.jpg)
In honor and memory of Julie Green, an artist, and professor at the Oregon State University, the Lemmerman Gallery held an exhibition titled “Thank God, I’m Home” based on Julie Green’s series First Meal. The series First Meal is an array of artworks dedicated to a list of exonerees and the first meal they ate after being freed. The majority of their first meals consisted of items and beverages they had simply missed while inside prison. Based on the artist's talk, speaker Kirk Johnson unfold the story of how Julie Green created First Meal, Green was first inspired by the story of Kristen Bunch. In 2015, Julie Green met Kristen Bunch when she attended an exhibition for The Last Supper. Bunch spent 17-years in prison before being exonerated for murder and arson in connection with the death of her 3-year-old son. (Forbes) The topic of death row convicts' last meals shifted to their first meals after being freed from their wrongful convictions, the inspiration of First Meals. Green spent about three years asking exonerees where did they go and what did they order as their meal after imprisonment, and then created paintings based on their response and stories. Julie Green was also inspired by the terrible soy diet prisoners had to endure that made it hard for them to eat.
It's become clear in recent years that the justice system has the potential to undermine the lives of innocent people, and it's even more disheartening to see how many people are affected by wrongful convictions. Julie Green dedicated her artworks to commemorate the lives of people who were wrongfully convicted. It gives so much awareness to the people who had their lives, our even childhood was taken away from them. The First Meal series has a mixed emotional impression because these people are free but they had so much time and moments of life that they cannot get back. These freed peoples' first meals are symbolic of their aspirations while in prison something they hoped to experience and fulfilled once they were freed from their confinement. While the people who have been wrongfully convicted will never be able to reclaim the time they have lost, it is reassuring to know that is action being taken to speak out against the system and advocate for a better one.
“Holding Orange for Jason Strong” was a piece that stood out to me. This portrait showcases a plate with red detailing of birds, trees, and flowers. In the upper right corner seems to be the interview that Green had with Jason Strong. Kirk Johnson, the speaker at Julie Green’s artist talk, told the story behind this piece. Jason Strong was unable to have access to fresh fruits while in prison. During his first meal, Jason Strong went to a cafe and the waitress at this cafe overheard him say how he missed eating oranges the most, so she brought him one and he just sat there staring at this orange. As Johnson recounted, Green was troubled by this concept with this painting she kept asking herself "how do you depict absence, not having an orange for seven years? How do you illustrate holding an orange for 40 minutes before savoring every bite?” It prompted Green to admit that she could paint an orange with ease. However, she had no idea how to NOT paint an orange or how to depict a lack of access to specific items. The idea of painting absence or loss is fascinating, and it's something I'd never considered before. Strong became an activist for other individuals who had been unjustly convicted throughout their lives, both inside and outside of prison after he was released.
“T-bone Phone” is the second artwork that resonated with me. This art piece showcases an iPhone with a t-bone steak as the screen, both the phone and the steak seem to have a dark embroidered pattern. Along the border, is a Charlie Brown fabric, I view this fabric as a representation of innocence. After the exoneree was freed from prison he was astonished by the concept of personal phones and how attached everyone was to their phone. This speaks to the volume of time this man has missed out that he couldn’t recognize the development of modern technology and how it has taken over everyone's life.
These people had been put through a grueling struggle from which they had no way of knowing if they would survive. They did, however, find redemption and freedom to truly live their life. I really admire Julie Green's ambition and concept for this series of works and exposing the injustice system in America. I hope that, like Julie Green, I will be able to work on a significant art project that will provide redemption, hope, and something to hold on to for those who are suffering.
No comments:
Post a Comment