Kaleidoscope Collaborative Book Group – Exhibition with reception at City Life, The Brewery Complex in Jamaica Plain on February 9, 2020
Several NEBA members are part of the Kaleidoscope Collaborative Book Group that
was inspired by Susan Porter in 2017. The group consists of 12 Boston-area women who meet monthly to explore a range of topics and techniques in both art journals and altered books. Members contribute to each book based on its theme using collage, illustration, painting, photography, and other mediums. Themes have included interdependence, light, dance, passages, resilience, animals, food tales, and feminism to name a few. The membership of the group has remained constant since the
beginning, and they have passed on the framework to a couple of other groups who were interested in starting their own.Their first exhibit was held at the Roslindale Branch of the Boston Public Library in 2018. The second year culminated in an exhibit
at City Life in Jamaica Plain. Currently (year three) the group meets monthly on ZOOM. But this year is really different because they are each confined (by the pandemic) to their own book. They share techniques through workshops and are eager to experiment with some new ideas for exchanging smaller mail art projects.
Member artist, Susan Marsh shared some of the history behind the name Kaleidoscope:
We all come from different races, socio-economic backgrounds, ages, and families of
origin. Where we grew up, where we live now, and the life experiences in between
create shifts in perspectives that come to the page. And so if we are working on the
“presence of water,” or “letting go,” or “crows,” we each bring our unique selves, our
authentic selves, our messy, imperfect, jagged, hopeful, creative, artistic, dynamic
selves to the page. Separately and together, we have become a kaleidoscope of
emotion and color, art and soul. As the months went by, we each got more bold and
brave. Our art grew and improved. We opened up to ourselves and to each other. We
were willing to take risks and try new things. Every month we were astonished,
surprised, delighted, and in awe of how each person interpreted a theme and by how
much we all grew.
And frankly, it couldn’t have happened without Susan Porter–the artist, the teacher, the
guide. Somehow she knew intuitively that this blend of women could be brought
together in community and collaborate to create this beautiful Kaleidoscope.
The Books – 2019:
Awakening to Sound by Alice Apley
Essence of Resilience by Martha Akagi
Alphabet: Fi to La by Lynda Bassett
Dancing by Curdina Hill
Alien/Aliens by Farah Jeune
Interdependence by Karen Kirchoff
Grimm’s Fairy Tales by Susan Marsh
Light by Trudi Olivetti
Boundaries/Borders by Laura Palmer-Edwards
Passages by Susan Porter
Animal Stories by Wendy Wolfe Fine
Hiding in Plain Sight by Patrice Westrate
