
Material as Metaphor
CAT ARMISTEAD +
MICHAELA FLATLEY
Opening Reception:
Thursday, October 17
6 - 8 PM
The Local Hand
1912 Dorchester Ave
Boston, MA 02124
This exhibition brings together the works of Cat Armistead and Michaela Flatley, offering an interplay between craft and contemporary fine art.
Drawing from Anni Albers’s idea that “material is a means of communication,” this show emphasizes how each artist listens deeply to their chosen mediums — embroidery, watercolor, handmade paper, steel, recycled plastics, and more — to allow material to speak its own language.
In their respective studio practices, repetition becomes both method and meaning: a dialogue with material, where form emerges through attentive tuning rather than rigid concepts.
The works unfold gradually, revealing structure and texture as you move through them — inviting viewers to step into that same conversation, to perceive pattern not just as design, but as language.