Louise Nevelson in Edward Albee's Occupant

While we realize that the famous sculptor Louise Nevelson is no longer with us, her persona was passionately brought to life in Edward Albee's Occupant, an off-Broadway play produced by New York's Signature Theatre Company. And while the play has also metaphorically speaking "passed away," as it ended its run a few weeks ago, it still resonates with equal passion in our minds and hearts.

There are other resonating factors to appreciate as well. Both the playwright Albee and the actor who played Nevelson, Mercedes Ruehl, are both local residents who are commited to our arts community.

Even so, there's a striking similarity between the two female sculptors featured in this week's "Art Commentary." Louise Bourgeoise and Louise Nevelson (besides sharing the same first name) had a tough path to follow, involving an absent father, an ambiguous relationship with their children, and the problems associated with being a woman.

They prevailed and so did their art. If these artists were able to confront some of these societal factors, they were never quite able to overcome the personal aspects that continually haunted them.

In Nevelson's case, her search for who she was and what she wanted to be was a primary force, effecting both her personal and professional pursuits. Simply put, she yearned to be special. In Albee's version, at least, Nevelson's journey from being "nothing" to being something evoked an ironic ending. When she was in the hospital facing the end of her life, she insisted that the staff replace her name placard on the door to read "occupant."

And so, Nevelson had come full circle in her search for self. At least on the surface. However, we know, as she herself did, that she was anything but an unknown occupant. It wasn't only that her sculpture was considered important. She had truly found herself, and it was alright with her if no one else could claim that feat.

Playing Nevelson to perfection, Ruehl made us understand what was apparent and not so apparent behind Nevelson's contradictory facade: her strength and vulnerability, her bravado and introspection, her outlandish outfits which would hide and reveal her demeanor.

For those of us who were acquainted with Nevelson during her lifetime, Ruehl put us in another time and place. For most audience members who never knew Nevelson, however, the play was transformative as well. Albee's narrative structure allowed the sculptor (and her interviewer, played by Larry Bryggman) to speak directly to the viewers on occasion.

While Nevelson may have been constantly asking the question, "Who Am I," the audience certainly grasped the answer from Albee's extraordinarily insightful play: "You are what we want to be."

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