La Luz de Jesus Presents Martha Rich

Martha Rich – “Nice School”

April 3 - 26, 2009

Where did you go to Nice School? This show is an exploration of niceness. What a nice girl. That's nice. If you are nice, people will like you. Do you like nice people? Is nice better than mean? Does nice finish last? Is mean winning? Jerk. Mean gets the attention. Does nice equal doormat? Wimp. Being nice all the time is annoying. Is nice contagious? You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Who wants to catch flies? Nice. Be nice and come see the show.

This is Martha Rich's third show at La Luz de Jesus Gallery. Using personal insecurities infused with subtle humor as a base for her narrative, “Nice School” explores her experiences growing up in suburban Philadelphia where young women were expected to be nice, polite and helpful – being liked by all was the ultimate goal. At first glance the paintings appear benign, nice and comforting. Below the surface, the layers reveal a darker side to being nice, trying to answer the question whether being too nice can be a not so nice thing.