In their latest exhibit, the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America showcases a variety of paintings, poetry, photography and embroidery that aims to embody this year’s theme of “Community + Connection.”
The exhibit opened Sept. 18 and will be on display until July 31, 2026.
When visitors walk into 96 Waterman St. — the home of the CSREA — they are greeted with “Our Community,” a bright, colorful elementary school-esque painting collectively created by students at Mendell Elementary School. Viewers are immediately taken back to their youth, with the piece sharing a message of remembering hope, said CSREA Associate Director Stéphanie Larrieux PhD’08.
But, when they turn the corner, they are immediately confronted by a gray-scale piece, entitled “Deconstructed American (5),” which displays the word “American” collaged, rearranged and reordered in an abstract display of paper and wood. According to Larrieux, the sudden shift serves to remind viewers of the current sociopolitical dynamics in the country.
The display is organized into three main sections, aiming to take the viewer through America’s diverse and varied communities, said CSREA Communications Specialist Zachary Legat.
The exhibit intends to capture the theme of “community,” which Larrieux described as “geographical, emotional, psychological, physical and spiritual.”
But the annual exhibit is not a one-off thematic display. Each exhibit CSREA stages are “all facets of a larger treatise,” Larrieux said.
As “our divisions become more stark and solidified, (I want) to encourage people to remember that in community and connection, there are answers,” Larrieux added. “It may be uncomfortable, but it’s absolutely worth it.”
The conversation between the annual iterations is most notably seen in the first room of the “Community + Connection” exhibit, which features several pieces from artists who have also been featured in past versions of the exhibit. These methods not only show the past and present, but also aim to comment on progress, change and evolution.
The CSREA started thinking about the theme a year in advance, which involved a lengthy process of analyzing diverse perspectives, according to Larrieux.
“When I’m thinking about a theme, I’m trying to think about (where) the world and the country are in terms of how we’re relating to one another,” said Larrieux. She added that the theme centers on identifying the community in the present, what an ideal society should look like and what steps need to be taken to move toward that ideal.
When designing the exhibit, Larrieux said she made sure “to think about everyone who’ll walk through the door.”
“Whether you’re an art aficionado or not,” you’re still able to walk away with reflections fit for a rich conversation, she added.
After viewing the exhibit, Legat hopes visitors understand that we have more in common than we have different. Despite the various issues going on in the world, it’s important to stay together and stick with our communities, he added.
