Artist's Statement
My art practice always begins with direct observation. I generally use my own photos, research what I have discovered, and look at the implications from both a scientific and a metaphorical perspective. I burn the marks I make employing traditional pyrography converter boxes connected to nichrome wire pens, heat-sensitive chemicals, heat guns, butane torches and tiny carving tools. Color is applied with stains, dyes and watercolor pencils, complementing the already detailed textures. I have used bone, hand made paper and leather as a base for my work. However, working on plywood provides not just a smooth, grain-free surface, but also creates a material dichotomy, with plywood being a product that is highly processed and conceptually far removed from an actual tree.
I am interested in focusing on what is overlooked, bringing attention to displacement, adaptation and resilience through amplifying what may be tiny, hidden stories. I consider the work successful if it stimulates a conversation- an opportunity for education and connection on a more personal level.
Member:
Kingston Gallery, SOWA, Boston
@kingstongallery
Viridian Artists, NY, NY
@viridianartistsinc
International Union of Mail-Artists
https://iuoma-network.ning.com
American Art Therapy Association
(ATR: registered art therapist, current)
https://arttherapy.org
Recent Shows:
2022 Lamar Soutter Library, Umass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA,
Artist in Residence, Portraits from the Inside Out
2022 Prairie Village Arts Center, Prairie Village KS, Annual Photography Show
2022 Cabrillo Gallery, Aptos, CA, Portraying Identity
2022 Viridian Artists, Chelsea, NYC, NY, Artful Realities
2021 Viridian Artists, Chelsea, NYC, NY , The Gift
2021 Hilliard Gallery, Kansas City, MO, The State of Contemporary Drawing
2021 Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, OH, Signals Show
2021 Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, OH, Misfits Show
2021 Viridian Artists, Chelsea, NY, International Juried Show
2021 Las Laguna Art, Laguna Beach, CA, Textures, Forms and Patterns
2021 Galatea Fine Arts, Boston, MA, New England Collective XI
2020 MassArt Auction, Massachusetts College of Art & Design, Boston, MA
2019 UMass Medical School, Worcester, MA Artist in Residence, November-December
2019 Bromfield Gallery, Boston, MA, Winter Works Show
2019 Away Show, Student Life Gallery, MassArt, Boston, MA
2019 Cuba Show, Student Life Gallery, MassArt, Boston, MA
2019 Alpha Gallery, New Talent Show, Boston, MA
2019 Alpha Gallery, Summer Selections Show, Boston, MA
2019 Boston Sculptors Gallery, Boston MA
2019 Doran Gallery, Thesis Show, MassArt, Boston, MA
2019 MassMOCA Thesis Show, North Adams , MA
2017 Lyceum Gallery, The Derryfield School, Manchester, NH
References:
Professor Charles Stigliano
cstigliano@massart.edu
Professor Emerita Sharon Dunn
sdunn@massart.edu
Professor Jeffrey Nowlin
jnnowlin@massart.edu, jeffreyn.nowlin@gmail.com
A Brief Biography:
Brett S. Poza holds a BFA in textiles from Rhode Island School of Design, an MA in Art Therapy from Lesley University and an MFA in 3D, from Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt). She worked for over 25 years as an art therapist for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Mental Health, primarily in long- term, locked hospital settings.
Brett has been a guest reviewer, visiting lecturer and graduate student mentor at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She has also supervised and mentored many graduate art and expressive therapy students in her practice as a registered art therapist.
During the past year, Brett relocated to the Monadnock region of North Central Massachusetts with her family, affording her the opportunity to be in close contact with the area’s abundant wildlife, lakes and forests. She currently spends her evenings trying to figure out how to keep local predators from getting into her chicken coop and acting as a taxi service for flying squirrels, who show up in her attic.
