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Held Together centers on the labor of care — the unseen networks, steady hands, and rooted systems that sustain us. Whether through plants thriving against stone, gestures of connection, or the effort to make sense of a turbulent world, the work speaks to resilience as something grown, tended, and shared.
"Held Together" runs through September 19, 2026. Read about the artists statements and click on the images to view more information about the artwork.
Pat DaRif
All my life, since childhood, I have loved sewing and making. My current work can best be described as mixed media, made of cloth, paper, and often photographs, and involving the application of various surface design techniques and stitch. I make art to work out emotions and to communicate my passions regarding issues important to me.
In this exhibition, all of our work deals with the concept of resilience. In every life, there are moments, maybe extended periods, where resilience is needed just to get through the day, whether due to family, economic or health issues. At this current time in the history of our country, we are also finding that resilience is required as we each navigate monumental changes in our society, in our ability to obtain and sustain employment in the age of AI, in the state of our democracy. Instinctively, we look for support systems, family, friends, community, to help us feel connected and able to maintain strength and endurance. I hope that the work shown here is an inspiration in this journey.
Helen Geglio
The lives of women, and how we are connected to textiles, is what interests me as an artist. I collect worn clothing, domestic linens and sewing scraps, and then I construct meaning from these pieces of cloth. I enjoy the process of working with materials that have passed through other hands, and I look for a story, maybe a snapshot of a moment, to open a visual narrative. The idea of women’s work is a recurring theme in my art, so I use hand stitching and embroidery to hold the pieces together, to bind the layers and gather the textile detritus of the everyday into a new whole. The work I do, and the way of working that I value, is slow and mindful. In the end, I want to create an insightful visual image, one that invites viewers to look closely and make connections to their own stories.
The artworks exhibited in Held Together, represent a body of work that spans a period of time during which the world has seemed turned on end. I have found that the very process of slowly stitching together pieces of cloth builds resilience in the face of challenges. Threaded through this work are protective images of cloaks and shields, talismans of the ordinary oracles dwelling among us, mind maps of thinking made visible and wayfinding portals to navigate a path forward. These artworks are a visual history of a troubled time, and a record of my own attempt to meet this difficult moment.
I made these things by hand and by heart, and this is how I hold it together, stitch by stitch, as I try to make sense of the world.
Carol L. Myers
I explore the relationship between spirit and healing through meditative mark-making. Each drawing becomes both a quiet prayer and a conversation with the natural world—an offering of reverence for the intricate beauty found in trees, shells, stones, and roots.
Every mark I make carries intention and energy, inviting viewers to slow down, breathe, and feel the quiet pulse of healing that runs through all living things.
Trees have become a powerful symbol of resilience in my work. Through interconnected root systems, they support and sustain one another, embodying an ancient wisdom rooted in cooperation and community. The concept of Mother Trees - elder trees that nurture and strengthen the forest - reminds us that resilience arises through connection, reciprocity, and belonging.
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