An Inspired Chat with Laurie Kaplowitz of South End

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Laurie Kaplowitz. Check out our conversation below.

Laurie , really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
My husband and I just spent the month of October in the south of France traveling through Avignon, Aix, Marseille, and Nice. We travel a lot , but neither of us had been anywhere in France besides Paris. It wasn’t the most exciting trip we’ve been on, but the sights, the art, medieval towns were all very lovely. It’s a part of Europe that in the past has produced some of the greatest artists and works of art in the world. A place on my “bucket list” was the Matisse Chapel in Vence. What an exquisite work of art, one of the most serene spaces I’ve ever been in. There was an exhibit in the Matisse Museum in Nice, of his drawings for the ceramic murals he did for the chapel in Vence, and the exhibit made the point that for the large mural of the stations of the cross, he had to do extensive research of Renaissance paintings dealing with these themes – and here’s the shocker – because he had never dealt with any violence or suffering, not to mention anything political, in his work. It got me to thinking about Matisse in a way I hadn’t in the past. This was a man that lived through two world wars in the heart of Europe, ground zero for these wars. His work was only about joy, and beauty, and pleasure. Compare that to much of the art today.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a classically trained painter. The human form has always been central to my work. I taught painting and drawing at the University of Massachusetts for many years and retired in 2012. Most recently I’ve been involved with the Synergy Project which is a collaboration between artists and scientists to create art from scientific research. The Synergy Project is jointly administered by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Woods Hole, MA and the Graduate Oceanographic Studies Program at the University of Rhode Island. I’ve collaborated with two Woods Hole scientists. We’ve created books on their research dealing with carbon sequestration in the ocean, a very important phenomena that keeps our planet’s oceans in balance. The titles are “Pursuit and Decay”, a picture book for young readers about how a scientist uses a radioactive element to trace carbon in the ocean, and the other, “Marine Snow”, a book of my paintings with accompanying text by the scientist, following the journey of marine snow (organic matter) as it falls to the ocean floor where it holds carbon. These books can be viewed on my website: lauriekaplowitz.net

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I don’t think the world ever told me who I had to be, and I owe that to an accident of birth, I guess. Being born in the right country, in the last half of the 20th century to parents who supported my artistic talent and wanted to see me succeed.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would say to myself, you have fears – of people who are bigger and stronger and more accomplished, and of your own short-comings – but that should not silence you, or make you shy.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
That’s a hard one, not because there isn’t a huge difference between a fad and, as you say, a true foundational shift, but because the dust has to settle before the world/society, in retrospect, can discern it. And sometimes the dust takes a while to settle.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What light inside you have you been dimming?
I don’t think I’ve deliberately been dimming a light, but it is true, as I realize at my age, one’s perspective changes. It sounds too obvious to say that things that were once important can easily be seen as less important, but it’s so true. That big word – FUTURE – is a flashing neon light, and it takes on a whole new meaning and dimension. The trajectory of your life’s path, like a big arc in front of you with a sliding button on it that flashes FUTURE, starts losing distance and speed, and sad to say, it gets a little less visible. But that’s OK.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lzuriekaplowitz.net
• Instagram: @laurie.kaplowitz

Image Credits
Photo by Laurie Kaplowitz