Viral Collaboration

Over 130 artists from 3 different continents will be exhibiting work they created in response to the global pandemic. Conceived by Chicago artists Helen Dannelly and Jeffrey Hirst, Viral Collaboration is comprised of 10” x 10” works on paper using one predominant color and incorporating a word, either visible or concealed, about how the artists feel regarding the global pandemic. The art will be displayed in tile-like fashion in groups by color. “My vision is to have a continuous spectrum of color throughout the gallery,” Dannelly stated. “I wanted to show how artists from all over the world can come together during a time of isolation and turn that individual fear and separation into something cohesive and lovely.”
 
Dannelly and Hirst, who have studios in the Bridgeport Art Center, launched an artists’ Facebook group, Artist Voice and Vision, at the beginning of the pandemic with the goal of reminding artists to continue to focus on their artwork despite the unnerving distractions of the pandemic and political strife. Viral Collaboration is comprised of members of Artist Voice and Vision. “This show is unusual in that no artist who wanted to participate was turned away,” Dannelly remarked. “We wanted to give artists something to look forward to beyond the chaos of the moment. Many artists told us that this exhibition gave them hope for the future. That was our goal.”