February 25 - April 1, 2005

My work is about the losses, separations, empowerment, rediscoveries, recoveries, growth, fears and strength in my life, documenting my journey. Each of us is at a different place in our journey. There are markers or signposts along the way: school, marriage, births, children, deaths, illnesses, divorce, and recovery. There are common threads that bind us together. These threads are the relationships we have: man and woman, woman and child, our relationship with God, society and ourselves.

Every culture documents those markers and common threads. I try to discover those threads in other cultures and use them to reach a level where the viewer may join me in a feeling of “ah-ha” or a gestalt experience. African, Jewish, Christian, and Native American symbols appear as guideposts in my work as each culture has certain symbols and images that for the viewer produce a moment of recognition. Something in a particular symbol resonates an idea, expressing it so succinctly that I make use of it as a way to connect to our collective unconcious, or just to create a stirring under the skin. The colors, textures, and forms in my drawings, weavings, and mixed media pieces will hopefully resonate with the viewer, stir a memory, and offer something to which the viewer can relate.

-- Janna Bernstein