THINGS THAT HAPPENED
Meridith McNeal

“Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas—only I don’t exactly know what they are!”
- Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1871

The inspiration for this exhibition stems from a heartfelt reunion between McNeal and her father in Philadelphia, where he gifted her an old handbill from a play he wrote, titled Things That Almost Happen, performed at the Provincetown Playhouse in Manhattan. Every piece on display is a reflection of real events and experiences, where every stroke tells a tale, and every piece is a reflection of life's fleeting moments and the artist's journey.

The life-sized paintings on paper engage with the concept of external and internal space, using windows as symbols that invite multiple interpretations. The overlapping of what is on one side with what is on the other mirrors the coexistence of past and present, allowing viewers to glimpse into the spaces both behind and before them. It's a visual representation of the artist's belief that where you have been can exist harmoniously with where you are or where you might be headed.

Magical Things, a series of small watercolors celebrates the beauty of ordinary, often overlooked objects in our daily lives. These pieces transform mundane items into totems, or milagros, serving as charms of mindfulness, each imbued with a power that transcends their individual parts.

The artist draws parallels between these magical things and Alice's journey in the looking-glass world. Like Alice, the audience is encouraged to get a little lost in the paintings. Allow your mind to wander, grow taller and smaller, and embrace the unexpected. As you explore this visual wonderland, you may find that, much like Alice, the experience fills your head with ideas and sparks your imagination.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Meridith McNeal is a Brooklyn-based artist represented by Figureworks Gallery (Saugerties, NY), the Flat Files of Kentler International Drawing Space (Brooklyn, NY), and Embrace Creatives (Detroit, MI). She has been a frequent Visiting Artist at the American Academy in Rome. Her work has received numerous awards, most recently The Shelley Lazarus Award for Excellence in Watercolor, TAG Gallery, Los Angeles; Curators Award in All The World’s a Stage, Cape Cod Museum of Art, Dennis, MA; and the Association Award, Brand 49, Brand Library & Art Center, Glendale, CA. Meridith regularly exhibits her artwork throughout the U.S. and abroad. Her work is currently on view in AMPLIFIED: Art Music Power at the National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia, and her solo exhibition Fizz is on view at the Brooklyn Seltzer Museum through spring 2024.  Meridith is the co-founder and Director of ART YARD BKLYN.