A Domestic History of Beverly, MA (comfort)
An Installation by Valerie Rafferty

March 3 – March 29, 2009

A discreet tribute to the community, (comfort) was constructed with materials that once belonged to the households of Beverly. Over the course of four months Rafferty collected pillows and seat cushions that had been left out for the trash. With the stuffing emptied at floor of the installation, the worn and tarnished fabrics are hung and displayed without garnish. Rafferty ponders how things that provide us with so much comfort, are so easily discarded while also recognizing the symbiotic relationship between the town’s rubbish and dumpster diving art students. While recording a material history, the work is also a testament to this cultural exchange between Montserrat students and the Beverly community.

Rafferty’s powerful ability to alter, organize and display the subtle aesthetics of used objects and materials is stabilized by the humility of her work. Her choice of materials reflects an interest in that which interacts with the human experience. A process of revisioning and organizing, Rafferty’s displays allow objects to speak for themselves. “I have become a collector,” the artist explains “I collect things to honor that small seemingly insignificant history that they might be able to communicate…Used objects have been worn or stained and they transcend this [mass-produced] status, possessing their own identity.” Intrinsically natural, (comfort) is a quilt created organically with materials provided by the community and Rafferty’s ability to weave meaning and material culture.

Frame 301 is supported in part by a grant from the Beverly Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.