A decade’s worth of art rooted in political unease, national identity and the act of bearing witness comes to Conanicut Island this spring when Jamestown Arts Center opens In the Zeitgeist, a solo exhibition by Worcester-born, Maine-based artist François Poisson.
The show runs April 10 through June 13 and features work Poisson created over the past 10 years — a period he describes as defined by upheaval and a troubling shift in the country’s direction. It will be presented alongside NEXT, a concurrent group show spotlighting emerging local artists in JAC’s main gallery.
An opening reception for both exhibitions is scheduled for Friday, April 10, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
“The pieces in this exhibition represent more than ten years of observing world events and processing my thoughts on them through my art,” Poisson said. “I speak from the point of view of an American citizen keenly aware of the troubling direction this country has moved, and our heavy-handed influence on the rest of the planet.”
Poisson holds a BFA in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA in painting from the University of Michigan. His multidisciplinary practice blends painting and woodworking, and the new exhibition showcases two of his signature series. The first, Bunny Cars, features wheeled sculptures adorned with a celluloid bunny mask — a recurring leitmotif the artist describes as representing “wary innocence making its way through a troubled world.” The second, Exhaust Sticks, grew out of his daily encounters with aggressive, lifted pickup trucks, which he views as a symbol of an American ethos where “might makes right.”
Despite the weight of its themes, the exhibition is not one of despair. Poisson frames the act of making art as an inherently hopeful endeavor.
“The art-making process has been a lifeline, allowing me to at least feel engaged with a sense of purpose,” he said. “In my hopeful moments, I see art as cathartic, at the very least, and capable of provoking change for the good, at its best.”
An artist talk titled Ten Years of Observing the World will be held April 12 from 2 to 3 p.m. and will be moderated by Karen Conway. The talk is also free and open to the public.
For more information, visit jamestownartcenter.org.