Opening Reception | Virmarie Depoyster: Beyond Labels
Friday, December 1, 5-7 pm
Drinks and Light Refreshments Provided
FREE
“When one door closes, another door opens,” said Virmarie’s mother, as she and her family were anxiously leaving Puerto Rico to be taken in by a friend in El Dorado, Arkansas, after abandonment by their father. “I would later realize exactly what she had meant by that statement and I would come to fully appreciate the tenacity and strength it took for her to find that next door,” said Virmarie DePoyster. After being constantly mislabeled as a foreigner because of her accent, and frivolous because of her profession, DePoyster began to question how labels and judgments others place upon us influence our identities. Exploring others’ experiences with mislabeling, she decided to ask both friends and strangers in her community to consider being interviewed and photographed for a painting in pastels. These pastel portraits aim to illustrate the meaningful selectivity we use in deciding which of our layers we peel back to show the world and which we keep concealed.
Be sure to attend this beautiful reception at RAM, where admission is always free.
This exhibition is sponsored by Hannah Oil and Gas, AT&T, and Arvest.