Summer Wheat: Fruits of Labor @ SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah

In Fruits of Labor, Summer Wheat (SCAD M.F.A., painting, 2005) presents six richly textured paintings inspired by Greek mythology, animal archetypes, and astrology. A pair of totemic works featuring fruit–animal hybrids are flanked by multiple large-scale paintings that immerse viewers in a lush, harmonious world. In these scenes, Wheat portrays female figures as nurturers and cultivators lounging post-exertion, entwined with animals often associated with fear yet exuding calm and satisfaction. This new series expands Wheat’s practice of depicting women at work to their well-earned luxuriating that follows, insisting that moments of release, repose, and ease after collective effort are worthy of commemoration.