Material Needs Past Exhibition Season 2022-2023

Judith Doherty: Sacred Browns

by |Published

/SACRED BROWNS

Judith Doherty

Material Needs 2022

September 8 - October 9, 2022


materials funded: Arches watercolor paper, watercolor paints, brushes

/STATEMENT

Most Christian places of worship in the United States feature images of God as white and male. Rarely do we see images of black or brown Christs or Madonnas. In Latin America, however, the Black Madonna is represented frequently in churches. Sacred moments when ordinary people connect are glimpses of the Divine that Doherty hopes serve as common ground.

“Sacred Browns” represents people of color in everyday loving interactions, images of humanity seen too rarely in religious or public spaces. My paintings of beauty and tenderness among black and brown people are intended to rectify this absence, and to elevate the holiness of all. They are intended as an everyday sacrament, and a wider lens on the Divine in our midst.

/ABOUT THE ARTIST

Judith Doherty

Judith Doherty has a passion for expressive art and social justice. A retired teacher of writing, she now studies art at Worcester State University. “I used to see the world in black and white words,” she says, “Painting opens me to color.” Her chosen medium is watercolor, for the unexpected ways that water and pigment flow on paper.

As the mother of two Guatemalan daughters, Doherty deliberately works to highlight the beauty of their brown skin and the wider range of human skin tones. Ongoing learning is important to her work. Prompted by the Black Lives Matter movement, Doherty studied how white dominant society erases the beauty of Latinx, African American, and multi-racial imagery from mainstream American art museums and churches. An active participant in artist groups, she uses feedback from her peers to guide her ongoing practice. She is also a member of the Sterling Cultural Council, where she promotes community art activities.

/EXHIBITED WORKS

Avid Learner

watercolor on arches cold pressed watercolor paper 140lb

8″ x 10″

2021

Having been a teacher for three decades the look of concentration in a student’s eyes excites me. Rapt attention and depth of intelligence comes across in this young teen’s face. Teachers might do well to consider when culturally appropriate materials might excite students.




The Comfort of You

watercolor on arches cold pressed 140 lb paper

8″ x 10″

2021

When a child is at ease in the arms of a caregiver the connection is simple.




Tender Gift

watercolor on Arches cold pressed 140 lb. paper

8″ x 10″

2021

A little one who is well loved offers a gentle kiss. Newcomers to the US are often portrayed as pathetic, but in my experience family and community ties are very strong.




Nestled

watercolor

11″ x 14″

2020

My daughters were homebound during the pandemic. Sometimes they had “sleepovers” where they’d come together on one of the bedroom floors. In adversity they grew closer.




Best Friends Black and White

watercolor

11″ x 14″

2021

Every day on my commute I passed a dark skinned boy in a hoodie who was walking his white fluffy dog at 7AM. His loyalty and self-discipline struck me. I think of how quickly some people judge brown boys and I want this image to help transform disparaging views.




The Gardener

watercolor

8″ x 10″

2021

Behind the beauty of so many sacred places we visit are the people who nurture plants and weed our gardens. This gardener works at Tower Hill Botanical Garden in Boylston. One day when I was painting in the garden and he was working I asked him if I could take his photo. Delighted, he posed proudly. Being seen and appreciated for our labors is a human need.




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