Howard Windham to present ‘oo-papa-doo’ in group exhibit at IMAGO Gallery

Howard Windhamwill present recent mixed media collages, drawings and sculptures he playfully calls “oo-papa-doo.”  The phrase, Windham notes, was coined by the popular disc jockey, radio and TV host Jocko Henderson in the 1950s. Henderson was known for his ad lib patter, including “oo-papa-doo, how do you do!”  Windham has adopted this phrase because he always has enjoyed it.  “Try it,” he says, “It is fun. It would be a great name for a band, for one of Frank Zappa’s grandchildren, your next household pet … or for an art exhibit.”

An interdisciplinary artist exhibiting throughout the northeast, Windham creates work that is whimsical, highly literate, colorful, and delightfully eccentric. Windham taught studio art for many years at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Bridgewater State University. He received his BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and his MFA from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Linda Behar is interested in the female form, specifically how it is manifested in different media and how it highlights the dissonance between “the expectations of society and an individual’s sense of self.” Body language, for Behar, is a visual form of communication that helps the viewer understand human behavior. The artwork for this exhibit is titled “The Maccabees,” a group of Jewish rebel warriors who conquered Judea from the Seleucid Empire and reasserted the Jewish religion, partly by forced conversion.  The work represents the empowerment of women fighting for their rights and changing our society.  As Behar notes, her goal is “to create images that echo the past while embracing the future.”

Born in Venezuela, Behar emigrated to the United States in 2000.  Behar was trained originally as a civil engineer before attending the Academia Taller Arte y Fuego in Caracas.  In 2014, she received her MFA from Florida Atlantic University with an emphasis on printmaking.  Behar’s works incorporate a variety of techniques and processes, including glass casting, woodblock prints, laser cutting, and páte de verre (a form of kiln casting).  Her works have been exhibited nationally and internationally, winning numerous awards and honorable mentions.

Other IMAGO artists who will participate in the exhibit include Eillen Siobha Collins, Mary Dondero, Carl Keitner, Pascale Lord, Rina Naik,Kol Naylor,Mercedes Nuñez, John Rego, Maria Rodriguez, Anne Marie Rossi, Lenny Rumpler, Howard Rotblat-Walker, and Amy Sutherland.