If you’re stopping by the SoWa Art + Design District, either for March’s First Friday openings or Sunday’s SoWa Artist Guild Open Studios, make sure to check out three new exhibitions running from March 6 through 30 at Galatea Fine Art, 460 Harrison Ave. #B-6, Boston, Massachusetts. Marjorie Kaye’s “Invisible Bursts” combine organic and geometric sensibilities that continues her exploration of an infinite number of patterns in creating sensory sculptures filled with bursts of colors. In “Oh, Ovines!” Carolyn Letvin showcases sheep “in spaces of simple color or no color at all, as in my drawings, letting the shapes of the animals’ bodies, legs and horns create endless compositions. As an observational artist, the animals’ realism is what interests me. But the colors I use are somewhat invented and the paint application is loose and energetic, making my art truly contemporary.” Curators Agusta Agustsson and Christine Palamidessi present a “Goddesses Pop-Up” of seven artists conjuring “up magic, showcasing an intermingling of materials and techniques, a brew of straight-on gazes, a bit of politics, visits from spirit muses, and stories of what has been brought home from the hunt.”
Audrey Goldstein, Cristi Rinklin, and Dana Clancy “provide poignant reflections on the fragility of the body, the instability of the world around us, and the ways in which human perception and interaction shape both personal and collective realities” in “Disintegration,” which continues through April 5 at Gallery VERY, 59 Wareham St., Boston, Massachusetts. “While employing distinct approaches to materials and form, each artist responds to themes of transformation, impermanence, and the human condition.”
Looking for a perfect way to start your spring? The Paradise City Arts Spring Show at the Royal Plaza Trade Center, 181 Royal Plaza Drive, Route 20 West, Marlborough, Massachusetts, runs from March 21 through 23. The juried festival features 170 artists and makers with a special Color Theory-inspired exhibit, “Living Color,” that explores how that interaction of contrasting and complementary colors can have a powerful way of communicating moods and modernizing everyday spaces. “We’ve handpicked a small selection of works to show how sticking to a color scheme can guide the eye and create aesthetically pleasing moments in anyone’s home.”
In “Reflections: Art from MFA Staff,” which can be seen through March 22 at the Copley Society of Art, 158 Newbury St., Boston, Massachusetts, artists amongst the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston staff interpret the concept of reflections in either a physical or conceptual sense, speaking to the theme in a variety of ways, from one’s personal journey of artistic growth to community and its impact upon the individual creative process. Juried by Chris Firger, Timothy H. Lee, and David Skirkey, the “emotionally engaging show” is “an opportunity to recognize those who contribute to the museum every day and reflect upon the community that makes it whole.”
“Look Close/Think Far,” an exhibition of recent paintings and mixed media work by Nancy Jenner opens on March 26 and continues until April 23 at AMZehnder Gallery, 25 Banks St. No. 3, Wellfleet, Massachusetts. “This exhibit includes two distinct, but related series of current work based on the beaches, ponds and dunes of the Outer Cape. Light, color and reflections are captured in photographs and the curated images become the basis for paintings that celebrate the nuanced beauty of the area. In a more intuitive and responsive practice, photos and drawings are layered digitally, printed and further enhanced with pastel and pencil. It is in this work that a deep belief in the power of nature and dismay at the destruction of a wasteful society comes through.”
The ecological theme continues in “Currents,” featuring works by Mary Mead, Jackie Brown, Hannah Perrine Mode, and Elizabeth Nelson that can be seen through April 2 at the PILLAR Gallery + Projects, 205 North State St., Concord, New Hampshire. The show features “interpretations of the ocean, waterways, and the collective changes we are experiencing” while “delving into themes of drowning, memory, and dissociation while reflecting on areas of our planet affected by climate change.” Five percent of sales will be donated from PILLAR to the Blue Ocean Society, who is dedicated to cleaning up New Hampshire’s 13 miles of coastline
“Is anything the matter? Drawings by Laylah Ali” can be seen through May 9 at University Museum of Contemporary Art at the UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center, 100 Hicks Way, Amherst, Massachusetts. Featuring 100 drawings in ink, colored pencil, soluble crayon, colored marker and mixed media dating from 1993 to 2020, the exhibition explores Williams College grad and professor Laylah Ali’s “ongoing interest in the amalgam of race, power, gendering, human frailty, and murky politics, and other complex topics that are often treated as separate.”
“Building Stories,” a new retrospective exhibition showcasing the evolution of acclaimed local photographer, Arthur Nager, from early black-and-white photography to recent vivid color studies of the Naugatuck Valley’s architecture and landscapes continues through June 1 at the Mattatuck Museum, 144 West Main St., Waterbury, Connecticut. The show coincides with “Modern Women: Georgia O’Keeffe & Kay Sage, which runs through June 8.
“Radical Histories: Chicanx Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum,” featuring 60 prints that “focus on artists creating visual counter-histories — from ancient to contemporary times — that defy notions of American exceptionalism, heteronormativity, whiteness, and borders,” is on view through June 8 at the Colby College Museum of Art, 5600 Mayflower Hill, Waterville, Maine. “These artists’ vivid images use satire, politicized pop, and conceptualism while also embracing innovative DIY printmaking methods. Their works showcase how Chicanx printmakers have reimagined traditional formats such as Mexican codices and popular calendars to present new narratives.”
“David Goldblatt: No Ulterior Motive” spans the seven decades of the South African photographer’s career, from the 1950s to the 2010s, including his early black-and-white photography and his post-apartheid, large-format color photography, demonstrating Goldblatt’s commitment to showing the realities of daily life in his country, continues through June 22 at Yale University Art Gallery, 1111 Chapel St., New Haven, Connecticut. Plan for an all-day adventure and stop by the Yale Center for British Art, across the street from YUAG at 1080 Chapel St., which reopens after two plus years of renovations on March 29.