Find yourself at WAM

Find yourself at WAM Works of art speak to us in different ways; sometimes we find ourselves returning to the same piece over and over. Members of the WAM community tell us about their favorite works in the Museum’s collection.

Andrew Hem’s Uzumaki Clan mural in the Lancaster Lobby

A detail from Andrew Hem’s mural, Uzumaki Clan, 2015

“You can feel her determination coming out of the painting.”

When I moved to Worcester over a decade ago, I felt detached. I questioned whether a first generation Filipino American from the Bronx would make any meaningful connections. Culturally, I’ve been raised to be an introvert, but stepped outside my comfort zone and took an Asian Brush Painting class at WAM. Over the years, I enrolled in this class multiple times. That class has opened new opportunities and friendships that I will cherish forever. I’d look forward to our trips to the Asian Art collections, where we’d immerse ourselves in the work and get inspired to create our own spin on the art. In 2015, I was delighted to see the progress of the Samurai! murals each week as they transformed from outlines on blank walls to striking images that graced the Lancaster Welcome Center for a few years. My favorite mural was the one by Andrew Hem. The work drew me in because I feel that I can relate to the main character, a samurai widow who dons her late husband’s armor. She seems to be branching off from the traditional way of life, empowered to be in the forefront, to “do her thing.” I loved how the other characters in the background seemed so flat and angular, whereas the woman was bold, facing forward with heart and spirit. You can feel her determination coming out of the painting. This work reflected WAM’s core mission of connecting people, communities, and cultures through the experience of art. It celebrated immigrants and the empowerment of women. I found this painting special because it is so welcoming and encourages even the most timid of spectators to come in, explore, and make their own path. Romina Sarreal Ford of Worcester has been a Worcester Art Museum Corporator since 2019.

Flying Panel Metate from Costa Rica

Growing up in Ecuador, my beautiful abuela (grandmother) used to tell me “The only things you take to the next place with you is what you ate and what you learned.” Whenever I visit the Worcester Art Museum, I like to make a purposeful stop at the Pre-Columbian Art Wing to connect with those words through one of the pieces that holds deep meaning to me, the Costa Rican Flying Panel Metate. Although it is described as a ceremonial piece, I think of both the simplicity and the deep complexity of this piece as it blends two of the most important things for me in my life, food and art. As an everyday object, it received the touch of expert and knowledgeable hands (probably wonderfully worn like my abuela's hands) who brought sustenance to families. As a piece of art, it makes me wonder about the artist’s process as it evokes many stories involving human, animal, and divine dimensions. And as a ceremonial element, it brings its simplicity to an eternal realm as it was designed to accompany someone to the next place, so they can continue their journey with taking what they ate and learned with them. The Metate grounds my experience at the WAM and helps me connect to the rest of the place as somewhere I also belong. Germán Chiriboga is a new Worcester Art Museum Corporator. Originally from Ecuador, Germán moved to Worcester 20 years ago.

Flying Panel Metate, Costa Rica, Atlantic Watershed Region, 1 CE–500 CE, stone, Museum Purchase, 1965.3

“Growing up in Ecuador, my abuela (grandmother) used to tell me ‘The only things you take to the next place with you is what you ate and what you learned.’”