The Washington Street Art Center presents its inaugural virtual exhibition of the COVID-19 era, a solo show by studio member Catherine Aiello, opening June 20. Power and Service, an online and interactive exhibition, features multimedia work that reflects on and illuminates Aiello’s experience working in the food service industry. An online reception and artist talk take place Saturday, June 20, 7:00  – 9:00 p.m. Information on how to access the Zoom reception/talk will be available closer to the event at www.washingtonstreet.squarespace.com/events and the artist’s website.

Aiello’s body of work includes linocut prints, cut paper collage, wearable textiles, drawings and self published books. A collaboration with Allston photographer Tommy Driscoll depicting local food workers forms part of the exhibition. The exhibit also offers a mail art/interactive component by which visitors will receive a menu mailer with “takeout options” in order to interact with the artist and the show’s themes. Visit www.catherineaiello.com/virtual-show or https://washingtonstreet.squarespace.com/events/2020/6/20/power-and-service.

Catherine Aiello uses drawing, printmaking and textiles to find ways to connect with others and her environment. For the past four and a half years she has worked at a local bakery and cafe, an experience that inspired the works featured in this exhibition. “Through these pieces I want to examine, question and celebrate the experience of working with food, by creating imagery and objects that highlight and alter some of the mundane details. I want to make beautiful and interesting an experience some people see as boring, stressful, or undesirable,” says Aiello.

The exhibition comprises several series of works in different media, related by their connection to the experience of work and the food industry. Some pieces are lighthearted, such as the mini zine Work Snacks, which offers illustrated recipes for snacks whipped up by Aiello and her coworkers to stave off hunger and boredom on slow days. Others take a more contemplative or subversive approach. The photography collaboration with Driscoll explicitly highlights workers’ experiences with the pandemic shutdown.The linocut print series Windows In, Windows Out depicts the restaurant service windows that bridge the space between front of house and back of house, where food is passed from the kitchen to the dining room.

“I’m interested in the different spaces in restaurants and cafes and how they are visible or invisible to the consumer,” says Aiello. Once I started working in food, I had new lenses. Every place I went I was seeing things that I never noticed before.” Aiello’s new lens stands in contrast to the news media and discussions about the economic impact of the shutdown. She offers another point of view on the workers behind all the talk about restaurants, owners, employees, and a “new normal.”

Bio:
Catherine Aiello is a Somerville-based artist working in printmaking, textiles and drawing. She has shown her work in local galleries and has been an active participant in Somerville Open Studios. She holds a BFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University.

About Washington Street:
Washington Street is a gallery and studio space for more than twenty visual artists, and presents exhibitions, concerts, film series, and other art initiatives. Washington Street participates in Somerville Open Studios each May. Washington Street’s gallery and studios are at 321 Washington Street, Somerville, MA, between Union Square and Beacon Street. They are closed to visitors until further notice in the interest of public health but are sharing work and projects via www.washingtonstreet.squarespace.com and on Instagram at @washstgallery . This and future shows can be found at http://washingtonstreet.squarespace.com/events.