Meeting House 1940

Editor: This is Stow Wengenroth's lithograph, "Meeting House." It’s such a stark, empty interior. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a space pregnant with unspoken rules and histories. Who was excluded from this meeting house? Whose voices were silenced within those walls? The emptiness feels less like peace and more like a consequence. Editor: A consequence? Curator: Yes. Consider the power dynamics inherent in such spaces, historically. Who held the floor? Who was welcome? What kind of community did it foster, and at whose expense? The quiet lithographic tones amplify this feeling of oppressive quiet. Editor: I hadn't considered it that way, but now it does feel loaded. Curator: It's a reminder that even seemingly neutral spaces carry the weight of social and political realities.