About

Conceived and curated by artist/curators JoAnne McFarland and Sasha Chavchavadze, SALLY is a collaborative project that brings together artists, writers, and performers intrigued by how the quest for intimacy can alter the trajectory of a woman’s life. Some explore the narratives of women, like Sally Hemings, whose destinies are inextricably interwoven with those they knew, and whose lives have often been erased or forgotten. Others infuse their work and methodologies with an urgency that underscores their compulsion to map their own and others’ undaunted passion and drive. 

SALLY explores how contemporary conceptions of white/black, male/female, young/old, rich/poor reflect or disrupt earlier cultural norms, and how connection, which all humans crave, happens across differences. By showcasing artists at different stages of their lives and careers, making different kinds of work using different media, from different backgrounds, cultures, races, and ethnicities, the curatorial premise encourages a vibrant mix of viewpoints around the theme of living with agency and radiance in spite of, and perhaps even due to, challenges in one’s environment.

The project highlights the work of artists interested in reanimating the narratives of women from the past who can serve as catalysts in this radical present, with a focus on makers and women in the BIPOC community. At this critical juncture, with women’s autonomy once again under attack, another meaning of sally resonates: a sudden charge out of a besieged place. SALLY unites an eclectic array of artists and thinkers who use their practices to strengthen community and open dialogue around complex, sometimes divisive issues, exploring how artists confront myriad issues of agency, and use community and collaboration to undercut the status quo, and construct lives of integrity and purpose. 

SALLY galvanizes communities around forgotten history, reaching beyond traditional art audiences, identifying under recognized local and national women, and inviting a broad community response. Exhibitions and events grow out of research and dialog with communities without a preconceived formula; each community generates its own world of creative resources, practices, stories and histories. 

JoAnne McFarland is the founder and Artistic Director of Artpoetica Project Space in Gowanus, Brooklyn that explores the intersection of words, visual art, performance, and installation. She is the former Exhibitions Director of A.I.R. Gallery in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Her numerous solo and group exhibitions include: Mending at 440 Gallery in Brooklyn, Both Directions at Once at KALA Art Institute in Berkeley, CA, and The Black Artist as Activist at The Corridor Gallery in Brooklyn. McFarland’s artwork is part of the public collections of the Library of Congress, the Columbus Museum of Art, and Dynegy Inc. among others. Her previous poetry books include: Said I Meant/Meant I Said, a collaboration with poet Paul Eprile, Identifying the Body, 13 Ways of Looking at a Black Girl, and Acid Rain. In her work McFarland treats violence and creativity as diametrically opposed: each act of making thwarts violence’s aim to destroy. 

Sasha Chavchavadze is the founder of Proteus Gowanus, an interdisciplinary exhibition/event space that was a cultural hub in Brooklyn for ten years. Her community-based, interdisciplinary projects include: Battle Pass Collective; D’Amico Gowanus Laboratory; Museum of Matches; Carnival of Connectivity. Her paintings, drawings, and installations have been exhibited widely, including: Luise Ross Gallery; Cooper Union Gallery; Rotunda Gallery; Kentler International Drawing Space; Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock; Museum of Literature, Tbilisi, Georgia. Her collaborative projects have been presented at TEDxGowanus, at the Museum of Modern Art and on BRIC TV. Her public art installation Battle Pass: Revolution II located in Brooklyn was commissioned by NYC DOT Urban Art. Excerpts of Chavchavadze's visual work and writing have been published in Cabinet, Bomb, Marginalia and NYFA Current magazines, and as a book (Museum of Matches, Proteotypes 2011).