I took my mother, Verna Lebow Norman, to our cousin John Huggins’ photography show opening at Bergamot Station Arts Center yesterday. Mom sculpts ferociously figurative pieces, mostly in clay, but she has welded, carved wood, made wax pieces that were cast in bronze, painted in oils, tempera and watercolor, drawn with charcoals, pastel, pens and pencils, taken perfectly lit photographs of her work, and tends to create assemblages surrounding her pieces—her favorite trick is to add eyeglasses or hats to her glazed busts of people. Of course she wants to go to the art opening.
Photographer John Huggins and his son Noah
John Huggins’s show is called “Once.” He is showing photos of children, animals, and nature scenes, all blurry, the way they look when tears well up. Tears of joy, or of grief, as these beloved people, places and things are about to disappear? I didn’t ask.
A wall at the show
At the art opening, Mom ran into a friend and fellow artist, Harriet Zeitlin, who had preceded her as president of Artists for Economic Action back in the 1970’s.
Harriet Zeitlin and my mom, Verna Lebow Norman
John’s wife Erica Huggins, a big time movie producer (last year she produced the Jodie Foster film Flight Plan), arrived with their two young sons, Sam and Jonah. We are all delighted to see one another again, especially on this celebratory occasion.
John and Erica’s sons Sam and Jonah, and beautiful Erica, greeting my mom
Alicia Bay Laurel 