Thank you to everyone who attended the opening of Hands That Nurture: Perceptions of Masculine Devotion on October 22nd, 2026. The show is on view at SUNY Plattsburgh in the Slatkin Gallery, Myers Fine Arts Building, through December 4th. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 12 to 4 p.m.
Since the opening, I've facilitated a number of discussions and workshops with faculty, staff, and student groups. They were a resounding success. Just as in the Malone show, people connected ideas in new ways, reconsidered their opinions about masculinity, boys, and men, and reassessed their relationships with important men in their lives and in their histories, including men who have passed on, stoic men from whom they never perceived the love that was on offer. Young and mature men reflected on their own masculinity, and people of all genders did emotional and psychological processing in real time. Let me tell you, I love words of affirmation, but, as a psychologist, to witness people's reactions to the show is the truest feedback.
image: speaking at the exhibition opening
The cherry on top was having My Guys in the room, together! It was a gift, a pleasure, and a treasure. Ten of the fifteen featured exhibition participants (My Guys) were in attendance, and it was profoundly satisfying, even surreal, to watch them read the labels about themselves, look at their images, and view their sculptures alongside the images. Most of them had not seen the show, images, or sculptures in person before. They seemed to listen intently to the artist talk and, based on some of their feedback, were able to get a fuller sense of the intention of the project and learn how I applied the work and data to my various areas of focus.
The best part of them being there, though? Seeing them recognize each other from the images, introduce themselves, and talk to one another. I was so delighted! I have spent so much time with them, and I know their personalities and socialization habits. Some already knew or knew of each other, and some did not. To witness some of them engage with strangers in this novel environment, while being recognized and admired by non-participant attendees: adorbs!!
I won't give away the details here, but the one-to-one feedback some gave, from their expressions to their stated desire to return for the full artist talk, was very validating given how busy most of them are. The work seems to have landed correctly with My Guys, with whom I've spent countless hours. Add to that the poignant conversations I've had with other people who were new to my work, and I consider the exhibition, opening, and talk a success!
Image: attendees in the gallery at exhibition opening
The journey with this project has been blessed in all ways, including surprising ones that arrive in disguise. Periodically, I receive comments that challenge the focus of the show: men, masculinity, tradesmen. A few women have asked me, why not women? Why not tradeswomen? And why not feminine devotion? Those conversations are typically intense, and they have proven to be gold in my process. The pushback has prompted me to refine the show, the discussions, the labels, the audio tour, my talks, and my ongoing research. I thought I'd been clear in the beginning, but I realized that I needed to be explicit in a way that would give people the opportunity to engage with my premise while addressing their concerns and ideas. I'm so excited that I was able to convey my rationale much more effectively in the audio tour and the labels in the gallery.
As a result, I'll be delivering a full artist lecture on Thursday, November 19th, at 6 p.m. in Yokum Hall, Room 202, free and open to the public. I am looking forward to sharing more about the project and topics ranging on masculinity, tradesmen, socio-political history and more. I hope to see you there!
Flyer for Artist Talk: November 19, 2026 at 6pm