February 1st-March 15th
Opening reception: February 1st from 6-8pm
Gallery Hours: Wed 1-5, Thurs 10-2, Sat 12-4 or by appt.

Holding Space for Tenderness is a Pop Up Gallery Group collaboration and community arts project with artist Carmen Lizardo.
Holding Space is an initiative to create a photographic mural of people’s hands holding their cherished objects. This mural serves as a visual language that shapes our collective identity by dismantling preconceived notions surrounding gender, ethnicity, social class, and race.
The use of hands and objects in this project has a twofold purpose. Firstly, it symbolizes our shared humanity as part of what endures, survives, and sustains us. Secondly, it highlights the interplay between personal and collective narratives, underscoring the intricate richness of our shared existence. The hand is a universal identifier, while the object is a personal identifier. The project captures this dual nature, celebrating our individuality and our profound connection to the expansive tapestry of the human race.
The mural was made using the cyanotype process, which has a rich artistic history originating in 1841. This medium creates a symbolic experience that is not arbitrary to the use of a technique but considers the similarities between process and content within the art to express a tangible connection to human heritage.  The limited palette of the cyanotype helps convey that we are all connected in our shared human experience despite our diverse backgrounds and histories.