'I gave them one more moment': Artist Amy Pleasant's 'Family Album' exhibit coming to Canton

CANTON − Amy Pleasant once found herself where many adults are these days − caring for older relatives while she and her husband were raising their children.

But those challenging times inspired Pleasant, which can be seen in her upcoming art exhibit, "Family Album: Our Stories," on display from Aug. 22 to Oct. 29 at the Canton Museum of Art.

"I'm just so excited about this," she said. "There are 75 paintings. My absolute dream was to show all these together. Most are from Northeast Ohio. I'm so excited and grateful they're being shown at this particular museum."

Pleasant, who lives in Seattle, grew up in Canton. She is a 1976 graduate of Hoover High School.

"This all started about 10 years ago," she said. "I came back to Ohio for six months to care for my mom. My aunt was also sick; she lived in Sacramento. I had been going back and forth. I had this year of caring for two very important women in my life."

Pleasant said her mother and aunt each gave her their family photo albums.

"They passed within a year of each other," she said. "I was struck by two things. I was raising one generation up, while helping another generation leave. My children will remember their grandmother, but their children won't. It just takes two generations, sometimes three, before a generation is forgotten.

Pleasant said she was moved to create paintings based on the images she found in the photo albums − hence the title of the show.

"Painting became a process of letting go," she said.

Pleasant said she reached out to CMA to see if it was interested in showcasing her work.

"They were very enthusiastic," she said. "They had been looking for a local artist that they could do a large show around," she said. "The staff has wonderful, passionate people who are efficient and do good work. I'm just just happy to be there."

Pleasant said that during during visits home, she found another source of material when she visited the Hartville Flea Market.

"I encountered a vendor with black-and-white photos," she said. "I just started collecting these photos of strangers. The whole idea behind them is, I look for photos that are candid, not posed. I felt like you could really see the messiness and complexity of family relationships within these photos. I embellished and animated the images. I took these people that someone loved, and I gave then one more moment."

'They tell a story'

Pleasant said that when she had a showing of her photo-based paintings in Seattle, someone brought her a box of photos during the opening.

"I took them, and found a pharmacy slip that said 'Cuyahoga Falls,'" she said.

With help from Akron Beacon Journal art critic Dorothy Shinn, Pleasant was able to trace the photos to the owner − who just happened to be a Beacon Journal employee.

"It just kept the thread going," she said.

Pleasant describes her paintings as "abstract expressionist."

"They tell a story," she said. "It's up to the viewer to fill in the narrative."

After high school graduation, Pleasant enrolled in Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and graduated from Loyola University. She taught in elementary schools for 35 years, retiring in June 2022.

She taught in Los Angeles, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Denver and Seattle.

Inspiration comes from Hoover

Pleasant said the late Ty Palmer, an art teacher at Hoover, was instrumental in fostering her love for painting.

"My senior year, I spent four hours a day in the art room," she said. "I really do credit him."

Pleasant added that she also was encouraged by her late parents, Walter and Pat Pleasant.

Pleasant noted that her father was as a programmer at Data Accounting Systems, back when the technology was in its infancy.

"I didn't go back to art school until I was 40," she said. "My father, from the beginning, urged me to go to art school. He was ahead of his time in that way."

Pleasant attended the Art Institute of Seattle, the Gage Academy of Art, also in Seattle, where she studied under Mark Kang-O'Higgins.

Projects helps artist to do history 'deep dive'

Pleasant uses oil and acrylic paints to create her vibrant pieces.

"I think my favorite is acrylic because I can layer on color," she said.

Pleasant said the project has caused her to do a "deep dive" on Canton's history.

"Just how many people were involved in the formation of Canton, I'm not sure has been reflected in the historical archives," she said. "I've reached out to several churches in the area to include the Black and Hispanic communities so that this exhibit really reflects the community in a real way.

Pleasant added that she's still seeking photos for an accompanying community digital project.

"I've shown pieces of this work before, and it tends to be cathartic for people," she said. "They see their own families. I've had people stand in front a painting and just start crying. One reason I did this work is because our families are our families. It gives them closure and an opportunity to remember and just be grateful for whoever came before them. "

Visit Pleasant's website at amypleasantseattle.com or amypleasant_seattle on Instagram.

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP

Call for family photos

Seattle artist Amy Pleasant, who was born and raised in Canton, will show 75 paintings and share some poetry during an exhibit that opens Aug. 22 at Canton Museum of Art.

In “Family Album: Our Stories,” Pleasant hopes to include stories from the community as part of the display.

“This is only half of the story though,” Pleasant said. “In my mind, this exhibition is not complete without giving the community the opportunity to share their story as the descendants of their loved ones and give them their moment. I will be making a digital slide installation which will run during the course of the exhibition. I would consider it an honor to add your family photo to this project."

The artist said she hopes Canton-area residents will share photos of moments from their family life. She said those interested can take a picture of your photo with your cell phone and email it to familyalbum.cma@gmail.com. Include the family name and the year it was taken, or you can submit it anonymously. Deadline to submit photos is Aug. 15.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Artist Amy Pleasant's upcoming Canton Museum of Art exhibit inspired by candid photos