It’s Great and It’s Sad - Gigi Salij’s “We Wait.”

I admit it has been very difficult to write blogs about this month’s gallery shows at the Harrison Center, because regardless of how good I may think they are, I know that ultimately it may be futile to share my excitement when I can’t invite you to come and see them right now. The truth is that if you were already in quarantine and missed First Friday on March 6, you missed out on some pretty special exhibits. I know that March is drawing to a close and you won’t be able to visit this show in person, but I still feel compelled to write and tell you about Gigi Salij’s wonderful exhibit called, ”We Wait.”

I wrote a blog about Gigi last Summer (July 30, 2019) after I was I was first introduced to her gorgeous silk screen work. She created a show called “American Feast” that payed homage to industrialized foods such as Jello and Ding Dongs in conjunction with FoodCon. I already considered myself a fan of hers before seeing her current work in the Harrison Gallery, but I may be a groupie after this. I love this show for four reasons.

The first thing I love about this show is the exquisite craftsmanship of the prints. Being a printmaker myself, I have a great deal of respect and appreciation for these beautiful silk screen pieces and the work that went into their creation. There are about fifty prints of women of all ages, races and stages of life. The amount of time and concentration that had to have gone into the creation of this collection is mind-boggling to me. They include two of the Greatriarchs (Miss Shirley and Miss Pearl) as well as Dr. Teri Jett, who is on the board of Indiana Humanities. Other models were friends of the artist, as well as people she had never met before this project. The planning and administration of this project had to have been an enormous challenge.

The second thing I love is the curation of the show. Thankfully I was able to take some snapshots of the gallery as it looked at the opening reception (minus the crowd of people!) to share with you so that you’ll understand how thoughtfully these portraits were created in order to give the experience of viewing these women waiting in line. The portraits are all side views of the subjects and are hung with precision which adds to the excitement of viewing them. I love the two walls which displayed the 19th amendment to the constitution which was passed in 1920. (Kudos to Kyle Ragsdale who curates the Harrison Gallery and to Johnny McKee for his contribution to this part of the show as it certainly created an important reference and meaning.)

I am so grateful for this show which celebrates Women’s History Month so beautifully. It is a joint presentation of the Harrison Center and Indiana Humanities, and it celebrates the 100th anniversary of the passing of the amendment which gave women the right to vote. In an e-mail describing her mission, Gigi says,”We’re accustomed to thinking of women’s suffrage as finished, something that occurred once in the misty past, and it’s done - a closed question. I was eager to look at suffrage through a contemporary lens instead.”

Finally, what I admire about this presentation is the passion and intelligence with which Gigi manifested it. The imagination, administration, time and energy that were involved in putting together a display that is so dramatic and alive are important to consider when taking in this accomplishment, and the fact that Covid 19 will prevent many from seeing it in person is sad indeed. I hope you all will visit Gigi Salij on Instagram, Facebook and on the web to learn more about this wonderful show.