Maria Park:  Field Diagram is the latest CNY Artist Initiative  exhibit to grace the walls of the Members’ Council art gallery at the Everson Museum Of Art (401 Harrison Street, Syracuse, NY 13202).

These pieces do not photograph well – they are made to look like resin but they are acrylic paintings on panel with a plexiglass face, cut into amorphous shapes that resemble diamonds and other fine minerals.  There is a femininity to them and a sort of fragility as well, as if they could shatter and then we’d all drown in our own tears.

I thought my life would end like that after I received unsettling news on Monday morning.  We all have some mental drama/anguish that seems to subside via the creation of art.  In Maria Park’s case, her partner and collaborator, Brandon Hookway, passed away.  This heart-wrenching trauma resulted in time away from their joint studio.

Six months later, Maria Park began to pick up the pieces and this show is evidence that art can be a form of therapy.  What was once a partnership in life becomes a fusion of art and love.

This emotional backstory certainly resonates with many and I think, if you visit the museum to see the show in person, you will understand its gravitas.

(P.S. In my case, nobody died).

Maria Park:  Field Diagram remains on view through October 26, 2025.