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The Road to Zoe, a Mixed Media Exhibition by Valerie Imparato


  • Washington Street Art 321 Washington Street Somerville, MA, 02143 United States (map)

RECEPTION
July 9, 2022 from 5pm-7pm

ON VIEW:
July 9, 2022 to August 13, 2022 - Saturdays from 12-4 PM

Proof of vaccination and masks required

Gallery 321 Presents The Road to Zoe, a Mixed Media Exhibition by Artist Valerie Imparato Exploring Themes of Miscarriage, (In)Fertility, Pregnancy, and Motherhood.

From July 9 through August 12, 2022, Gallery 321 presents The Road to Zoe, a mixed media exhibition by artist Valerie Imparato. Inspired by the artist’s own experience, The Road to Zoe addresses the deeply personal yet all too common experience of becoming a mother. In her most honest and vulnerable collection yet, artist Valerie Imparato discusses her miscarriage, fertility woes, and eventual pregnancy and motherhood through painting, embroidery, and photography.

In the form of a letter to her daughter, the artist describes the show in the following terms:

“So here it is, my heart on a platter, or more accurately on canvases. It’s hard to think of this as one linear narrative. Each stage of this has been a full story in its own right. The miscarriage was it’s own thing. That little soul was its own thing- not just a pit stop on the road to you, but also a pit stop on the road to you. And then the trying. All of the trying and begging and praying and failure and praying. Wash, rinse, repeat. And then there was you. Growing in me, making me sick, making me happy, making me cry, making me waddle, making me whole. It ends with you in my arms. It starts with you in my arms.”

Begun in 2020 shortly after the artist’s miscarriage, the artist describes the initiation of the series The Road to Zoe as the “result of processing loss and desperation in the midst of hope and new life.” Merging traditional painting with embroidery and photography, the artist documents her journey to motherhood and all its twists and turns. The artist worked on this collection through miscarriage, infertility, pregnancy, and the birth of her daughter Zoe.

Artist Bio:
Imparato’s work has often explored more public themes like systemic racism and black femininity, but in The Road to Zoe, the artist puts the metaphorical lens squarely on herself in order to discuss an often hidden and shame riddled aspect of womanhood.

For more information, contact the artist at valeriepimparato@gmail.com

You can see more of the artist’s work at valeriepimparato.com
Or on Instagram @vp_visualart