The perils of paternity?
The gallery says:
“An immigrant from Ghana, Opoku reflects on his diasporic experience with a twist of surrealist humor and occasional sarcasm. With a strong cultural belief that all broken objects have value and potential, Opoku’s symbolic portraiture and sculptural assemblages take shape from repurposed and transformed objects of various utility. While modernist influences like Duchamp and Brancusi are evident, Opoku examines his own cultural assimilation, while raising questions of how we value, commodify, and consume the things of everyday life, wherever it is lived.’’
“New Father” (oil on canvas), by Emmanuel Opoku, in his show “We Ourselves Are Shared,’’ at ArtsWorcester, Jan. 18-Feb. 25.
A delicate relationship; Worcester housing
“A Woman and Her Dog” (gouache on paper), by Worcester area artist Julia Mongeon, in the show “The Tenth Annual One: A Members’ Exhibition,’’’ at ArtsWorcester, through Aug. 21.
The gallery says that these works span a very wide range of artistic expression, from photography to sculpture to painting. The painting above is a nostalgic picture that reflects on our relationship to our pets, evoking delicate pastels and folk-art motifs.
Classic urban New England three-decker houses on Houghton Street, Worcester. Dating mostly from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, three-deckers been entry-level housing for many immigrants and remain an option for people of modest means.
— Photo by John Phelan
Somewhat grander: The Salisbury Mansion, in Worcester, built in 1772.
From the Worcester Historical Museum, at the Salisbury Mansion:
“Salisbury Mansion, at 40 Highland Street, is Worcester’s only historic house museum. Built in 1772 as a combination house and store, it served as the home of ‘gentleman-merchant’ Stephen Salisbury. The store closed after the Embargo of 1812, and by 1820 all of the space once used for the store had become living quarters. Salisbury Mansion has gone through many changes over the years, from a rooming-house to a gentleman’s club. Salisbury Mansion was originally at Lincoln Square. Through tireless research and documentation, Salisbury Mansion has been restored to the 1830s to reflect the time when it was home to the widow Elizabeth Tuckerman Salisbury. It is considered one of the best documented ‘historic house museums’ in New England.
Medicated America
"Assembly Line'' (oil on canvas), by Tess Barbato, in the show "NOW! New Work, New Artists,'' at ArtsWorcester, through April 16.