Everybody knows that when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. Megan Antosik/Lavoie put her own twist on that optimistic philosophy.
The West Hartford resident and Simsbury high school teacher is allergic to lemons, so she makes the best of it, creating artwork about lemons and about all the other 50 different foods she is allergic to.
A show of Antosik/Lavoie’s mixed-media paintings, photographs and videos is at Stockman Gallery in New Britain.
Antosik/Lavoie has been diagnosed as being allergic to raw fruit, shellfish, beef, some vegetables and most nuts and seeds. Negotiating mealtimes is a constant high-wire act, especially in restaurants, which may not disclose all the ingredients in their creations. Antosik/Lavoie decided to turn her misfortune into art.
“These allergies are adult-onset, so I know how wonderful these foods taste,” says Antosik/Lavoie, 31. “I do this to find peace with myself and accept the things my body cannot have. You can’t be in denial about these things or you could hurt yourself.”
The artworks use humor, but in a menacing way. A blood-red banana has a skin colored like a banded snake. A simple apple has taken out two of its eater’s teeth. A strawberry has spikes in it. A self-portrait shows Antosik/Lavoie broken out in a rash, with a bag filled with chestnuts around her neck.
The wall artworks are complemented by video elements that emphasize the danger these foods present for Antosik/Lavoie. The exhibit is partial fulfillment of her master’s degree in art education at CCSU.
FOOD CIRCUS: MIXED-MEDIA WORKS BY MEGAN ANTOSIK/LAVOIE is at Stockman Gallery at Trinity-on-Main, 19 Chestnut St. in New Britain, until April 30. happeninghere.org/stockman.
On other walls
Circumstances Beyond Control, an exhibit of work by New Haven artist Nancy Eisenfeld, is at City Gallery, 994 State St. in New Haven, from April 4 to 28. city-gallery.org.
Still Life Invitational will be at Susan Powell Fine Art, 679 Boston Post Road in Madison, from April 5, opening with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m., until May 4. susanpowellfineart.com.
The Joe & Kay Calvanese Foundation Gala, April 6 starting at 6 p.m. at Aqua Turf Club, 556 Mulberry St. in Plantsville, will be the site of an auction of eight large apple sculptures, which are the remaining pieces from the “Apples and Arts” townwide project. calvanesefoundation.com
Margaritas Mexican Restaurant, 350 Robert St. in East Hartford, will host Zapotec weaver Porfirio Gutierrez, who will demonstrate his craft, on April 6 from 4 to 9 p.m. margs.com.
Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com.
