🌊 An Evening of Art & Conversation 🌿
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) invites art lovers to a thought-provoking online conversation with artist Adrienne Elise Tarver and curator Daricia Mia DeMarr on Thursday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m. The discussion will center around “Roots, Water, Air,” Tarver’s immersive, site-specific multimedia exhibition currently on display at BMAC.
This free virtual event offers an opportunity to hear directly from the artist and curator about the inspiration, creative process, and deeper meanings behind the exhibition. While attendance is free, advance registration is required. To register, visit brattleboromuseum.org or call 802-257-0124 x101.
🎥 A Site-Specific Installation Rooted in History & Identity
Invited by BMAC and DeMarr to create an installation for the museum’s Mary Sommer Room, Adrienne Elise Tarver developed a deeply layered, immersive work influenced by her 2023 residency in the Azores—a place historically tied to the transatlantic slave trade.
Projected video footage, recorded during her residency, fills three walls of the exhibit space, periodically accompanied by a haunting recording of the African-American spiritual “Wade in the Water.” Tarver’s work explores themes of movement, migration, resilience, and the natural world’s role as both witness and protector. The installation also draws inspiration from Brattleboro’s landscape at the confluence of the Connecticut and West rivers, weaving connections between land, water, and history.
✨ Exhibition Highlights
- Lush, evocative projections of the Azorean landscape
- Sound elements featuring “Wade in the Water,” linking past and present
- Themes of resilience & belonging, symbolized through root systems and mangrove trees
- Multi-layered reflections on history, personal lineage, and the Black female experience
🖌️ The Artist’s Vision: Seeking Belonging & Tracing Lineages
In describing her work, Tarver shares:
“This work is driven by my quest for belonging and understanding, which leads me to trace my familial roots and construct imagined lineages to fill the gaps left by unwritten or lost histories.”
She draws parallels between the root systems of trees and the experiences of Black women, explaining how mangroves—trees that stabilize and protect coastlines—serve as a metaphor for the strength, adaptability, and endurance of generations of women who have created safe spaces amid turbulent histories.
🎭 Meet the Artist & Curator
Adrienne Elise Tarver is a Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist working across painting, sculpture, installation, photography, textiles, and video. Her work has been exhibited in major cities worldwide, and in 2024, her first solo public art exhibition, “She Who Sits”, was displayed on 300 bus shelters across New York City, Chicago, and Boston, courtesy of the Public Art Fund.
Daricia Mia DeMarr, originally from Los Angeles, serves as the Director of Peg Alston Fine Arts in New York and is a respected independent curator, arts administrator, writer, and art consultant. She is the founder of Pi Arts Projects and a co-founder of Black Women in Visual Art.
🖼️ Plan Your Visit
“Roots, Water, Air” is on view at BMAC through March 8. Visitors are encouraged to experience this powerful exhibition in person and attend the virtual discussion for deeper insights.
📅 Event Details
📍 Where: Online (Register at brattleboromuseum.org)
📆 When: Thursday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m.
🎟️ Admission: Free, but registration required
For more details, visit brattleboromuseum.org or call 802-257-0124 x101.
💡 About BMAC
Founded in 1972, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) showcases contemporary art through rotating exhibitions, artist talks, film screenings, and more. Located in historic Union Station in downtown Brattleboro, the museum is wheelchair accessible and operates on a pay-as-you-wish admission model.
🌟 BMAC is supported in part by:
✅ Vermont Arts Council
✅ National Endowment for the Arts
✅ Brattleboro Savings & Loan
✅ C&S Wholesale Grocers
✅ Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters
📢 Stay Connected
📍 Website: brattleboromuseum.org
📧 Email: office@brattleboromuseum.org
📞 Phone: 802-257-0124
📱 Follow on Social Media: @brattmuseum
