Four Eleven Gallery Presents
A Moment In Time - Eternity; Janice V. Walk and Provincetown Artists of the 1990’s
Opening Reception: Friday May 6th, [6pm - 8pm]
Gallery Talk - Friday May 13th, [4 - 5pm]
All proceeds from the sale of works in this show will go to Lily House. Organized around the works of the late Janice V. Walk, the show also includes works by a dozen artists from Provincetown - dear friends such as Pasquale Natale, Marion Roth, Donna Flax, the late Lee Musselman, Hilary McHugh, Shirl Roccapiore: Pattee Durkin, K-ROD, Susan Bernstein. Susan Wasson, Lisa Hull and Janis Sommers, the widow of Janice V. Walk
Janice V. Walk, an integral part of Provincetown’s art community, was most prolific in the 1990’s. It was the beginning of the AIDS crisis when Janice, arriving here to pursue a career as an artist, felt called to another vocation as a social worker. She lived a life of service and art. Some of Janice’s greatest works were the intangible and ineffable moments of assisting those who were succumbing to the AIDS pandemic as a hospice social worker. It was a time when Provincetown's lesbian, gay and straight communities worked in concert to quell fears by providing safety and love for each other. It was a time when they called themselves family to the many who came here because they had lost their own families.
While working as a therapist in Provincetown, her continued in a variety of mediums and had Janice’s paintings on masonite with sign paint are lyrical and elegiac. One piece, Mark Goes To Heaven In Appropriate Attire, depicts a figure being lifted up to the sky with an angel. It is rendered in a faux naive style that is minimalist and almost childlike. Other works use upcycled wood, meticulously inlaid into shapes of houses and hearts. These wooden pieces reveal her love of materials, symbolism and minimalism. In one such piece, a meticulously crafted heart of wood, painted pink and blue, she has cut windows into the heart and painted tiny views of Provincetown’s horizon. The heart possesses a quiet joy. The piece offers hope of transformation through the love found here on this tiny spit of land in jutting into the ocean.
Liz Carney, owner of Four Eleven Gallery, says “This show is quintessentially Provincetown. It’s about one woman's influence on a community of artists in the 1990’s. Her artworks will continue to do good for the community in raising funds for Lily House. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of these works will be donated. It’s a privilege to show Janice’s work at Four Eleven. When I was a 25 year-old emerging artist, preparing for my first show in a Provincetown gallery, Janice was my therapist. She gave me love and encouragement. This feels like the right way to thank and honor her.”
Janice’s widow, Janis Sommers, who is also an artist, reflects “Janice had a great balance that showed up in her art and in her nuanced, private relationships and with the Provincetown community as a whole. She was gifted with the ability to use both sides of her brain. I see this event as our celebration of her love for how the people in this community come together from disparate sectors to fill the population's unmet needs. Janice never talked about her own death but we talked about a way to pay forward the wonderful care, and love she was feeling and receiving through friends and Hospice services at our home in North Truro. May others be as lucky. The Lily House concept spoke to us. The Four Eleven Gallery gave us the art space. The arts community is responding. Perfect in every way"
Janice V. Walk, Mark Goes To Heaven In Appropriate Attire, 18 x 24 inches, sign paint on masonite
About Four Eleven Gallery: For over 50 years, the rambling White House at 411 Commercial Street has been a studio and home to many artists and writers. Now completing its eleventh season, Four Eleven is a true painters’ gallery, representing contemporary artists living and working in Provincetown and the Outer Cape. It has been said by many locals that the gallery evokes a feeling of old Provincetown. Our works are informed by our love for this place and this community.
About Lily House: The Lily House, a community home for living and dying, will provide around-the-clock hospice-level care in a peaceful, compassionate, and contemplative environment where terminally ill individuals can live and die with dignity, comfort, and grace while being cared for with love—at no cost to those in need. Nestled amongst the pines with a view of Wellfleet Bay, the Lily House will provide residents with holistic end-of-life care—including physical, emotional, social, and spiritual support. We anticipate opening our doors and welcoming residents this fall.