Karen Dolmanisth
Show Title
The Becket Arts Center has been working closely with New England based artist Karen Dolmanisth to bring a full site-specific sculptural installation to Becket. The exhibition includes a solo presentation of small-scale sculptures, photographs, drawings, paintings, and print-based works in the Art Lounge Gallery. In the Upstairs Gallery, Dolmanisth will install a large-scale, site-specific sculptural environment, designed to evolve over the course of the exhibition through participatory rituals and public engagement.
Central to this project is a commitment to community participation and ecological dialogue. The installation process will include public workshops, ceremonial gatherings, and opportunities for local residents to contribute materials and stories to the evolving work. These contributions—both tangible and intangible—will be integrated into the fabric of the installation, making visible the interconnectedness of individual and collective transformation
Art Lounge Gallery
OPENING RECEPTION SEPTEMBER 5, 2-4PM
Show Dates: September 3 - September 27
These intimate pieces reflect ongoing studio research and serve as visual and material studies for the upstairs installation.
Upstairs Gallery
OPENING RECEPTION SEPTEMBER 26, 2-4PM
Show Dates: September 24 - October 18
In the Upstairs Gallery, Dolmanisth will install a large-scale, site-specific sculptural environment, designed to evolve over the course of the exhibition through participatory rituals and public engagement. The installation will be activated through a series of interdisciplinary performances incorporating movement, sound, and live ritual—drawing from the artist’s longstanding integration of dance, poetry, and spiritual practice within sculptural spaces.
The following images are examples of previous site specific installation by Karen Dolmanisth. These, like this year’s show, only exist during the duration of the exhibit.
Artist Statement
“I am an eco-feminist sculptor working across site-specific installation, ritual performance, and studio-based practice. Rooted in over four decades of research and artistic exploration, my work integrates comparative feminist theory, women's spirituality, depth psychology, sacred space, and symbolic language. I create time-based sculptural environments that use found, recycled, and natural materials—often activated through ritual, movement, and embodied practices like meditation, t’ai chi, and dance. My installations draw on myth, folklore, and collective memory to explore cycles of transformation, ecological consciousness, and soul work. Ceramics, painting, and works on paper deepen the material and symbolic language of my larger installations. Whether through performative elements or contemplative objects, my work invites viewers into spaces of reflection, healing, and heightened awareness—where personal and collective narratives intersect through art, body, and Earth.”