Joyce Tenneson (American, b. 1945)
Calla Lilies, 2020
23 x 18 inches
Archival pigment print
Gift of Scott and Carla MacLeod
As you enter Chambers on your way to class, you might be in too much of a rush to notice the newly displayed artworks in the halls. However, as I left class (in less of a rush than usual) one specific work caught my eye. Calla Lilies by Joyce Tenneson is one of many artworks displayed in the vast halls of Chambers. Simply looking at the work, you feel mesmerized. The luminosity of the print leaves you to question your existence.
Tenneson primarily deals with peeling back the layers of the world and connecting the viewer instead to the natural world. When looking at the work, all I felt was a sense of peace. The blue feels homey, while the lilies are a beautiful shade of off-white that contrast beautifully with the background. The pink highlights tie in the entire print, emphasizing the mystic quality of the lilies. The peace-like nature of the lilies remind everyone to stay calm, which is fitting for a space like Chambers. To me, the lilies stress the point: “It’s all going to be okay.”
Tenneson constructed this piece during COVID, a time in which we did not know if it was all going to be okay. The piece for Tenneson was a way to connect back to this natural world, to connect back to something bigger than herself in a fashion. The next time you walk though chambers, take a second. Look at the piece, look at all the pieces, and ask yourself: what do they mean? You never know, you might just feel better.
Calla Lilies is currently on display on the first floor of Chambers Building.
– Hajar Hussein ’27