Tuesday, April 18, 2023 – Enjoy a vibrant showcase of Philadelphia’s artist, Holly Trostle Brigham’s, artwork at an exhibition that highlights her extensive research and interpretation of women's lives throughout history. This exhibit features a comprehensive collection of her major works, including selections from various series spanning from the mid-90s to the present day. Utilizing sources from mythology, art, religion and theater, she often uses her own life as a model to interpret and convey her findings. Brigham’s earliest works in the exhibition explore goddesses from ancient Egypt and classical antiquity, such as Isis and Cybele, giving birth and succoring their children. The artist's debut series, Seven Sisters, brings to light the life stories of female artists from the Renaissance to the twentieth century, providing rich personal iconography that includes flowers and butterflies. Brigham's following series, Sacred Sisters (Seven Sisters II), focuses on women of faith who used various forms of art such as poetry, music, painting, calligraphy, and ceramics. While painting the Sacred Sisters, Brigham also created a multimedia installation piece dedicated to the 12th-century German mystic nun Hildegard of Bingen that includes portraiture, memento mori, sculpted reliquaries, music, and a found object. The Seven Sisters series has been transformed into limited edition, unique artist books that have been acquired by prestigious museums, universities, and libraries like the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Women in the Arts, and Beinecke Library at Yale. Her most recent work introduces the viewer to women who were pioneers in the theater, dating back to Isabella Andreini in 16th-century Italy and France. This exhibition is only here until June 4th, visit before it goes!
The Reading Public Museum is supported in part by grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and is located at 500 Museum Road, Reading, PA. Admission per day is: $10 adults (18-64), $6 children/seniors/college students (w/ID), and free to Members and children three years old and under. The Museum is open daily 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit Online: www.readingpublicmuseum.org
