Works by interdisciplinary artist from Maine on exhibit now at RMFA

A work by Julie K. Gray (Courtesy)

ROCHESTER - The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts will host an exhibition titled "Neither Created Nor Destroyed" featuring a series of works by Julie K. Gray in the Bernier Room, at the James W. Foley Memorial Community Center.

Gray is a Biddeford, Maine-based interdisciplinary artist working primarily in sculpture, photography and needlepoint. She earned her BFA in Photography from Rhode Island School of Design in 2005 and has since earned her MFA in Studio Art from Maine College of Art in 2012. Gray has exhibited widely in New England, across the country and Canada.

After experiencing a near-death incident in 2009, much of her artwork engages motifs of mortality, mourning culture, and the psychological space of "limbo" thematically. In order to address these intangible subjects, she uses symbolic means, humor, cultural signposts, and varied media (primarily papier-mâché, beading, photography, needlepoint, and childhood craft) to become more accessible to the audience, and to perhaps open up dialog about mortality and spiritual inquiry--subjects typically deemed "taboo" in contemporary North American society.

Whether a person believes that we return to the dust from which we came, we go on a journey to Heaven or Hell, or our souls continue in a similar trajectory (simply leaving our bodies behind), Gray believes it's important to talk about death openly in order to destigmatize the subject.

The exhibition will be on view until March 1, with a reception planned for Feb. 3 from 1-4 p.m.. The public is encouraged to attend. The James W. Foley Memorial Community Center is located at 150 Wakefield St., Rochester.

Visit www.juliekgray.com/ and www.rochestermfa.org to learn more.