September 1 – October 22, 2023
Opening Reception with Artist: Friday, September 8th from 6-8 PM
Abigail Ogilvy Gallery proudly presents The Habits of Reframing, a solo exhibition of artwork by Boston-based artist and craftsperson Alison Croney Moses. Working primarily in wood, the presentation debuts two new series by the artist. The artworks remind us of the power we possess to shape how we view ourselves through our own experiences and the world around us. Through the new series, Croney Moses reframes her own identity as an artist while holding the values we are taught against a mirror of our own reality, bringing into view the misalignment—and understanding the necessity to celebrate our scars without minimizing the hurt that caused them, and reframing perfection to embody imperfection. Alison Croney Moses creates wooden objects that engage the senses – the smell of cedar, the color of honey or the deep blue sea, the round form that signifies safety and warmth, the gentle curve that beckons to be touched.
As a woodworker, there are physical demands required in order to create the resulting artwork. Since finishing college in 2006, Croney Moses has confronted the reality that the muscles she requires for creating have degenerated, only being exercised in small bursts with specific deadlines in mind. She reflects, “To grow into the artist I want to be, it is essential to build the habits of making which leads to creative discoveries, instills creative confidence, and beats back the imposter syndrome that threatens the artist in all of us. In this series, Habits of Making, I reconnect to the foundation of craft and form. Going through the motions of sketch, build mold, glue up, cut, plane, sand, glue up, build a jig, sand, shape, sand, shape… and repeat. I am forced to make decisions and take risks repeatedly rather than being stuck in the fear of making mistakes. I push the limit of the machines I have access to and go find new ones if I need to. I also push the limits of my body, toning not only my creative muscles but also my physical ones. In the Habits of Making, I reframe my identity as an artist and craftsperson.”
Alison Croney Moses often explores the concept of motherhood through her practice. The round forms either overtly or subtly nod to the female form during pregnancy. Building on her explorations of identity as a mother, woman, and artist, the exhibition will feature a second new series of work titled Reframing the Things that Make Us. This series of wall panels highlight the visual connection between wood material and the human body, skin, and natural scarring of our bodies, and investigates body, community, and the surreal nature of maternal health issues. The artwork questions the role of childhood scarring, specifically keloid; whether it is evidence of injury, blame, clumsiness, or if it can be reframed as a badge of pride for the risks taken and the joy of the process. When does a diagnosis become liberating instead of limiting? Only when realizing this need for reframing our wounds can we work towards adjusting our mindset to create better alignment within ourselves and for those who we are bringing into the future.
The exhibition is a celebration of our mistakes, joys, and tribulations as the embodiment of exactly who we are supposed to be.
Alison Croney Moses has worked over the past 15 years in alternative education settings to build out education programs that center the communities in which they take place. She is currently the Associate Director at the Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts where she founded the Teen Bridge and Artist in Residence programs to help cultivate the current and next generation of artists and leaders in art and craft. She holds an MA in Sustainable Business & Communities from Goddard College, and a BFA in Furniture Design from Rhode Island School of Design. Her work is in the collections at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. She is a recipient of the 2022 USA Fellowship in Craft and has been featured in American Craft Magazine. She is represented by Abigail Ogilvy Gallery in Boston, MA.
Media Inquiries:
Mariana Rey
mariana@abigailogilvy.com
617-820-5173
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