Terry Rooney

During early days of isolation I was paralyzed, unable to function, let alone create. My husband was exposed to the Covid-19 at the hospital where he works and we spent the first two weeks in separated in isolation. Fortunately, we discovered daily press briefings of Gov. Andrew Cuomo. We’d make a date to listen in person or virtually to listen to Gov. Cuomo’s briefing, where we learned the science, facts about this pandemic. A touchstone moment came with the discourse between the Cuomo brothers {Gov. Cuomo and his younger brother, Chris Cuomo (CNN anchor} when they talked about what Chris was experiencing in real time being infected with COVID 19 virus. It humanized the disease as the brothers brought us into their home. Breonna Taylor’s tragic death helped to ignite the social upheaval – another important moment in this time of chaos.

The next piece honors George Floyd and his mother. When I saw the video of Floyd’s being killed before my eyes and calling for his mother in his dying moments, it broke my heart. This is another historic moment, which I’ve presented in my second piece. It feels important to bring attention to the role of African American Women and how important they are to this moment and the future.

My last piece is the Statue of Liberty being infected by the virus represented by the snake which also could signify the leadership in our country. These are unsettling times and my hope this new work captures the essence of what is happening to our society and country.

Terry Rooney is based in Amherst, MA