SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Amy H. Carberry Fine Arts Gallery at Springfield Technical Community College presents “ReThreading the Surface: Mark-Making Ecologies,” an exhibition by STCC faculty member and artist Jorge Costa, on view through Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025.
Public Reception: Saturday, Oct. 25, 1–3 p.m.
Poetry Reading by Donna Fleischer: 2 p.m.
Costa’s installation features hundreds of handmade paper-clay sheets, drawn on and shaped into circles and squares, arranged throughout the gallery in intricate sequences and patterns. The project began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Costa experimented with accessible, inexpensive and recyclable materials. Through trial and error, he refined various paper-clay recipes, discovering how subtle ingredient changes – using paper bags, cardboard, toilet paper, or egg cartons – affected texture, absorbency and structure.
As the sheets dried, they often shifted from flat planes into gentle curves, transforming the gallery into a subtly dynamic space. The results reflect Costa’s ongoing interest in ecology, material transformation and the dialogue between natural processes and human creativity.
“Jorge Costa’s work encourages viewers to look closely not only at the material beauty of the pieces, but also at the relationships between art, science and sustainability,” said Mary Lou Vredenburg, Dean of the School of Liberal and Professional Studies at STCC. “His art embodies the kind of thoughtful, interdisciplinary exploration that defines our programs and inspires our students.”
Costa’s related project, “Holobiont Assemblage,” also on view at the Carberry Gallery, expands on these ideas through experimental drawings that evoke the interconnectedness of life. His work is inspired in part by evolutionary biologist Lynn Margulis and her theory of “symbiosis in evolution,” emphasizing the interdependence of all living systems.
Professor Sondra Peron, Gallery Coordinator at STCC, said, “We’re proud to feature the work of one of our own faculty members whose practice bridges artmaking, ecology and philosophy. Jorge’s exhibition transforms everyday materials into a visually poetic statement about connection and change, which are ideas that resonate deeply with our students and community.”
Born in Angola in 1974, Costa emigrated to the United States in 1990 and earned a master’s degree in Fine Arts and Philosophy from the University of Hartford, where he began teaching in 1999. Over his 27-year career, he has taught at numerous colleges and universities, including STCC, where he currently teaches three art courses.
The gallery and all events are free and open to the public.
Gallery hours through November 13:
Mondays/Wednesdays: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Tuesdays: 1–5 p.m.
Thursdays: 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
For more information, visit stcc.io/carberry
About the Gallery
The Amy H. Carberry Fine Arts Gallery presents four to six exhibits each year featuring artwork by artists of local and national repute, as well as STCC student work. The gallery, in the fine arts building in B28 on the campus of Springfield Technical Community College (Pearl Street side of campus) in Springfield, MA, is open to the public from September through May.
The gallery and all events are free to the public.
This exhibition and associated events are supported in part by the School of Liberal and Professional Studies (LAPS) and the Fine Arts (A.A.) program.
About Springfield Technical Community College
STCC, the Commonwealth’s only technical community college, continues the pioneering legacy of the Springfield Armory with comprehensive and technical education in manufacturing, STEM, healthcare, business, social services, and the liberal arts. STCC’s highly regarded workforce, certificate, degree, and transfer programs are the most affordable in Springfield and provide unequaled opportunity for the vitality of Western Massachusetts. Founded in 1967, the college – a designated Hispanic Serving Institution – seeks to close achievement gaps among students who traditionally face societal barriers. STCC supports students as they transform their lives through intellectual, cultural, and economic engagement while becoming thoughtful, committed and socially responsible graduates.
