‘About Face’: Shift perspective with an array of art at the Cultural Center

For Sepi Golestani, the feeling of chronic anxiety has never been abstract. 

“I’m originally from Iran,” the Newton-based artist said as she referred to one of paintings set to be hung in the latest Dartmouth Cultural Center exhibit. “So the story is about me as a woman and the political situation in my region in the Middle East and the way that I have to deal with it as an immigrant who is here and my mom is there. So always being worried — that’s something I grew up with.”

Her piece on that subject, along with others, including one of a woman waiting “without any hope,” will be on display at the Cultural Center’s upcoming exhibit “About Face,” opening Friday, July 18 with an artist reception from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 404 Elm Street. 

The show, which runs through August 16, is presented in partnership with the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Women Artists and curated by Gallery Director Jill Law.

Jennifer Okumura, Massachusetts chapter NAWA president, said that freedom of interpretation is part of what makes the exhibition powerful. 

“It’s not just the physical, just the face,” she said. “But it deals with right now, especially with what’s going on with humanity.”

Okumura contributed two pieces to the show. One, titled “Earth’s Surface,” reflects on environmental awareness — something she connects to her father, who was an environmental engineer, and to her 11-year-old son. 

“He’s such a gentle person, but he’s so aware of what’s happening,” she said. “I know that a lot of his friends from class have older siblings, and they're so afraid of bringing their own children in this world because they don't know what type of environment is going to be left for them.”

Her second piece is a sort of self portrait but depicts a head without a neck. “It’s this idea that our body is always chasing our minds and our thoughts,” she said. “Our body will never catch up.”

Okumura said the show’s title also resonates with the urgency of current events. “About face is really taking action and being present in the moment and what is happening right now,” she said. “Whether you're coming from like an environmental, coming from a humanity, coming from just being a human aspect, it's really about what's going on now.”

Boston-based artist Lisa Goren focused her interpretation of the theme on awareness, noting it is calling on viewers to “turn around and look.”

Her two watercolor pieces center on ice. One depicts icebergs in the ocean, “which look like little miniature puzzle pieces,” she said, recalling a photo she took from an airplane over Greenland. “But I know in my heart they are massive. It’s really astonishing.”

The other piece is inspired by ice she spotted while walking in Boston. “It freezes really fast and it’s frozen for about a half an hour and then it’s gone,” she said. 

Goren said she loved the contrast between the two, with one lasting just 30 minutes and the other thousands of years.

She said the open interpretation of the theme “allows a lot of people to bring different types of ideas, but also the curator is the one who holds it together — beautifully.”

Returning artist Cathy Weaver Taylor of Upton echoed that appreciation. “It’s a very beautiful building,” she said of the Cultural Center. “I liked it a lot. The town is very pretty and supportive of the arts.”

Weaver Taylor, a NAWA member since 2023, contributed photographic works based on translucent origami-paper collages, arranged and lit inside a light box, which she uses for her seasonal affective disorder. 

One piece, “New Kid in Town,” is about being new to a place and slowly finding common ground. “Then you kind of talk to people and you get on the same wavelength,” she said. 

Another, “The Conversation,” emphasizes the importance of listening, she said, noting it is just as valuable as the words themselves. 

Okumura said the Dartmouth gallery continues to feel like a home for NAWA artists. 

“This community has always been so welcoming,” she said. “And every time I come here, I meet another local artist that kind of becomes part of the NAWA family.”

“Jill has been part of our family for a while,” she added. “She’s been so supportive of strong female artists that are practicing today, and I couldn't ask for a better space and just a better director to really kind of uplift and showcase these strong female artists.”