Look for the bright yellow and red building. You won't find it on the first try... it's tucked behind the Wakefield Main Street shops, just past Phil's diner. But when you do spot the building, it's like finding a brighly-dyed Easter egg. Or maybe a brightly wrapped Christmas present.

Inside the shiney wrapper is great art. What a present!

The gallery is a simple structure, with a straightforward layout compared to the rennovated factory buildings and homes more common to Providence art galleries. It's an open, largely windowless gallery, a single room split down the middle with simple divider. But despite the lack of windows, the bright lighting and white walls make the room feel airy, with plenty of display space and even room for 3D works.

Hera, named after the Greek goddess, started in 1974 as a showcase for a woman's arts cooperative. It began with close connections with the faculty of the Univerisity of Rhode Island, and maintains those close ties to the present day.

A recent show, Sensitive Assault, featured work by URI seniors and recent alumni. Matted and framed works ran along the walls in an evenly-spaced row at eye level. Two artists featured relief prints made using carefully carved linolium templates -- Mike Viele's works depicted the topology of the body with overlaid strokes of red and black, while Katie Trukos gave us stark, almost starteling portraits of Afgan women and children in black and white.

Photographer Sean Johnson, hailed by critics in a previous show as a "cutting edge New York syled photographer", brought works that investigated intimacy. For one series, he chose a cozy size for his black and white photographic prints, 4x4 square, then displayed them in large white mats to isolate them and to focus us on the interaction of the people within. Sometimes just hands, at other times an embrace, but always on the sensual side bordering on erotic. He also displayed digital reproductions and enhancements of color instant photos, a conflict probably unconsidered by the majority of the show parons, somewhat like recording and enhancing extemporaneous jazz sessions. These pictures concentrated on creating a mood and wrapping the viewer in Sean's world.

There were two installation pieces -- large works that are as much part of the room as they are art. Tara L. Cavanaugh constructed a series of water-filled plastic bags flowing down the wall and onto the floor, while artists Jacob Begin and Ian Sexton created a piece of beach stones sprayed with grey flocking, filling the concrete basin that is the only evidence of the building's previous life as a coin-op laundery.

Of course there were other works lining the walls, and a few 3D pieces on stands, and other artists. And in 30 years of bringing art to South County, there were many many other works and artists.

Buy this Art Print at AllPosters.com

Hera's exhibitions run every month except January and frequently include additional programs like lectures in conjunction with them. About half of the exhibitions are themed shows that are curated, inviational, or juried and include artists who are not necessarily members of the Hera cooperative. The other half are shows that feature only works by the Hera Gallery members. Their phone is 401/789-1488. They're open Wednesday through Friday (1-5) and Saturday (10-4). Catch them online at www.heragallery.org

You can find Hera Gallery, if you look really really hard, at 327 Main Street in Wakefield.

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