Mixed-Media Sculptor Meg Bloom Shows its Buried in the Bones

[Jen Payne]

Artists are the torchbearers of our time, the ones who are processing and interpreting all of the upheaval, and shining a light into the dark corners of how to find meaning in all of it. Mixed-media sculptor Meg Bloom is one such artist, which you will discover in her exhibit BURIED IN THE BONES, on view at City Gallery from February 6 - 28, with an opportunity to Meet the Artist on Saturday, February 6 from 2-4PM.

“What you’ll see is a journey of art making through the last two years, though mostly 2020,” Bloom explains. “This is my response to the enormous loss and pain and devastation — a response to the crises in our environment, our climate, to the loss of human life, to the tragic destruction and violations as a result of racism, poverty, cruelty, discrimination. This work reflects my constant state of anxiety and impotence to adequately respond to the ‘everything.’”

 

Most of the work in Bloom’s show consists of handmade paper sculptures made from kozo and abaca fibers. Some have added pigment, many have embedded plant matter. Additionally there are a few mixed media collages. “Finding beauty in the imperfect, acknowledging moments of change, and engaging with the process of transformation form the basis of my work,” says Bloom. Her art references nature, whether human or otherwise, and attempts, metaphorically through layering process and form, to address the broader social and environmental issues.

 

Meg Bloom is a sculptor, installation, and mixed media artist. She has exhibited mostly in Connecticut and New York galleries, holds work in public and private collections, and has done several public art installations and community projects. In recent years, her work has been on view at Silvermine Galleries, City Gallery, City Wide Open Studios, Ely Center for Contemporary Art, the Slade Ely House, Albertus Magus College, New Bedford Art Museum, Governors Island, and the Plexall Gallery and Westbeth Gallery in New York. Bloom is a graduate of Brandeis University, UConn School of Social Work, and completed a three-year course of study at New York Studio School of Painting, Drawing and Sculpture. A member of City Gallery since 2003, Bloom is also a member of the New York Sculptors Guild, and Surface Design Association, and new member of Silvermine. She resides in New Haven. You can see her work and a complete profile at www.megbloomartist.com.

 

BURIED IN THE BONES is free and open to the public, and runs February 6 - 28, 2021. City Gallery is located at 994 State Street, New Haven, CT 06511. Modified gallery hours are Saturday and Sunday, 2PM - 4PM, and you are welcome to schedule an appointment by calling 203-530-7656. Number of visitors limited to 4 at a time. All visitors are required to wear a mask and observe social distancing protocols. For further information please contact City Gallery, 203-782-2489, [e-mail], www.city-gallery.org.