Words: A philosophical art statement

A guest book at Bethany Kirwen’s “Words” exhibit, now on display at Hope Church Gallery in Sturgeon Bay.

We use them to exchange our daily pleasantries, to answer the phone, to order our meals, to convey our emotions – but do we ever think about the way our words impact other people?

That is the resounding question Sturgeon Bay artist Bethany Kirwen asks viewers of her most recent exhibit, Words, now on display at Hope Church Gallery.

Through seven distinctive yet cohesive displays, Words challenges people to consider how their words affect not only their own lives, but those of others as well. Kirwen puts this challenge forth with several interactive prompts that turn the viewer into a participant. There are colorful visuals, personal journal entries, and observational statements that guide the viewer toward Kirwen’s intentions.

The exhibit is a new direction for those familiar with Kirwen’s representational paintings of Door County. Words represents a behind-the-scenes look at the artist, a sort of marriage for her two passions: encouraging others and creating art.

“What I wanted to do in this exhibit was share what I thought but also invite other people and ask, ‘What are your thoughts? What do you think about?” Kirwen said.

“What Does Fear Look Like?”

The exhibit is less a chance to look and more a chance to feel, walking individuals through a thought-provoking pathway of stories, questions and encouragements. It opens with a definition from Grosset Webster Dictionary.

Word (werd) n.

1. An articulate sound or combination of sounds expressing an idea; the smallest independent unit of speech.

The centerpiece of Kirwen’s exhibit, “Seven,” sits just feet away from that – seven pairs of shoes sitting on seven separate but equal pedestals. A bright green pair of pumps face forward next to beat-up steel toes, neighboring worn out Chuck Taylors with mismatched shoelaces and an erect pair of cowboy boots. A pair of black and white cleats, dainty pink ballet shoes, and a simple pair of brown comfort shoes round out this display.

Above the group hangs a large open picture frame, the inside of which is filled with 49 slips of torn paper, seven for each pair of shoes. Each slip shares a different segment of the shoe owners’ stories.

Few of the slips can confidently and obviously be paired with the matching owner, a powerful part of Words. In fact, “Seven” was the catalyst for the rest of the exhibit.

“What started it was thinking about how we all walk in our own shoes. We don’t live somebody else’s life, we don’t walk in their shoes,” Kirwen said.

Sturgeon Bay artist Bethany Kirwen. Submitted photo.

It began with the lime green pumps and soon enough, Kirwen set out to find six more pairs of shoes at garage sales. She tracked down their owners and over the course of several months, had personal interviews with each of them to gather their stories, their fears, their hopes and dreams. It is a visual accompaniment to the old saying, “You can’t really understand another person’s experience until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.”

“We don’t really like to look into our own closets but we’re quick to want to rattle the handle of someone else’s closet door and say, ‘What’ve you got in there?’” Kirwen said.

Which is exactly why the rest of the exhibit emphasizes self-reflection through the use of words. Among them are 96 character traits burned into dozens of wood blocks in the “Character Building Blocks” segment, which encourages viewers to reflect on character qualities “we’d do well to emulate.” There are “Words of Encouragement,” a colorful clothesline display in which participants can write down encouraging words, and the final piece of the exhibit, “Words That Wounded.”

Strips of interwoven, tea-stained fabric are pinned to the wall. A writing prompt encourages individuals to unpin a piece of fabric and write their anonymous story of how their words have wounded another, or about how they have been wounded themselves.

“It’s a statement about how our words affect other people and how words affect us,” Kirwen said. “We’ve all had so many things that have been said to us that have wounded us. It’s hard to let it go but when somebody gives you permission, like I am, saying, ‘If you would like, put your words down and let it go.’ It’s easier said than done, but it’s one step toward letting it go.”

At the end of the exhibit, Kirwen will take the strips of cloth and have a ceremonial burning to signify the release of hurt that others have hopefully been able to achieve through the exhibit. None of the items are for sale, though Kirwen calls it “a giving show,” which she hopes provides others with the gift of self-reflection, encouragement and healing.

A pair of cowboy boots from “Seven.”

Words will be on display at Hope Church Gallery, 141 S. 12th Ave. in Sturgeon Bay, through April 24. Exhibit hours are Monday through Friday, 9am – 1pm, and Sunday, 9am – 2pm. For more information, call 920.743.2701. To view more of Kirwen’s work, visit BethanyKirwen.com, FineArtAmerica.com, and Facebook.com/BethanyKirwenFineArt.