In this continuing series, we highlight two of the many gifted artists who continue Concord’s rich artistic tradition. We encourage you to experience art in all its many forms at Concord’s galleries, exhibitions, live performances, studios, classes, and more.
MAX PAYNE
“Ever since I made my first hollyhock doll in my grandmother’s backyard, I have been interested in the art of combining natural materials to tell a story, so when I call myself a narrative artist, the storytelling and the art go hand in hand,” says Max Payne. A Studio Artist of The Umbrella Arts Center, she creates altered books, Tyvek scrolls, mixed media sculptures, tiny hummingbirds, and large twig wall pieces.
During COVID times, she began to experiment with Joomchi, an ancient Korean technique of layering and combining papers with water to make a new layered piece, and, with the addition of sewing, cutting, and digging down to unearth the layers beneath, these new papers became maps to uncharted territories, landscapes of a journey to the unknown, or a glimpse into the future.
At the same time, Max also returned to writing, so many of the maps are accompanied by poems, a natural progression for an English major artist who has always loved to write.
“I have learned over the years that it is just as important to know what to leave out as it is to know what to put in. That way, if a story is well made, it can tell itself, and often it becomes a different story for each one who sees it, and that is my goal as an artist.” theumbrellaarts.org/person/max-payne
NAYDA CUEVAS
Nayda A. Cuevas is an internationally exhibited, interdisciplinary artist who explores her LatinX identity and current cultural trends working in a variety of mediums, from intricate ceramics to oil painting to large-scale public banner art. Her recent public art installations include “Madre Gaia,” currently on view at 40 Stow Street as part of The Umbrella’s regional Go Out Doors exhibition, and “Wish for Change,” a Black Lives Matter-inspired outdoors project that traveled to Milford, Worcester, Stoneham, Belmont, and finally Concord as part of 2021’s Artfest Artwalk. Born in Puerto Rico, she holds an MFA from Lesley University and has been Artist-in-Residence at The Nobles and Greenough School, MASS MoCA/Assetts for Artists, and Room 83 Spring in Watertown. Also a dedicated teaching artist at The Umbrella, she is designing a series of workshops and exhibitions for regional teen artists responding to racial justice themes. naydacuevasart.com
All photos courtesy of The Umbrella Arts Center
