Arlington Artists Featured At Inman Incubator In Cambridge

ARLINGTON, MA — Arlington-based artists Sri Thumati and Allison Manheim Caplin currently have their one-of-a-kind works on display at the Inman Incubator, a retail storefront in Cambridge that showcases and sells the work of selected local artists.

The pop-up show, titled “Nature. Nurture. A Collaboration of Art Inspired by Nature,” includes individual artwork by Thumati, a Cyanotype and linocut printmaker, and Caplin, a dot mandala painter who utilizes beach rocks and other up cycled materials, as well as collaborative pieces in which dot mandala are painted within Cyanotypes.

“The nature theme is intrinsic to our work,” Caplin said. “We both find ourselves in nature in order to create our work, and when Sri approached me about this project we kind of settled with it and worked on making our work harmonious. We also agreed we would have a color area for our work, which turned out to be a lot of blues. It’s very peaceful and evokes nature."

Thumati and Caplin first met from having children in the same school system and were in a local art show together for the first time in December. They describe working together as an incredibly positive and supportive experience.

“Being moms in the same environment, we can work together to support each other,” Thumati said. “We were also surprised about how well [our work] blended together. There’s more in the future, I’m sure."

Both Thumati and Caplin said they hope their show at the Inman Incubator brings people a sense of peace and connection with nature, as each piece is unique and made from mindful practices.

"I would hope that the person visiting or purchasing my work would feel the joy that I have in creating my work,” Caplin said. "I come from a background in yoga and meditation, I’m also an art therapist, and my work is a blend of everything I do. It brings me limitless happiness knowing that my work is going into a new home and has the potential of bringing someone calm and happiness.”

“The nature-based part of photography and the art of bringing art and science together has stuck with me for a long time,” Thumati said. “It’s a very grounding process and we are both so willing and open to share it with the rest of the world."

Thumati and Caplin’s individual and collaborative works are available for sale as original pieces and also in card format. The cards are $10 each, with $5 of each purchase benefitting the Cambridge Community Center for the Arts, a local non- profit bringing arts education and opportunities to children and adults.

In addition, visitors can learn more about Thumati’s creative process in making Cyanotypes in a special informational video and Caplin will be offering a free community class, “Dot Mandala Stones for Mindfulness,” on Saturday, June 25 from 10 to 10:45 a.m. To register for the class, click here.

The Nature. Nurture. show is located at 1385 Cambridge Street in Cambridge. It will be open through July 3 and staffed by the artists Wednesdays through Fridays from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. and weekends from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Anyone with questions may contact Virginia Johnson at [email protected]. The artists are available on Instagram @srithumati and @allison.in.wonderland.designs.