The Voices Project,” the award-winning research program of Misericordia University Psychology Professor Alicia Nordstrom, Ph.D.  Dr. Nordstrom’s 12-year-long research project on countering prejudice among college students against marginalized groups through empathy involves interventions that include the performing and visual arts. This exhibition features six contemporary visual artists whose work addresses aspects of the immigrant experience in the United States. These artists are Michelle Drummond, Sandra C. Fernández, Chantala Kommanivanh, Matt Manalo, Stass Shpanin and Brian Whelan.

On Tuesday, September 14, the public is invited to an Artist Reception at the gallery from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. Reservations are required.

The works in the exhibition share stories of finding community and understanding in a new environment. Drummond, an immigrant from Jamaica, uses brightly colored yarn-based works in her series, “Les Derrieres,” to focus on cultural expectations of body image. Fernández, who grew up in Ecuador, was inspired by the experiences of undocumented students when she was an instructor at the University of Texas to create an installation artwork of suspended white rosaries. Kommanivanh’s loose brushwork reflects on his childhood as an immigrant from Laos.

Manalo’s sculptural works contain the textures of household objects that you might find in a Filipino-American home. Using paints that he mixed by hand, Shpanin, who was born in the former U.S.S.R, combines the symbols of folk art with the colors of digital art. Whelan draws from the themes of his Irish heritage and recreates the reflective surface of Catholic icons using repurposed chocolate foil wrappers.

Gallery hours are 12-4 p.m. daily or by appointment. Masks are required indoors on campus regardless or vaccination status. Please refer to the Pauly Friedman Art Gallery website www.misericordia.edu/art for any changes in protocols, and art gallery event and calendar updates. To make a reservation or request additional information, please contact Alexandra Svab Isaac at aisaac@misericordia.edu or (570) 674-8422.