PUTNEY — “Affinities,” a series of assemblages by Bonnie Mennell, is on exhibit at The Putney Public Library from now to May 20.
The exhibition includes disparate elements, found objects, recombination of natural forms enhanced with color and texture; paper that is handmade and embedded with corn husks and mica; seaweed; shells and paper birch bark.
Mennell’s love of natural objects reminds viewers to listen to the stories that unfold. Personal, evocative and ephemeral, her work is a timeline.
“Objects find me. Their beauty, form, textures and colors draw me to them. I collect them, asking permission and giving thanks. I bring them to my home and studio. I live with them. They engage me both in the moment and over time,” Mennell said in a statement.
Mennell’s professional life was spent in teacher education and teacher professional development coaching — both as a member of the master’s in arts in teaching faculty at the School for International Training in Brattleboro, and in her own private consulting work both in the United States and abroad. She retired from SIT in 2008.
She continues teaching as part of the New England Council Collective, which offers workshops on the deep listening approach to group dialogue. Mennell lives in Putney.
