Installation address loss, journey to be "whole again."
In "David Barsalou: The Presence of Absence," at the Amy H. Carberry Fine Arts Gallery at Springfield Technical Community College, David G. Barsalou, above, pays tribute to his late wife, Theresa "Terry," Barsalou, below, and her struggle with ovarian cancer. She died in 2004.
How does a man deal with the death of his wife from ovarian cancer?
For David G. Barsalou, a retired art teacher at the High School of Commerce in Springfield, part of dealing with the death of his wife of 19 years has been the creation of a contemporary art installation intended to impart a medical view of the disease as well as be a psychological study of grief.
Called “David Barsalou: The Presence of Absence,” the exhibit of photographs and digital cyanotypes (pieces toned in blue), will be the opening exhibit at the Amy H. Carberry Fine Arts Gallery at Springfield Technical Community College from Sept. 13 through Oct. 14 with a public reception on Sept. 15 from 4 to 7 p.m. There will also be artist’s talks on Oct. 5 from 9 to 10 a.m. and on Oct. 6 from 11 a.m. to noon.
The exhibit coincides with Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.
“I feel her presence, but she’s not here. I just feel her in my life,” said Barsalou of his late wife, Theresa M. Barsalou.
Barsalou’s work centers on his wife’s struggle with ovarian cancer and his grief following her death at home in 2004.
“My worst nightmare came true,” he said. “It was really difficult to watch her fade away. She was the love of my life. It was love at first sight. She was just super.”
Gallery coordinator Francie M. Riddle said Barsalou’s perspective as an artist and a husband adds new layers to the subject.
“His intense admiration of his wife’s strength during her illness is extremely moving,” she said.
“Barsalou is passionate about saving lives through advocating ovarian cancer awareness. He achieves this through his art.”
Riddle added that she is also “greatly impressed by Barsalou’s ability to navigate a subject that could become trapped by the emotion behind it.”
“The installation is engaging and innovative from a strictly visual standpoint.”
Barsalou’s recent work layers visuals with text. Through experimentation and manipulation, the images combine to form larger constructions.
“Removing pictures from their original context transforms and re-invents them,” Barsalou said.
The images focus on his wife from childhood to death.
The exhibit also includes enlarged pages of her medical records and personal items like clothing and shoes.
Terry Barsalou
Barsalou wanted the exhibit to fill the gallery “floor to ceiling” to show what “Terry” endured as she dealt with cancer.
“I can’t believe the amount of testing and treatment she went through,” Barsalou said.
He added the creation of the installation has been part of the grief process.
“It has helped me on my journey of becoming whole again,” he said. “Making pictures is personal therapy, making the connection between the work and my own emotional healing.”
Barsalou is fascinated by the color blue — prominent in the exhibit’s works for symbolic reasons.
“Blue is the conceptual core of my work,” Barsalou said. “In author William Gass’s book, ‘On Being Blue,’ he de- scribes the ‘blues’ as associated with depression and sadness.”
Barsalou’s mission is to make people aware of cancer and get checkups.
“If this exhibit saves one woman’s life, then it’s all worth it,” said the artist who worked on the exhibit for more than a year and a half.
“If you suspect something, go to the doctor right away. Better safe than sorry.”
Barsalou’s work has been shown in numerous solo exhibits and in group exhibitions throughout the country. He has a master of fine arts degree in photography and a master’s in art education from the Hartford Art School of the University of Hartford.
A panel from "David Barsalou: The Presence of Absence."
The Amy H. Carberry Gallery is located in Building 28, Lower Level, at Springfield Technical Community College. Admission is free.
Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For more information, visit www.stcc.edu/arts or call (413) 755-5258.