Mount Holyoke News AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1917 MOUNTHOLYOKENEWS.COM
SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2022
Campus service workers rally for wage increases and better working conditions amid contract negotiations
BY SOPHIE SOLOWAY ’23 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
In the week leading up to July 6, 2022, a flyer advertising a “Mount Holyoke Day of Action” sponsored by the Service Employees International Union circulated social media. These posts called for Mount Holyoke community members to join dining and facilities workers at the College’s main entrance to fight for “better wages and working conditions” for both groups. Despite this rally, July 19 negotiations did not culminate in contract agreements for either party. This stand-out took place a week after union dining and facilities workers’ contracts expired on June 30, 2022. Though negotiations Photo by Ali Meizels ‘23 between the SEIU 32BJ chapter and After months of weekly negotiation meetings, no contracts have been agreed upon for dining and facilities workers, leaving each group to work without contracts until the parties come to an agreement. the College commenced in May, no 7.9 percent increase in the Consumer or have some sort of disadvantag- they would be exposing their famiagreement was met regarding new the Mount Holyoke mission.” Auxiliary and Dining Ser- Price Index before seasonal adjust- es, and they’re not being paid at all lies, to a loss of income, … and then contracts for union members on what they should [be]. … So really having to really do whatever it took Mount Holyoke’s campus before the vices leadership did not respond ment over the last 12 months”. for further com“I believe [that]… if they’d [have] getting to connect with [them], and to kind of carry out the work when June 30 deadment. given us a little 2.5 percent or three then them saying, ‘You know, I can’t they were at the job. I think folks did line. According “We are essential Serynn Nowlpercent [pay increase] here and pick my kid up from school today, step up, they did do what was necesto Gretta Pagpersonnel, but I have yet to in ’25, a student there throughout all those years, we because I’m over scheduled’ or ‘My sary, but it did take a toll on people. orek, a Mount worker in the probably wouldn’t be at this stale- kid’s birthday party is coming up, So when we came to negotiations, Holyoke culinary see us treated as essential dining hall and mate right now,” Slater said. and that’s gonna be really expen- the workers expressed that.” assistant and nepersonnel.” Current wages reflect a general the organizer of In addition to conversations sive.” gotiations com- Gretta Pagorek, Mount a Change.org pe- surrounding increased pay, service This culmination of conditions underappreciation of essential sermittee member, tition calling for workers on campus have also voiced has been voiced throughout nego- vice workers on campus, according much of these Holyoke culinary assistant increased wages concerns regarding the conditions tiations. Nowlin to Pagorek. “I discussions has “It’s not just for the don’t know that for dining and under which they work. These is- reported that centered around facilities workers, shared that, “[The sues have largely centered around “ Ne g o t i a t i o n s demands for increased wages. moment. It’s not just about it’s a mystery that food serhave never got“The meat and potatoes, as workers] are negotiating right now short-staffing and long work hours. essential workers getting a vice in general To Pagorek, this short-staffing ten to this point we’re calling it, of the new contract for the next three years. The wage one-time bonus. That’s not is maybe not — which is the wage increase — is increases have not and are continu- intertwines with the wages grant- that people can No not going so well. We actually re- ing to not reflect the pandemic or ed to on-campus service workers. remember. enough. Folks need security treated with as much dignity ceived one financial offer from the worker shortages or inflation that’s Without competitive pay, Pagorek one has ever had going forward that their and respect as says hiring and maintaining a full to rally.” College in the six [or] eight weeks now at a four-decade high.” work is being recognized Facilities worker and negotia- staff is made all the more difficult. To Roxamaybe some oththat we’ve been meeting,” Pagorek tion committee member Steve Slater In her own case, for example, Greta na Rivera, the er areas of work said. “So we put forth our initial [ofwith a strong wage [are], but we are fer], they countered with their one reiterated to Mount Holyoke News shared, “it’s kind of going from bad union’s executive increase in each year of the the heart and and only offer and then we budged that current wage increase rates do to worse, and I really want to stay vice president, contract.” soul of the camnot match national salary averag- with the College. But if it continues “What made and that was it.” pus. You know, In a statement to Mount Holyoke es. “For the past 10 to 15 years, … on this trajectory, I don’t know that this cycle of bar- Roxana Rivera, SEIU differwe’re always News, the College stated, “Mount they’ve been at this two percent in- I’ll be able to — I might have to look gaining 32BJ executive vice there — We’re Holyoke College values the contri- crease... Most years, that’s below the elsewhere. That’s not by any means ent than in past president any sort of threat. … That’s just the years is what there nights, butions of all its employees and has national average.” we’re [there] Compared to the two percent reality of the situation. … I know the worker workbeen an active participant in the weekends, holongoing contract discussions with wage increases historically put for- folks are looking, and I know several ers experienced ward by the College, a WTW survey folks that have left.” throughout the pandemic,” Rivera idays, storms. When the College is SEIU 32BJ District 615. Meetings Nowlin shared just how ap- continued. “Folks dealt with a whole closed, we still show up because we have been held weekly since May, cited in Forbes Magazine demonand the College remains committed strated that, on the national level, parent these conditions were to lot during this pandemic, at work want to feed our students. So, we are to once again reaching a successful companies are budgeting to increase them throughout their own shifts and away from work. The pressures essential personnel, but I have yet to conclusion without disruption to our salaries by an average of 3.4 percent. working in the dining hall. “A lot of of working with the concern about see us treated as essential personoperations or our ability to uphold In the same year, Forbes reported “a [staff] are from lower-income areas contracting the virus to how much nel.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
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3 Mangrove forest conservation
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Campus abortion access
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“Warp” student exhibit
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2 NEWS
July 23, 2022
. Mount Holyoke News
Emerging Omicron subvariants dominate new infections BY TARA MONASTESSE ’25 NEWS EDITOR
The emergence of two dominant strands of COVID-19 — known as BA.4 and BA.5 — has marked a new phase of the pandemic. Since July 9, 2022, BA.4 and BA.5 have made up more than 80 percent of new infections in the United States. According to a report by Yale Medicine, these two subvariants of the Omicron strain are thought to be more transmissible than their predecessors, including the BA.2 Omicron subvariant present in early 2022. However, early data from South Africa has shown that despite its rapid spread, the more prolific BA.5 subvariant does not seem to have contributed to a higher rate of virus-related deaths. Future data is expected to more clearly show the transmissibility and severity of the subvariants. Currently, the BA.5 strain accounts for much of the newest wave of infections in the United States, according to data from the CDC. In the week of July 10-16, BA.5 was traced to 77.9 percent of new cases nationally, which was up from 68.7 percent the week prior. In New England that
same week, it accounted for 77.1 percent of new cases, which was up from 66.7 percent. Within the same time frame, BA.4 has also seen an increased prevalence, albeit at a much slower rate than its BA.5 counterpart. BA.4 was responsible for 12.8 percent of new infections nationally on the week of July 10-16. In New England specifically, BA.4 accounted for 12.3 percent of new infections, down from 14 percent the week prior. The rise of BA.4 and BA.5 is concurrent with the reduced impact of the BA.2.12.1 strand, which was the most prominent source of infection starting in late May but was only responsible for 8.6 percent of infections nationally in the week of July 10-16. The original Omicron strand from which BA.4 and BA.5 have arisen, initially discovered six months ago, was responsible for a significant spike in cases in late 2021 and early 2022, according to The New York Times. As previously reported by the Mount Holyoke News, a large influx in COVID-19 cases within the Mount Holyoke College community, as well
as within South Hadley and Massachusetts as a whole, was attributed to the heightened transmissibility of the Omicron variant in comparison to its preceding Delta variant. On July 8, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health issued a press release announcing that as of July 11, the state’s COVID-19 Interactive Data Dashboard would be published once a week on Thursdays — down from the previous five days per week. The department noted, however, that altering the type and frequency of the reports would remain an option if the need arises based on incoming data surrounding the virus. “As the pandemic has continued to evolve, so too have our data needs,” State Epidemiologist Dr. Catherine Brown said in the release. “The changes taking effect next week are part of our ongoing efforts to adapt to the pandemic and focus on the metrics most useful at a given time. The updated reporting reflects the current status of COVID-19 and its impact.” A July 12 report from GBH News included perspectives from two Boston-area doctors specializing in in-
fectious disease, who expressed concerns about the lessened frequency of Massachusetts data reporting in the face of the new variants. “At a time when we have a subvariant that we know is more transmissible and more immune-evasive, I would have personally liked to have access to more data,” Dr. Sabrina Assoumou, an infectious disease physician with Boston Medical Center, said on GBH News’s “Greater Boston.” The College, whose testing center closed for the summer on May 26, no longer tracks case rates among community members currently on campus. The current COVID-19 Dashboard instead directs visitors to the COVID ActNow web page, a daily-updated database that tracks new cases, hospital admissions, vaccination rates and more across all U.S. counties. The web page uses this information to determine which counties are more vulnerable to COVID-19 outbreaks. As of July 19, Hampshire County is currently identified by ActNow as having a low community risk level, having remained under 200 new weekly cases since early June. The
four counties it borders — Hampden, Berkshire, Worcester and Franklin — are also listed as low risk. Still, seven counties near or bordering the coast have been classified as medium risk due to their hospitalization rates, all of which exceed 10 weekly admissions per 100,000 people. A separate disease tracker for the town of South Hadley notes 28 confirmed active cases of COVID-19 as of July 19. Official COVID-19 plans for the fall are expected to be announced by the College in August. Until then, students on campus for summer classes are expected to abide by the regulations stipulated in the Summer 2022 Community Compact. Mask-wearing in public spaces on campus has been optional for students, employees, alums and guests since June 9, except for specific instances such as receiving a positive COVID-19 test or having been in close contact with someone who tested positive. Additionally, students are expected to monitor themselves for symptoms of the virus, reach out to suggested health providers if they are symptomatic and isolate in place if they receive a positive test.
Cont’d. Service workers rally to call for wage increase in new staff contracts
Photo courtesy of Sophie Coyne ’24 Students, faculty and service staff gathered on campus on July 5 to call for wage increases to be written into new contracts for Dining and Facilities workers. However, weeks later, neither group working has reached contract agreements with the College.
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For Rivera, consistent measures must be taken to remedy both this feeling of underappreciation and the material conditions facing service workers at Mount Holyoke. “It’s not just for the moment. It’s not just about essential workers getting a one-time bonus. That’s not enough.
Folks need security going forward that their work is being recognized with a strong wage increase in each year of the contract.” This consistent increase is the bottom line, according to Slater. “We’re also thinking about what’s going forward, especially if they
want a three [or] four-year contract. We want that two percent taken right out of the wording. … That’s the bottom line. That’s what this is all coming down to.” When the contract deadline passed in late June because neither party came to an agreement on such
a wage increase, facilities and dining service workers agreed to stand “up at the College to remind the College that [they] are there, and [they’re] not going anywhere and that [they] are unified,” according to Pagorek. Students, service staff and faculty gathered at the front of the College
with signs and chants in tow. Though participants fluctuated throughout the day’s demonstrations, Nowlin recalled that “There was a large sense of community. Everyone was pretty good-spirited and hopeful for what this would do. There was also a lot of CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
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SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT 3 Dr. Aaron M. Ellison discusses significance of global mangrove forest conservation policies and research July 23, 2022
. Mount Holyoke News
BY YUYANG WANG ’24 STAFF WRITER
Content warning: This article mentions mass death. Previously, mangrove forests may not have garnered much attention within the scientific or public community. However, as issues such as climate change and conservation have become more prevalent, scientists have begun to turn their eyes toward mangrove forests. Some experts have expressed that future efforts are needed to protect mangrove forests from the problems they face. One of these scientists is Dr. Aaron M. Ellison. According to the Harvard Forest website, Ellison taught within the environmental studies department at Mount Holyoke College from 1990 to 2001. After that, he spent 20 years as a senior research fellow in Ecology at Harvard University. His work mainly focused on wetlands, carnivorous plants, ants and forests — including mangrove forests. Now retired from Harvard Forest, Ellison founded Sound Solutions for Sustainable Science LLC, “a consulting firm focused on supporting learners from all backgrounds and walks of life in scientific research and education,” as stated by Harvard Forest. Mangrove forests consist of various kinds of mangrove trees that grow along shorelines, rivers and estuaries. According to a study by Ellison, the distribution of these trees depends on sea levels and water salinity. However, according to the introduction about mangroves on the Smithsonian Ocean website, there are some features common to all mangrove trees. First, they are salt-tolerant trees. Just as the website introduced, “some mangroves are able to grow in soils that reach salinities up to 75 parts per thousand, about two times the salinity of ocean water.” Second, mangroves have various aerial roots that grow near, or even out of, the surface of the soil to help them respirate. The Smithsonian Ocean website also mentions that mangroves’ reproduction is vivipary, meaning, “Mangrove offspring begin to grow while still attached to their parent. … The little seedlings, called propagules, then fall off the tree, and can be swept away by the ocean current. Depending upon the species, propagules will float for a number of days before becoming waterlogged and sinking to the muddy bottom, where they lodge in the soil.” This unique propagation method improves their reproductive
Photo courtesy of Peyri Herrera via Flickr Mangrove forests, like the one pictured above, provide storm protection, natural resources and carbon sequestration for regions across the world, but face high depletion rates caused by human activity.
success. Beyond those specific features, mangrove forests also have numerous benefits for coastal ecosystems and humans. “Mangroves have intrinsic value and utilitarian value. In terms of intrinsic value, they are beautiful forests that teem with birds, fish, crabs, insects and other plants and fungi. They are quiet places for contemplation and a liminal place between land and sea. They have inspired fiction and poetry,” Ellison stated in an email interview with Mount Holyoke News. “In terms of utilitarian values, they protect coastlines from erosion and storm damage, [and produce] lumber,charcoal, honey and thatch for housing. They are nurseries for commercial fish and prawns. They sequester more carbon per unit area than any other type of forest on Earth.” An article by Morgan Erickson-Davis, a senior editor at Mongabay, also highlights mangroves’ carbon sequestration, stating, “Mangroves can sequester four times more carbon than rainforests can. Most of this carbon is stored in the soil beneath mangrove trees.” On December 26, 2004, the coastal protective functions of the mangroves were on full display. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami shocked coastal communities and killed more than 200,000 people, giving rise to intense devastation on a scale rare-
ly seen. However, hundreds of lives in a southern India fishing village that was also severely affected by the tsunami were spared due to the presence of mangroves. Despite these benefits, human activity can contribute to the loss of mangrove forests. In 2020, NASA created a map of “the causes of change in global mangrove habitats between 2000 and 2016.” The study reports that “nearly 1,300 square miles of mangrove forests were lost during the study period, or about two percent of global mangrove area. 62 percent of the lost area was due to human causes, mainly farming and aquaculture. The rest was due to natural causes, including erosion and extreme weather events.” Ellison also mentioned that humans are one of the most serious problems that mangrove forests face. “Mangroves are undervalued both intrinsically and for their utility, overharvested, converted to unsustainable aquaculture, used for rayon production for ‘fast fashion’ and squeezed between coastal developments on one side and rising sea levels from human-caused climate change on the other,” Ellison said. Due to the value mangrove forests provide and the serious problems they face, efforts to conserve them are paramount. For the natural ecology aspect, Ellison pointed out that “mangrove soils take a long
time to develop and a short time to degrade. Acidic sulfides accumulate in the soil making it difficult for seedlings to re-establish. Conversion of mangroves for aquaculture also changes the hydrology of the peat making it difficult to maintain tidal fluctuations and re-establishment of the forest. Finally, the combination of upland development and sea-level rise means there’s simply less space available for mangrove forests to exist.” To solve these problems, deeper investigation into the basic ecology of mangrove forests is needed. At the same time, Ellison said that “one needs to think locally but work and act globally. The causes of mangrove loss begin in boardrooms and governmental offices around the world, far from the forests themselves.” The necessity of both solutions that Ellison points to means that both scientific and governmental knowledge are equally required when approaching the issues facing mangrove conservation. At the end of the interview, Ellison claimed that “people who live in [or] near mangroves know their values. Those of us who did not grow up with mangroves have a lot to learn from those who did.” This comment reminded me of my experience interning at a mangrove reserve in China, where I saw a very strong bond between the
people at the mangrove reserve and the local residents. To have more effective cooperation, the reserve has a co-management community: every week, people at the reserve meet with residents, learning their history and listening to stories of their daily lives. After knowing their demands, workers at the mangrove reserve provide suggestions specially fit for the local Indigenous people. For example, laws prohibit any human activities, especially those involving production, in mangrove forests where residents live, leading many locals to lose their livelihood. Therefore, workers at the mangrove reserve help these communities find other methods to earn money. The reserve also cooperates with the Rookery Bay mangrove reserve on the Gulf Coast in Florida, exchanging experiences with each other. However, there are still problems left that require solutions. Most of them are dependent on government intervention. The mangrove reserve in China is not the only case — many other mangrove reserves around the world have their own unique problems waiting to be solved. As mangrove conservation is still in its infancy, researchers must continue trying different methods and studying more. As Ellison said, “We need to think locally but to work and act globally.”
4 SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT
July 23, 2022
. Mount Holyoke News
College Health Services reaffirms abortion access BY SHIRA SADEH ’25 STAFF WRITER
According to a report by Pew Research Center published in July 2022, 62 percent of American adults support the legalization of abortion in all or most cases. This statistic is similar to their polling conducted before the Supreme Court’s June decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center. Additionally, younger adults are more likely to oppose the Dobbs decision. Currently, according to the same Pew Research Center report, 69 percent of adults under 30 claim they disapprove of the decision, 55 percent of whom strongly disapprove. When polled based on education level, two-thirds of adults with a postgraduate degree disapproved of the Court’s decision, and approximately 60 percent of adults with a college degree or some college experience opposed it as well. In a recent opinion piece on HigherEd Dive, Jo Ellen Parker, senior vice president of the Council of Independent Colleges, explained that colleges and universities have a responsibility to encourage students of all genders to participate in higher education. She attributes the increase of women in higher education over the past 50 years to their ability to exercise reproductive rights, and worries that the Dobbs decision will impact this trend. The stake colleges have in the fight for reproductive freedom was recognized by Mount Holyoke College on the day of the Dobbs decision. Cheryl Flynn, director of Health Services, sent an email to the student body affirming Mount Holyoke’s commitment to supporting students’ reproductive rights. The email stated the College believes unequivocally that abortion services are health care, and recog-
Photo by Ali Meizels ‘23 Following the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Mount Holyoke College Health Services released a statement committing to provide continued reproductive care to students on campus.
nized the College’s unique position as a gender-diverse women’s college with a large population of students who can become pregnant. The statement explained that the College has previously offered various reproductive and sexual health services, and is now developing a more formal protocol to increase access to abortion medication for Mount Holyoke students. According to Flynn, who offered more detailed information in an interview with Mount Holyoke News, students have a variety of options when it comes to reproductive health at Mount Holyoke. “Students who are pregnant are counseled on their options and referrals [are] made to appropriate health care providers based on their choices. Those who wish to continue their pregnan-
cy would be referred to a family doctor or OB-GYN for obstetrical care. Those who wish to terminate their pregnancy would be referred to an appropriate health care provider who can provide a medication or procedural abortion,” Flynn said. In addition to the current abortion counseling and referral options, Health Services offers comprehensive support for students’ sexual and reproductive health. CHS clinicians can provide counseling and prescriptions for contraceptives in oral, NuvaRing and patch form, as well as referrals for IUD placement, Nexplanon and tubal ligation. These are all covered by the student health insurance plan, including visits to in-network specialists. Pregnancy testing, also covered by student health insurance, can be
done at the Health Center for a fee of 20 dollars. Students may access routine screening for chlamydia, gonorrhea and HIV, with additional testing for herpes and Hepatitis-C based on the individual’s symptoms. Testing is covered by the Student Injury and Sickness Insurance Plan. When asked about the “formal protocol” mentioned in the June email and the future of abortion access at Mount Holyoke, Flynn clarified that currently, the Health Center is not equipped to provide procedural abortions. She went on to add that since the medications needed for a medication abortion — misoprostol and mifespristone — must be ordered by a registered provider, CHS is currently unable to prescribe medication abortions to students.
Flynn also stated that CHS has begun exploring the option of providing medication abortions from the campus Health Center, and foresees having a more concrete plan by the end of Fall 2022. Additionally, Health Services has begun to identify local and telehealth providers to increase accessibility to students who have limited ability to travel. Reaffirming Health Services’ commitment to the health and safety of the Mount Holyoke community, Flynn said in closing, “All three medical providers at CHS agree that abortion is health care and are committed to supporting every MHC student with the full scope of reproductive health services. We believe it is the right of each individual to make the choice that is best for [them].”
Cont’d. Service staff contract negotiations continue
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determination.” For Pagorek, “It really felt good to be together. United. We were chanting, we were marching, and I really hope that we were heard.” On July 19, negotiations reconvened. However, according to Slater, no agreement was reached. “They rejected our last proposal, which actually goes back to June 27, about wage increases [and] a couple other smaller items. … The disappointing part was they just come in and reject it and they have no counter proposals.” With less than two months until
students return to campus for the fall semester, the stakes of these negotiations are heightened, according to Pagorek. “I’m a little concerned. If we don’t get the needed response that we need from the College it’s going to get worse. … Being competitive with what else is out there is pretty essential when you’re looking to recruit talent and keep them.” Rivera echoed this concern. “As it gets closer to the students coming back on campus, we think it’s important for folks to understand that these are the workers that make the
campus livable for all the students that are going to be on campus, and so we think that the College can. I think it’s within their interest to basically try to ensure that there is labor peace as students come back. But obviously, that’s going to be [the] College’s decision — how much they’re willing to do here.” However, according to Slater, though facilities and dining staff are working without contracts, he and his coworkers “are still going as planned [and] doing our job to its fullest, like we always have. I know we’re behind the scenes more as
tradesmen and women. But we’re all getting ready for the next school year just like [the administration] are. And nobody’s stopping from doing that,” he continued. “We’re going about doing our jobs, like we always have, to the best of our abilities, and to make sure the students coming back and the new students coming in are getting the greatest experience that they should. … That’s what it’s all about — making sure the students stay happy.” Following these most recent negotiations, Slater says union members are planning another ral-
ly to voice these concerns before the next scheduled negotiations meeting on August 5. “It’s going to be facilities and dining services. We’re really just trying to get our message across. They really have to bargain a little bit better,” Slater continued. “We’re really hoping that they can come back with some productive counter proposals to reach some tentative agreements so we can start getting in the direction of having an agreement. The biggest thing that we are stuck on is the wage increases. But they’re not budging.”
July 23, 2022
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
. Mount Holyoke News
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‘Warp’ exhibition in Northampton juxtaposes mass-produced items and fine art BY LENOX JOHNSON ’24 COPY CHIEF & ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
In “Warp,” Olivia Brandwein ’22 and Sarah Miller-Bartley ’24 examine the relationship between artistic expression and play. A study in collaboration from its conception, their July 9 collective Northampton exhibition is a refreshingly-intimate culmination of large-scale visuals, experimentation and serendipity. “Warp” was a featured exhibition in Available Potential Enterprises’ “activate, research, create” program, within which the gallery “hosts distinct projects that include visual art, performance and other mixed media that focus on artistic practice and public engagement,” according to a press release. The pair responded to the gallery’s call for proposals in March. Initially brainstorming over shared meals, Brandwein and Miller-Bartley viewed the weeklong residency as an opportunity to engage their audiences in a culmination of their combined creative efforts and defy their own notions of collaboration. After meticulous conceptual deliberation, the pair found solid footing. “Olivia and I really developed a way of working collaboratively with each other,” Miller-Bartley said. “It came very naturally and we had so much fun doing it. It felt like an artistic manifestation of the playful friendship that Olivia and I have.” “Warp” draws a conceptual overlap between fine art and mass produced materials. The show, in amplifying the often-dormant allure of everyday objects, questions the parameters within which artists are expected to function. The project drew inspiration from influences like sculptural and architectural artist Sarah Sze and British-American conceptual artist and 2021 Skinner Museum 75th anniversary guest, Lenka Clayton. Brandwein’s humorous expression and affinity for found objects, combined with Miller-Bartley’s signature canvas manipulation and color field painting — an abstract art style characterized by its large areas of solid color — compounded the project’s unorthodox methodology. Aptly titled, “Warp” was born from raw canvas, its ultimate form largely dependent upon its deconstruction. “The intersecting threads in a woven textile such as canvas are the warp and weft — our process digs into the canvas past its surface and into the threads and fibers which compose it,” Miller-Bartley said of the exhibitionion’s title. “More conceptually, there’s a warping of the typical components of a painting and its materials — The canvas becomes a sculptural material, the
‘surface’ of the painting is shaped by distorted canvas and found objects, and paint is used to morph a textile into a ‘plasticky-looking’ and ‘plasticky-feeling’ object.” Brandwein and Miller-Bartley cut, tied, gessoed, painted, unweaved, tore and manipulated the six-foot wide fabric, creating a bright “artificial” teal product. Suspended from the gallery wall, its hardened structure appears taut in places and droops in others. Large stretched and torn openings provide windows to the chalky wall from which it is fixed. An array of small, found objects — a mini disco ball, colorful clips, a painted-over collectible minivan, a stuffed animal — are incorporated into the form of the canvas, many sucked into its teal color field and giving the piece its characteristic pink, yellow, green and orange bursts of color. “The color field is punctuated by mostly single-color plastic objects both underneath and on top of the layer of paint. The canvas itself, along with the found objects, become the visual content of the painting,” Miller-Bartley shared. “We didn’t go out and buy a bunch of the same plastic toys, we curated them from our own collections of clutter and supplemented them with some thrift store odds and ends. In that way, they feel very individual, especially … removed from their contexts and original manufacturing.” An adjacent pedestal, like the canvas, features a handful of individual teal objects — a small, worked canvas hanging over its side. On the pedestal, a Perry the Platypus walkie-talkie — which the pair designated as their “perfect object” — curves towards a deep-teal Baja Blast can, overlooking the gallery with frenzied red eyes. The two-way radio, a token from Brandwein and Miller-Bartley’s time together at Mount Holyoke, was a radiating beacon through which the pair made short-distance broadcasts, chattering from Prospect to Wilder. A simple “Turn Perry on,” prompted the two into covert, transmitted conversation across campus. Brandwein and Miller-Bartley’s physical elevation and subsequent glorification of everyday items disputes the validity of futile idolization. As Brandwein explained, art can be more fun and more accessible when it has a sense of play. While these objects might not ordinarily garner a second glance, in “Warp,” they’re arresting. “As I spent more time exploring [“Warp”], more and more components, whether that be a hidden minion ornament or a plastic truck, of the piece seemed to illuminate themselves,” Ray Stieber ’22, a recent Mount Holyoke College grad-
Photo courtesy of Olivia Brandwein ’22 Sarah Miller-Bartley, left, and Olivia Brandwein, right, assemble raw canvas in preparation for the opening of their featured art exhibit “Warp.”
uate who attended the opening said. “The fun, eclectic style of the piece was very welcoming and made it feel like I, who doesn’t have much of a background in art, could really engage and get a lot out of it.” Though the pair set out to finish their work days by five, extra hours quickly became compulsory. As long days turned into evenings, Brandwein and Miller-Bartley were enraptured by the rich light that poured through the gallery’s expansive windows. The brilliant glow illuminated their work, shifting their perspective and ultimately inspiring the genesis of one of the most captivating pieces in the collection. Inspirited by the sunlight, Miller-Bartley sat down her camera and recorded the pair’s process in working on the canvas. The DSLR recording evolved into an intimate interaction with the past. In the end, much of the exhibition’s characteristic charm manifested from these Brandwein-described “happy accidents.” Before opening, the pair worked on the canvas as the to-scale recording projected onto them. Brandwein and Miller-Bartley created four distinct versions of themselves, past and present. The quartet worked in tandem — some with canvas, some with objects — each iteration appearing to exist at the same moment in time. While Brandwein and Miller-Bartley maintained the autonomy to move freely in and out of shot, their pastselves marched dutifully on. The mind-bending paradox compelled several onlookers to halt their late-night strolls and peek through the gallery windows. The coarse texture of the hanging canvas, illuminated by the projected mini-film and the gallery’s token neon red sign, reached forward into the scintillating illumination of the projector. Shadows of outside passersby
moved across the frame. “Having the video piece that showed us collaborating at two different times overlaid … seemed to really speak to the collaborative nature of the project, which was really sweet and satisfying,” Brandwein said. “[We saw] different versions of ourselves interact, respond to each other and communicate.” In the week leading up to the show, Brandwein and Miller-Bartley invited the public into the space to observe — and participate in — their creative process. Following a soft-opening to friends on Monday, July 4, Tuesday marked the exhibitions’ Public Collaboration Day. Given complete artistic autonomy, the pair offered participants the same freedom in process they’d exercised in cultivating the show. People molded, punctured and refigured eightinch squares of raw canvas according to their own standards. As they filtered in and out of the studio, eager to engage, Brandwein and Miller-Bartley worked alongside them. Their contributions were gathered, connected to the larger canvas and displayed during the final opening. The exhibition, featured in Downtown Northampton Association’s monthly artistic outreach event “Art’s Night Out,” delighted viewers. Steiber viewed the interpretative nature of the show as tantalizing and intellectually-stimulating. “I saw “Warp” as a representation of how life has many different possible paths and interpretations, depending on your starting point and your perspective. Depending on where exactly you started looking at [a] piece, you would be experiencing something wholly different than someone starting somewhere else,” Stieber shared. As the space became more filled throughout the residency, Brand-
wein and Miller-Bartley utilized the hyper-visibility of the gallery to cultivate a bold, head-turning window display. The window — which featured a hamster tube, a Teletubby doll, toy pigs on mini skateboards and other trinkets — received eager looks from passersby. Brandwein expressed excitement as engagement from the outside world grew. “There was, in the beginning, physically nothing and then there were really clear physical changes that were going on in the space.” Brandwein said. “[As the week progressed], I would hear them on the street peering.” In the final show — which featured the suspended canvas piece, the teal trinket pedestal and the process video recording — the displays faced inward, each in direct communication with one another. The pedestal, planted further into the space, drew in observers. The suspended canvas — then fashioned with the smaller, public-made canvases — and the sparkling projector — seated on a workbench, facing a large wall — flanked the pedestal on either side. “Warp”’s pieces spoke boldly to its namesake. A marvel in union from its invention, Brandwein and Miller-Bartley’s partnership shone through the sweeping interconnectedness of the singular, neoteric exhibition. “[Neither of us had] done artist residencies before, … so it was really sweet to be able to do the first one together. [The collaboration] made it so much more enjoyable because we could be painting [while] still laughing and losing our minds together, as opposed to one person spiraling out in the studio,” Brandwein shared. “Two people is a party. We … had a good time together at the end of the day.”
6 COMMUNITY
July 23, 2022
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Event Highlights Pioneer Valley Events Saturday, July 23 & Sunday, July 24 Mt. Holyoke Summit House Tour
Learn about the two centuries of history that led to Mount Holyoke’s Prospect House as it’s known today. Meet the guide and other guests to better understand the state park’s past. Tours last one hour and are free to the public. Mt. Holyoke Summit House. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. & 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 24 Irish Cultural Center Celtic Music Festival
Head to the Trinity Pub for traditional and popular Irish music and dancing on the covered outdoor patio. Admission is free. The festival includes: local Irish/Americana group The Stout Porters, the Cassin Academy of Irish Dance and traditional Irish folk band and balladeers, Boston’s Erin Óg. There will be food trucks. Trinity Pub, West Springfield. 12:00-6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, July 26 Salsa in the Park
The Northampton Arts Council is sponsoring Salsa music. The event organizers request that guests bring sunblock, drinking water and a blanket to sit on. Tents and metal-legged chairs will not be allowed. Contact arts@northamptonma.gov with any questions. Pulaski Park, Northampton. 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. .
Wednesday, July 27 Northampton library free outdoor movie
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Bring a lawn chair, snacks, bug spray and blankets to the Northampton library for an outdoor movie screening of “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.” The event is free and there will be subtitles.
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Northampton Forbes Library. 8:30 - 11:00 p.m.
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July 28-31 Summer Sidewalk Sales
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Join over 35 shops, boutiques, restaurants and nonprofits in downtown Northampton for the return of this annual outdoor sales event. Main Street, Center Street and Pleasant Street.