Every work of art has a message, whether it be the intention of the artist or not, anyone who sees it will naturally assign a meaning to it. For painter Sylvia Maier, artists should be aware of and be inspired by societal realities, which led her to start the "Currency Series," a long-running project that includes "The Circle of Mothers Project," an exhibit dedicated to black mothers who lost their sons from the hands of policemen.
What Is Sylvia Maier's "The Circle Of Mothers Project"?
"The Circle of Mothers Project" is Sylvia Maier's painting exhibit of the portraits of mothers whose sons were murdered by the police. Sylvia used oil as her medium---painting painstakingly on aluminum canvas that is 48 inches long and 48 inches wide each. All of the mothers were enclosed on a coin with the names of their deceased children and the phrases, "United States of America," "In God We Trust," and "Liberty," illustrating the hypocrisy of official authorities to deny liberty from these mother's innocent children when it should it fact be protecting them.
"These mothers, they are the living victims living with the loss of their children," Sylvia Maier told The Huffington Post. "They would wrap around a city block many times over. I want to show that there is a huge crisis in our community, where women are mourning their children. It's not a political thing. It's a human thing. I want the mother in Westchester to relate to these images as much as the mother in The Bronx."
Being a mother herself, Sylvia Maier understands her responsibility as an artist to immortalize the lives of the children lost and make people recognize the resilience and heroism of each grieving mother. For her, it's important to understand the gravity of the violence and what it means for society as it continues to exist.
"For me personally, I don't see how someone can turn away from what's going on in the world around them. I'm a mother and the fact that these beautiful people have had to suffer this - it's just an outrage. I don't want to leave this for our future generation. It's not just a black issue, everyone needs to care. What's it going to take for you to care?," she tells The Huffington Post.
What is "The Circle of Mothers?"
The women Sylvia Maier painted are actually part of a national support group called, "The Circle of Mothers," thus the title of the exhibit. It was started by Sybrina Fulton whose son, Trayvon Martin, was shot by George Zimmerman because he feared for his life. According to a report by Fusion, Sybrina started the organization to help grieving mothers heal and to empower them to start community movements against these killings, especially senseless gun violence.
In a heartfelt exclusive letter published by Time, Sybrina Fulton writes to the Brown family whose son Michael became another victim of gun violence: "I hate that you and your family must join this exclusive yet growing group of parents and relatives who have lost loved ones to senseless gun violence. Of particular concern is that so many of these gun violence involve children far too young. But Michael is much more than a police/gun violence case. Michael is your son. A son that barely had a chance to live."
Many artists like Sylvia Maier also dedicate their art to raise awareness on gun violence. As featured by Color Lines, one example is Sophia Dawson's mural in New York City where she painted Latina and black mothers whose children were victims of police brutality.
You can check the mural at 22nd East 2nd Street, between Bowery and Second Avenue. Meanwhile, Sylvia Maier's "The Circle of Mothers Project" will be open for viewing at Gallery Josephine from May 28 to June 13.
