Release --by Sara Dittrich

March 4th-26th

Opening reception: March 4th, 6-10 pm

"The focus of my artistic practice lies in making the viewer conscious of the unconscious bodily rhythms of everyday life—breathing, walking, beating. When the pandemic began, there was a sudden global renewed focus of the most basic, unconscious rhythm we experience every day: breath. Since then I have begun researching deeper through reading and breathing exercises how our body uses breath to regulate anxiety, and how it can be used to heal our bodies from trauma through stimulation of the vagus nerve. Through this research I have gained a renewed appreciation for how much this seemingly simple act can heal our bodies (mentally and physically)."--Sara Dittrich

Release encompasses a collection of recent works that utilize the materiality of water and build imagery resembling nervous and respiratory systems. Many works are created through a cyanotype photographic printing process where tree leaves and other foliage are exposed to the sun on chemically coated paper to create cyan-blue prints. The process of cyanotype printing with multiple exposures is slow, repetitive, and laborious. I have found the process itself healing. These works are a tool to get my body moving while also giving me time to reflect on the interconnectivity of my body and the land it inhabits. 

Sara Dittrich is an interdisciplinary sculpture artist who builds introspective experiences that shift perspective from passive seeing to active looking, from passive hearing to active listening. Dittrich’s studio practice is located in Baltimore, Maryland where she has lived and worked since receiving her BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2014. She has exhibited and performed in numerous venues including the Baltimore Museum of Art, MD; Washington Project for the Arts, DC; and Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, Grand Rapids, MI. In 2017, Dittrich received a Mary Sawyers Baker Artist Award and was named a Janet & Walter Sondheim Prize Finalist. She has also been awarded artist residencies including Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts (2015); the Vermont Studio Center Fellowship (2015); and Sculpture Space (2015). In 2018-2019, she was a Fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, MA.