New Art Exhibit Combines Portraits with Storytelling, Vulnerability and the Passage of Time
A multimedia art exhibit now on display at Tompkins County Public Library is offering a raw glimpse into the realities of growing older.
Aging Ithacans by Yamilka Portorreal combines hand-drawn portraits and one-on-one interviews with ten Tompkins County seniors to highlight the experience of aging.
“It makes me uneasy to think about the inevitable passage of time, the finiteness of life, and our existence being dependent upon the vessel that allows us to exist: our bodies. Aging Ithacans is my tool to confront this angst by learning from elders,” Portorreal said in an Artist’s Statement.
“The inception of this project took root in a conversation I had with my grandmother in the Dominican Republic regarding the social and technological changes that occurred during her lifetime and my desire to connect with local seniors.”
The portraits are on display along the Avenue of the Friends, the main walkway at Tompkins County Public Library. Booklets on two tables along the Avenue include the stories of those featured in the colored pencil portraits, taken from interviews that included questions on their earliest memories, the wisdom that comes from aging, the most impactful social change that they’ve seen, and even what brings them joy.
“Our goal with exhibits at TCPL is to celebrate Tompkins County’s uniquely creative community,” said Asia Bonacci, Librarian and lead of Exhibits at TCPL. “The current exhibit showcases this well because not only is Yamilka a very talented local portrait artist but also—Tompkins County community members are the subject matter!”
This program is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant program from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the office of the Governor and NYS Legislature, administered by the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County.
The portraits for Aging Ithacans were done on 12x10 toned paper using colored pencils. Most were conducted on-site and finished at home or from references if limited by time. Each senior is welcome to keep their portrait when the exhibition concludes at the end of August.
About the Artist
Yamilka Portorreal (she/they) is a multimedia artist that is currently based in Ithaca, NY. They use art as a vehicle to rekindle their childhood by capturing elements of their fragmented upbringing. Their quiet but critical observance of the world, and incessant love for artmaking synthesize in fine art and photography. Through photography, Yamilka explores themes of nostalgia, family, poverty, violence, gentrification, resilience, beauty, abandonment, and reclamation. In addition, their fine art explores the beauty and intricacies of everyday life through figure drawings, portraits, doodles, and still lives.
Learn more about Aging Ithacans and Yamilka Portorreal's inspiration at www.tcpl.org/spaces/exhibits.