Image courtesy of the artist
Womanist: The Tao of Midlife & Menopause by Benita Mayo will be on view from March 1-28 at New City Arts’ Welcome Gallery. A portrait and conceptual project exploring womanhood and womanism, this exhibition seeks to unearth stereotypes and archetypes we unconsciously adopt as truism.
New City Arts' Welcome Gallery
114 3rd St. NE, Charlottesville, VA 22902
First Fridays
March 1 from 5-7:30PM; Artist talk at 6PM.
Free and open to the public. All ages welcome.
Gallery Hours
Wednesday-Saturday from 10AM-5PM
Exhibition Events
Midlife & Menopause Portrait Sessions | March 9 | 1-5PM
Yoga for Menopause | March 16
Co-Working at Welcome Gallery | March 27 | 9AM-5PM
Visitor Guide
What you'll see: In this exhibition, visitors will find portrait and still-life photographs celebrating Black women and exploring the journey through midlife and menopause. On both walls in the front of the gallery, large portraits are hung in black frames alongside smaller works—images of personally meaningful artifacts, stories, poems, and shared insights— that invite the viewer to hear from the women in the photographs. Further into the gallery, visitors find an installation of photographs in conversation with one another: self-portraits of Benita; still-life photographs of eggs, apples, cherries, and a clock; images of a woman wearing a red dress in a desert; and images of a woman dancing in a flowing red dress against a black background. In the back of the gallery, a narrow wall is covered with black paper. Gold frames and mirrors are installed along the top. Throughout the month, notes from gallery visitors will be added to the empty space below.
Please note: Each portrait is accompanied by personal reflections and may contain mature themes and language. Benita invites visitors to share their own perspectives by interacting with questions posted to the community wall during the opening and throughout the month.
Listen to the Exhibition Playlist 🎧
Exhibition Statement (courtesy of the artist)
Connecting through the menopausal gaze, The Tao of Midlife & Menopause, contemplates and explores tropes and stereotypes while educating and celebrating this universal, yet often misunderstood and stigmatized, phase of life.
Through portrait, self-portrait and still-life photography, I examine this personal journey while celebrating courageous and audacious women who have inspired, uplifted and encouraged me in a meaningful way by owning their age, beauty, wisdom and power.
About the Artist (courtesy of the artist)
Benita Mayo (she/her) is a photographer based in Charlottesville VA. She is an inaugural member of the Charlottesville Black Arts Collective and a renting artist at the McGuffey Art Center. Benita holds a B.A. in Rhetoric & Communications from the University of Virginia (UVA), and she was a fellow-in-residence at the UVA Equity Center creating a photo essay highlighting the pregnancy risks that Black women face in the US and the positive benefits of doula support. Benita's work has been featured in publications including Virginia Quarterly Review, SxSE Magazine, Library of Congress, C-Ville Weekly 434 Magazine, and Charlottesville Tomorrow. She has been featured on the Social Documentary Network and her work has been exhibited at various galleries including the Second Street Gallery, Studio IX, Academy Center of the Arts, the Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative, Artspace Herndon, MidAtlantic Photo Visions, Washington School of Photography and her work has been recognized internationally and in private collections.
This exhibition is supported by The Spread, the Community Endowment Fund at the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation, and the Bama Works Fund of Dave Matthews Band at the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation.
Located at 114 3rd St. NE on Charlottesville’s downtown pedestrian mall, New City Arts’ Welcome Gallery supports artists who live in the Charlottesville area. Welcome Gallery exhibitions and programs are made possible by generous sponsors, donors, and grants. Interested in sponsoring an exhibition? Connect with us!