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COMMON THREAD
Martha Braun Matthew Simons Thursday, September 3 through Saturday, September 26, 2026 Opening Reception Friday, September 4, 5–7:00 pm Art Forum Online Thursday, September 17 at 7:30 pm (Register for Art Forum) |
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COMMON THREAD
Exhibits by Martha Braun and Matthew Simons
Martha Braun exhibits prints, paintings, and photographs, with elements of collage, in Contemplating Resilience. Matthew Simons, in The Space Between Us, presents a series of monotypes, some also incorporating collage elements. Both artists employ an abstract visual language to explore concerns that are both conceptual and concrete.
Exhibits by Martha Braun and Matthew Simons
Martha Braun exhibits prints, paintings, and photographs, with elements of collage, in Contemplating Resilience. Matthew Simons, in The Space Between Us, presents a series of monotypes, some also incorporating collage elements. Both artists employ an abstract visual language to explore concerns that are both conceptual and concrete.
Martha Braun
Contemplating Resilience
Braun’s work explores largely abstract imagery and deals with forces and energies that are invisible to the eye but have a major impact on the material plane that we humans inhabit. In particular, this work considers what contributes to the development of strength and of the will to “carry on.” Rather than providing answers, the artwork offers viewers an opportunity for active participation and freedom to develop their own point of view. In Braun’s own view of the world, irony has an important role and adds an additional layer to the meaning and the making of her art. In content, her work focuses on the immaterial. Yet in the process of creation, the physical materials that she chooses direct the imagery.
“This is true from the ground up,” she explains. “I build my own panels, often using very old, local hemlock wood milled in such a way as to be just slightly thicker than usual. And I make my own paint or printing ink from earth and mineral substances. This imparts a distinctive color quality and visually carries the weight of the crystalline structure of these substances. These same materials have been used for artistic expression for as long as 35,000 years and the significance of that knowledge as it relates to the history of humanity also plays out in the work.”
Contemplating Resilience
Braun’s work explores largely abstract imagery and deals with forces and energies that are invisible to the eye but have a major impact on the material plane that we humans inhabit. In particular, this work considers what contributes to the development of strength and of the will to “carry on.” Rather than providing answers, the artwork offers viewers an opportunity for active participation and freedom to develop their own point of view. In Braun’s own view of the world, irony has an important role and adds an additional layer to the meaning and the making of her art. In content, her work focuses on the immaterial. Yet in the process of creation, the physical materials that she chooses direct the imagery.
“This is true from the ground up,” she explains. “I build my own panels, often using very old, local hemlock wood milled in such a way as to be just slightly thicker than usual. And I make my own paint or printing ink from earth and mineral substances. This imparts a distinctive color quality and visually carries the weight of the crystalline structure of these substances. These same materials have been used for artistic expression for as long as 35,000 years and the significance of that knowledge as it relates to the history of humanity also plays out in the work.”
Martha Braun, Untitled, gelatin silver print, collage
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Martha Braun, Untitled, watercolor ink, collage
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Matthew Simons
The Space Between Us
The Space Between Us investigates the cultural and political divisions shaping our country and aims to create visual conversations. The series of monotypes is informed by the emotions and personal reflections people have shared with the artist and that he then translates into a dialogue between artist and viewer. Ranging in size from 6”x 6” to 22”x 30” and larger, the monotypes reveal a strong focus on abstraction and its unique capacity to convey emotion beyond words. Small format artworks encourage a personal, intimate connection and a deeper exploration of subtleties, where every detail holds more significance. In contrast, larger pieces create a more expansive, public dialogue, using scale and gesture to evoke our shared social landscape. Titles add another “voice” in the conversation, sometimes contrasting monochromatic and stark imagery with colorful and satirical titles to expand the discussion, becoming part of the artwork’s conceptual framework.
“Although it can be tempting to view cultural, political, and social divisions as problems that exist elsewhere, they are present within our own communities as well,” notes Simons. “The Space Between Us invites awareness, reflection, and participation within our own community.”
See more of Simons’s work at www.instagram.com/mjavajoe or www.matthewsimonsart.com
The Space Between Us
The Space Between Us investigates the cultural and political divisions shaping our country and aims to create visual conversations. The series of monotypes is informed by the emotions and personal reflections people have shared with the artist and that he then translates into a dialogue between artist and viewer. Ranging in size from 6”x 6” to 22”x 30” and larger, the monotypes reveal a strong focus on abstraction and its unique capacity to convey emotion beyond words. Small format artworks encourage a personal, intimate connection and a deeper exploration of subtleties, where every detail holds more significance. In contrast, larger pieces create a more expansive, public dialogue, using scale and gesture to evoke our shared social landscape. Titles add another “voice” in the conversation, sometimes contrasting monochromatic and stark imagery with colorful and satirical titles to expand the discussion, becoming part of the artwork’s conceptual framework.
“Although it can be tempting to view cultural, political, and social divisions as problems that exist elsewhere, they are present within our own communities as well,” notes Simons. “The Space Between Us invites awareness, reflection, and participation within our own community.”
See more of Simons’s work at www.instagram.com/mjavajoe or www.matthewsimonsart.com
Matthew Simons, Indivisible, monotype
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Matthew Simons, ThisThat, monotype
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Art Forum Online
In an Art Forum on Zoom on Thursday, September 17 at 7:30 pm, Braun and Simons will offer information about the content and process of their work, with questions and discussion following the presentation. Register by clicking here. This Art for Community II program is supported in part by a grant from the Amherst Cultural Council, a local agency, which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
In an Art Forum on Zoom on Thursday, September 17 at 7:30 pm, Braun and Simons will offer information about the content and process of their work, with questions and discussion following the presentation. Register by clicking here. This Art for Community II program is supported in part by a grant from the Amherst Cultural Council, a local agency, which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.