NANTUCKET: The Nantucket Historical Association will be hosting internationally-acclaimed Chilean artist Magaly Ponce for a one-day Family Discovery Day and evening lecture on Friday, August 12.
Ponce’s latest exhibition – entitled “Insight-s: A Multimedia Installation in Three Continents” – is the culmination of three years’ worth of study and observation of humpback whales along the Massachusetts coast. “Using sculpture, digital photo-collage and video, I celebrate their beauty and humor, reflect on their likely extinction, and consider the industries that have developed around them,” said Ponce of her artwork. At once beautifully literal and provocatively metaphorical, her work speaks to the viewer on multiple levels. Empty tubes used to create a whale skeleton represent depleted supplies of whale oil; differing light levels suggest the coming darkness associated with that loss of fuel.
On August 12 from 2 – 4 PM, Ponce will be hosting an afternoon workshop in the Discovery Room of the Nantucket Whaling Museum, where she will be exploring the many ways in which artists can draw inspiration from nature in all its many forms. Participants will have the option to work as Ponce’s assistants as she creates a large-scale sculpture or to create their own personal-sized sculpture from recycled materials under Ponce’s expert guidance. The event is recommended for children five-and-older, and participation is free with paid admission to the Whaling Museum.
Later that evening at 7 PM, Ponce will deliver a lecture in Gosnell Hall about her international exhibition “Insight-s.” Using examples from her own artwork, Ponce will discuss the artistic process she goes through in creating her sculptures and multimedia pieces, as well as reflecting on the years she spent studying the whales and how those years have influenced her life and artistic directions.
Said Melissa Kershaw, Outreach and Public Programs Coordinator for the Nantucket Historical Association, “The NHA is excited to be able to provide access to Magaly Ponce in these settings, because it offers a unique opportunity for the Association to present a world-class artist and her contemporary interpretations of whales to our audiences.”
Family Discovery Day runs from 2-4 PM on August 12, and participation is free with paid admission to the Whaling Museum. The lecture that evening begins at 7 PM, and doors will open at 6:30 PM; tickets are $10 for Nantucket Historical Association members and $15 for non-members.
Both events will be held inside the Whaling Museum at 13 Broad Street. Call 508-228-1894, ext. 0 for more information.
