On the night of May 20 the air hung with quiet expectation at the Rhythmix Cultural Works K Gallery. The space was adorned with the vivid artwork of the Alameda Women Artists (AWA).

The group’s latest show Art in Turbulent Times features canvases and woodcuts depicting each artist’s perspective on the theme. Two of the women, Jeanie Moran and Joan Tharp, took a vibrant and whimsical approach, offering something pleasant to the world in the midst of such turmoil. “It’s very meditative and soothing for me,” said Tharp of her art. “I just feel very peaceful and I think that’s what I need at this particular point.”

Three other artists with works on display — Vivianesque Young, Patricia Edith, and Thelma Richard — took the opposite approach. Their works are solemn and filled with harsh lines. Young portrayed three Asian women somberly standing together through her woodcuts. Patricia created a collage titled “Terezin” combining passages and photographs of the Theresienstadt concentration camp in Czechoslovakia during World War II.

Richard’s pieces center on the present. She painted a bald eagle, indistinguishable shadows leaning on a young boy, and a pair of hands holding the earth.

“The Alameda Museum curator asked me to host my own solo show of my pottery in 1993. I said I could never fill the gallery, so he said ‘why don’t you ask some friends?’” Soon Boller had formed a group and hosted a successful exhibit, so the artists decided to write bylaws and make it official.

The exhibit’s theme came up as AWA discussed potential ideas and the topic of politics kept popping up along with the word “turbulent.” 

The public is invited to a special viewing this Sunday, May 28, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at Rhythmix located at 2513 Blanding Ave. For more information see www.rhythmix.org.