Garcia works on exhibit at UMA through Dec. 19

AUGUSTA – The sculptures and paintings of Wylie Garcia will be on display from Nov. 13 to Dec. 19 at the Danforth Gallery, University of Maine at Augusta.
The exhibition, “Radical Softness,” gets its name from the quote by poet Lora Mathis, “Radical Softness as a Weapon.”
A reception and artist talk will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13, at the gallery, which is in Jewett Hall, on UMA’s campus. The public is invited and refreshments will be served.
Garcia’s work explores identity, gender and emotional spaces through a visual language of curvilinear forms and bold colors that link her works across media. Her work has appeared in both solo and group exhibitions across the U.S. and she has held art residencies as far away as the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.
She previously showed her work in a group exhibition in Maine in 2014, but “Radical Softness” is Garcia’s first solo exhibition in Maine. Garcia’s exhibition in UMA’s Danforth Gallery spans a decade of work, featuring her sculptural dresses of rich satins and gauze, subtle drawings in graphite and gouache, and recent monumental paintings resembling textiles and tapestries. This focused look at a decade of artistic practice demonstrates Garcia’s encompassing vision across media and her engagement with the personal as political.
Born and raised in Texas, Garcia lives in Burlington, Vt.
Danforth Gallery, in Jewett Hall, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday.
Follow Danforth Gallery on www.facebook.com/danforthgallery and visit at artsuma.com.

PHOTO: Wylie Garcia, “Flowers = Trust Your Instincts,” 2019, acrylic on bleached cotton. (Submitted photo)