From Jan. 23 through March 12, the "In-Rage" art exhibition by Megumi Naganoma will be shown at the Frankie G. Weems Gallery at Meredith College. The opening reception will be held on Feb. 9 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will also be a gallery talk on Feb. 9 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. This exhibition contains "a collection of work centered around sexual violence and trauma."
The event is sponsored by InterAct, the only organization in Wake County that provides services for domestic violence and sexual assault. Materials for InterAct will be available at the exhibit for those who would like to connect with the resources they offer.
Megumi Naganoma was born and raised in South Florida. According to the Meredith College Art Department's Instagram page, she is an "interdisciplinary artist whose experiences and research inspire her work on bringing awareness to sexual violence and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)." Megumi primarily works in fabric, drawing and video and her "practice responds to current events, stigmas and societal norms revolving around rape culture."
The Herald also reached out to Megumi to get a personal statement regarding her artistry: "All my artwork has to do with concept[s] regarding rape awareness and mental health awareness." She continued, "The way I go about creating [is,] after I have the idea [or] message I am trying to communicate, I work on imagining how that would look as a physical object." She then thinks about materials.
Metaphors are the basis of her work, and every element is deliberate. She can machine sew, for instance, but she decides against it for her pieces. Megumi explained, "I hand-sew because each stitch takes time; if you’re hand-sewing, you don’t get that shortcut." Finally, Megumi stated that "Healing takes time; there are no shortcuts.”
Come out and support Megumi’s unique exhibit at Frankie G. Weems!
By Evelyn Summers, Senior Copy Editor