Bold Colors, Bold Ideas

NEW RICHARD HAYNES EXHIBIT EXAMINES CHALLENGES FROM A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Richard Haynes is paying attention, and he’s got something to say about what he’s seen.

Haynes’ new exhibition, “Culture Keepers Culture Makers,” which will open at the Davidow Fine Art Gallery on the campus of Colby-Sawyer College in February, is a collection of 13 works – bold splashes of acrylic on board – that hold a mirror up to a litany of issues challenging people recently. And as Haynes points out, those challenges aren’t unique to New Hampshire, or even the U.S.

“The work is all circular,” he says. “What it’s saying is we look at the issues that have been happening in our country in recent years – diversity, equity and inclusion – and it looks as if we’re moving further and further away from it. People are truly not understanding. What it’s saying is that it’s not only happening here in America, it’s happening all over the world. It’s not just in your community or not just in your country, it’s all over the world. That is the purpose of the work being circular.”

The pieces, which have been in the works for nearly three years, range from 30 to 47 inches in diameter, and will employ a unique approach to the artist’s commentary. Rather than provide exposition describing the exhibition himself, Haynes plans to speak to a group of Colby-Sawyer students about each piece, and then invite them to craft something that reflects how they feel about it.“It will be my work, but it will also draw them in – using that message of inclusion – to the environment where the work will be displayed. “What I am hoping is that after visiting my exhibition is that people will see our world leaders are in spiritual and moral decline,” Haynes says. If that were the entirety of the message, it would accurately depict current events.

But as with anything Haynes creates, there is a message of hope: “Then it’s what do we do as people in these various communities, what do we do to make it better for all? Whether it’s poverty, homelessness, the LGBTQ community, whether it’s race or racism, gender discussion – what do we do as a community to make the world a better place to live in?” “Richard Haynes: Culture Keepers Culture Makers” will run from Feb. 7 to May 10 at the Davidow Fine Art Gallery, Colby-Sawyer College, 541 Main St., New London.

— BILL BURKE

For details on these and other works, follow artistrichardhaynes on Instagram or visit artistrichardhaynes.com. Photo by Jeremy Gasowski/University of New Hampshire. Artwork courtesy of Richard Haynes