In an age riddled with racial injustice, political polarization, and a pandemic that has nurtured social isolation, two Vermont-based artists reckoned with their seemingly bleak reality through their art.

“Barely Touching,” a collaborative exhibit by artists Susan Calza and Kelly Holt, opened at Axel’s Gallery and Frame Shop on Stowe Street late last month.

Gallery owner Whitney Aldrich said Friday that so far, four people have scheduled a private viewing. “It isn’t necessary to make an appointment, however, we will be prioritizing those that do,” said Aldrich.

A maximum capacity of 10 people inside the gallery, she said, allows for four staff members and six visitors at a time.

Calza and Holt’s display features a collaborative video with audio between the two artists. In addition, Holt is presenting a mixed media photo collage on panels and Calza is introducing two free-standing, 3-D sculptures.

Axel’s Gallery seemed like an appropriate host for such an ambitious project, Aldrich said. “Axel’s doesn’t really have a story that we try to fill with who we show and how we show,” she said. “We like to treat it as a space where people can work out ideas and experiment.”

Though both artists are addressing similar contemporary issues, Aldrich said they each have a distinct style that portrays their individual experiences.

“Susan is really putting a magnifying glass to the atrocities that have happened last year and she wants people to think about it over and over again and make change that way,” Aldrich said. “Whereas Kelly is approaching it in a way that is almost ephemeral and hopeful.”

Aldrich said she knows Calza and Holt professionally and they’ve shown their work in Axel’s Gallery in years past. “Barely Touching,” according to Aldrich, is the artists’ first public fruition of their joint artistic efforts.

Calza was formerly an art professor at Johnson State College and she recently opened her own gallery, Susan Calza Gallery, in Montpelier.

Kelly Holt, said Aldrich, specializes in photography and videography, occasionally documenting the work of other artists. She said Holt currently works as a curator for Spruce Peak Arts in Stowe, organizing and directing their installations.

Involving the community

Aldrich shed light on an element of the project in which Calza and Holt plan to elicit personal anecdotes from members of the Waterbury community to create a collaborative video compilation.

“Susan and Kelly are going to be inviting people to come to the gallery, two people at a time, to document and hear their stories,” she said. “They plan to bring those stories back in the fall to Axel’s to close the loop on that overarching story.”

Through its powerful, introspective message, “Barely Touching” has the potential to allow visitors to leave with a fresh perspective, Aldrich said. “I’m hoping that when a viewer comes in and immerses themself in the exhibit, they will see both the pain and the hope that comes with learning from the past.”

The exhibition “Barely Touching” will be displayed in Axel’s Gallery until April 3. Axel’s is open Wednesdays through Saturdays. Appointments are encouraged. Schedule a visit online at calendly.com/axelsgallery. For more information: AxelsGallery.com, 244-7801 or info@AxelsGallery.com.