Artist Spotlight

BY STEWART IKEDA

In this continuing series, we are delighted to introduce two more of Concord’s gifted artists. Winter is a wonderful time to explore Concord’s many art galleries. Or why not learn to create your own art with classes available around town?

JILL GOLDMAN-CALLAHAN

Jill Goldman-Callahan

Courtesy of The Umbrella Arts Center

Jill Goldman-Callahan’s aesthetic aim is not just to depict, but to bestow. She aspires to the voice of an echo, the memory of stone, the secrets of water. Thomas Moore, author of Care of The Soul, describes her work as, “Not a painting of, but a peek into.”

Jill paints in the genre of contemporary lyrical abstraction. Working without preconception, she builds layers of atmospheric surface and alluring color, spontaneously innovating compositions with poetic narrative significance.

For Jill, making art and making meaning with art has been essential since childhood. She earned a BA in Fine Art and Anthropology from Bennington College and a master’s in Art Therapy from Lesley University. Jill’s work has been included in many juried shows. She currently has a solo show at Trinity Church and an upcoming show at Three Stones Gallery in August. Having recently retired as an art educator in the Wellesley Schools, Jill now lives in Concord and works as an artist mentor and Studio Artist at The Umbrella Arts Center. jillgoldman-callahanstudio.com

Courtesy of The Umbrella Arts Center

PONNAPA PRAKKAMAKUL

Ponnapa Prakkamakul

© Matthew Arielly, courtesy of Sasaki

Ponnapa Prakkamakul, a multidisciplinary artist and landscape architect based in Massachusetts, is the 2022-2023 Artistin-Residence at The Umbrella Arts Center. Her work explores the relationship between humans and their environment, focusing on cultural displacement and sense of belonging. Using found materials foraged from landscapes and stories collected from local communities, Ponnapa aims to create place-specific artwork that truly represents their identity and cultivates a stronger sense of place.

During her year-long residency, she will conduct outreach to a diverse range of residents to seek input on their connections to and experiences in Concord, which will inform a collaborative public art project that will be featured in a culminating exhibition.

Ponnapa currently is a member at Kingston Gallery, a registered landscape architect at Sasaki, and one of the cohorts in Now + There’s Public Art Accelerator Program this year. ponnapa.com

Courtesy of The Umbrella Arts Center

Stewart Ikeda heads the Marketing & Strategic Communications team at The Umbrella Arts Center.