Megan Ottens-Sargent is a woman of many passions — two of which come together at the Sargent Gallery in Aquinnah.
“I reopened the gallery in 2011 to integrate my two passions,” Ms. Ottens-Sargent said. “Art curating and conservation.”
Formally Gay Head Gallery, Ms. Ottens-Sargent owns and operates the business with the help of her daughter, Anastasia Sargent. The two women live and breathe the artwork, literally. Half home, half showroom, Ms. Ottens-Sargent lives year-round in the space, welcoming all who wander in with information on both the artwork and environmental stewardship.
This summer, Sargent Gallery has shown the work of many environmentally conscious artists including photographer Barbara Norfleet and painter John Sabraw. Ms. Ottens-Sargent has also teamed up with Island conservation group BiodiversityWorks to educate her visitors on local preservation efforts. The gallery’s most recent show, Bios Kentron, ran in conjunction with the organization.
“That was the first time we’ve done an event to benefit them,” Ms. Ottens-Sargent said. “I really want to continue to build a network of local and national organizations that people can donate to.”
Past shows have promoted the conservation missions of the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group, Vineyard Conservation Society, the Center for Biological Diversity, and Defenders of Wildlife.
“I think it can sometimes be a challenge to balance conversations about conservation with the business of selling art,” Ms. Ottens-Sargent said. “Some don’t want to dwell on difficult topics, but there are many important conversations to be had.”
Ms. Norfleet’s photographs, which were featured in Bios Kentron earlier this month, prompt such conversations. Works like Eel and Jacket in Great Pond and Eastern Gray Squirrel on Windshield come from her series Manscape with Beasts, and depict the often fraught relationship between wildlife and manmade materials. Ms. Norfleet spent two years shooting various Vineyard animals for the collection, their expressions a mix of bewilderment and curiosity at their surroundings.
“I am certainly concerned about the environment,” Ms. Norfleet said about her work. “But I’m not so sure the photographs show such optimism. I think we’re destroying our earth and I support organizations that are working to undo the bad things that man has created.”
John Sabraw raises similar concerns with his artwork. Eight years ago he connected with fellow Ohio University professor Guy Riefler to begin a process that would serve as both activist and artistic. Mr. Sabraw creates paints from iron oxide extracted while remediating polluted streams.
“It’s a really elaborate and complex process,” Mr. Sabraw said of the acid mine drainage, or AMD. “But both of us thought there might be a way to take this toxic gunk and turn it into a viable product that might help clean up the actual problem itself.”
The final product is Mr. Sabraw’s paintings, two of which are currently hanging in the gallery. The canvases are a spherical swirl of vibrant yellows, reds, violets and blues. The yellow tones come from the iron crystal, goethite, while the reds derive from hemimorphite.
“I really felt a gallery setting would be an appropriate place to engage people,” Ms. Ottens-Sargent said. “We are a venue that celebrates artists, but also what we all have in common: our environment.”
The works of Ms. Norfleet and Mr. Sabraw can be viewed Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Sargent Gallery, 32 State Road, Aquinnah. Appointments are welcome. Visit sargentgallery.org for a complete list of artists represented.
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