Selected from 103 entries, the Cambridge Art Association’s “2018 Emerging Artists Exhibition,” which has its opening reception on Thursday, July 12 from 6-9 p.m. at the Kathryn Schultz Gallery, 25 Lowell St., Cambridge, Massachusetts, scored loudly on the annual exhibition’s intent of serving as a showcase for “a selection of work the reflections current trends in the visual art world, our present moment in time, and the vision of our curator.”
The show was curated by Kate Mothes, founder of Young Space (yngspc.com), an independent online and nomadic curatorial platform emphasizing contemporary art by emerging, early-career and student artists. Commenting on the collection as a whole, Mothes said, “a fairly large portion of submissions addressed themes of identity, relationships, home and current events, which struck me as an honest response to uncertain times, and made the entire selection process a very thought-provoking one.”
The Kathryn Schultz Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; the exhibition runs through July 28. For more information, call (617) 876-0246.
“Expressions in Print,” an exhibition of works by 62 artists from the faculty, advanced students and alumni of the Creative Arts Workshop, 80 Audubon St., New Haven, Connecticut, is on view through July 21. Many of the artists featured in the show have used the printmaking facilities of CAW for over 25 years. Work from renowned printmakers Gabor Peterdi and Livio Saganic, on loan from private collections, is also included.
“In keeping with our dedication to presenting work of the highest caliber created here at CAW and elsewhere, we are pleased to offer Expressions in Print which is stunning, fun and thought-provoking—but importantly showcases the many techniques used in printmaking,” said CAW executive director Anne Coates. “These works merit the attention of a wider audience, and we hope that our galleries on Audubon Street and this show will be an early summer destination for lovers of this fabulous medium and those curious to learn more.”
Established in 1961, the Creative Arts Workshop offers a wide range of visual arts classes in eight disciplines in fully-equipped studios with over 1,000 adults and young artists participating annually.
In her latest exhibition, “Barbie’s Dreamhouse: Incidents & Casualties,” Carola Doll—the alter-ego of artist Cara DeAngelis—revisits her childhood—and more specifically, her young appreciation for all things Barbie, “with the knowledge and cynicism I have now as an adult” through August 2 at Gary Marotta Fine Art, 162 Commercial St., Provincetown, Massachusetts.
“My drawings depict human conflict using vintage Barbie memorabilia, much of it my mother’s and my own from our respective childhoods,” notes Doll, who uses artist-grade wax crayon to tangibly symbolize childhood innocence and the insecurity of adulthood, in her artist statement. A wide range of subject matter is presented in comical situations involving the absurd dolls and their plastic retro household—without rendering a verdict on whether Barbie was or is, in 2018—a good or bad role model.
“The scenes are influenced by mid-century culture, but have a 21st century perspective, including tongue-in-cheek nods to Andy Warhol and other pop icons,” she explains. “Technically the drawings are still lifes, composing the dolls in their renowned dreamhouse. However, the final result resembles more of an allegorical narrative due to the doll’s ability to represent real humans rather than objects.”
“Contemporary Portraiture 2018,” a 30-artist show that is on view through September 30 at the Maine Museum of Photographic Arts (MMPA) at USM Glickman Family Library, 314 Forest Ave., Portland, Maine, comes at a time it’s invaluable to have an exhibition that allows us to consider not only the impact of digital cameras on the photographic genre, but the end result of even the cheapest cellphone being equipped with high quality lenses that allows everyone, regardless of their economic background, a level “playing field,” allowing us an unfiltered look into worlds and lifestyles we may not have previously seen.
As a result, MMPA director Denise Froehlich, who co-curated the show with Jan Pieter van Voorst van Beest noted, “The photographs in this exhibition are not traditional in nature. Contemporary portraiture looks forward as the medium and the germaneness evolves. It borrows from the past whilst stretching the genre. The work focuses on the subject—people, ideas, narratives, places, and so on. It only borrows from the past.”
This important show comes at a time we seem less inclined to learn more about each other at a time we need to understand and appreciate our differences now, possibly more, than ever. “Portraits, whether they are national, sexual, racial, personal or artistic, are a way to understand people(s) and subject matter,” Froehlich said. Portraits are one of the longest established genres in art history and when they are: commissioned, personal, figurative, autobiographical, filmic, self, object, public, religious/philosophical or diaries, they shed light not only on the content and artist, but also the time in which they’re made.”