Hope & Healing: Pamela Blotner & Carol Newborg

This joint exhibition looks at what it means to be uprooted, imprisoned, or displaced. It also looks at what can be done to regenerate a community and/or terrain destroyed or harmed by war and climate change. The plant forms in Blotner's sculptures reference both human refugees and their destroyed homes, while the tool forms- shovels, spades, and pitchforks- suggest that landscapes marred by war, wildfires and other disasters can be restored. Newborg's work reflects on the excessive sentencing in our prisons, which separate people from family and society, causing individual and generational harm. The metal forms reflect on that harm, while the textiles wrapping the metal are an expression of the healing that rehabilitation and growth can bring.

Pamela Blotner

Blotner’s work explores what can be done to regenerate a community and terrain destroyed by war and climate change. The plant forms that make up parts of the sculptures evoke human and animal “refugees” and their destroyed homes/land. The tools featured in the pieces—shovels, spades, and forks— intimate hope for regrowth and restoration of a landscape, home, or garden marred by combat, wildfires, and other natural/human made disasters. 

Carol Newborg

Newborg’s work shows hope for healing and repair, which is vital to people re-entering society from prison. The pieces in this series each focus on the number of years a person she’s worked with has served. This can be seen in the metal fencing and wire wrapped and softened by textiles. While the process of rehabilitation involves peer programs, education, the arts, and much hard work and support, the frequent cruel and excessively long sentences cause further harm: separation from family and community often builds generational trauma. By prioritizing true rehabilitation, more people can contribute positively to our families, communities, at-risk youth and our culture.