Waltham artist has solo show at Boston gallery

When Caroline Grossman’s father asked her, again and again, “You doing any art?” she did not realize the question would redirect her life.

That question is the title inspiration for “Yes Dad, I’m Doing Art!,” a solo exhibition of Grossman’s work on view Sept. 4-27 at TAG | The Art Gallery in Boston’s SoWa Art + Design District. An opening reception is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. Admission is free.

The exhibition draws on family photographs, heirlooms, documents and personal experience to examine aging, illness, caregiving, memory, identity, immigration and human connection. Grossman describes the show as part memoir, part social commentary and part public health advocacy, as well as a tribute to her parents’ encouragement of her creative work.

Her father, Lawrence K. Grossman, was a media theorist who served as president of PBS and later of NBC News. He died in 2018 at age 86 at his home in Westport, Conn., according to his Columbia College memorial. He introduced his daughter to the idea that visual communication could advance causes and move people to act. Her mother, Alberta N. Grossman, was an educator, civil rights advocate and advocate of storytelling who pressed her to find her own voice.

“Caroline’s work reminds us that some of the most compelling art begins with deeply personal stories,” said Claudia Fiks, founder and director of TAG | The Art Gallery. “Through vulnerability, humor and extraordinary compassion, she transforms family history into a universal reflection on resilience, caregiving, advocacy and the enduring impact of those who encourage us to become who we are.”

Grossman is using the exhibition to raise awareness and support for two organizations that serve Waltham: The Waltham Times and Charles River Community Health, a community health center founded in 1974 that operates sites in Waltham and Brighton and provides primary care, dental, behavioral health, vision and pharmacy services.

TAG | The Art Gallery is operated by the New England Art Center and is located at 460C Harrison Ave. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., or by appointment, according to the center.

Disclosure: Caroline Grossman is a co-founder and board vice-chair at The Waltham Times. The Waltham Times is one of two nonprofit organizations the exhibition is intended to benefit.