Although artists Lynne Adams and Matthew Simons were neighbors at Easthampton’s Cottage Street Studios in Western Massachusetts, it was adversity and last year’s advocacy campaign to keep studio rents affordable that inevitably brought the two together.
“None of us [at Cottage Street] really knew each other well,” Adams explained, “but once we started organizing against incoming extreme rent increases, relationships were built around a common goal. A year after the campaign, a handful of us who stayed at Cottage Street began coming together and critiquing each other’s artwork. That started many conversations — and for Matt and I — this inspiration for a new body of collaborative work.”
“We also owe it to George,” Adams shared, referring to former Cottage Street Studios fellow tenant and mixed-media artist George Shaw. “He’s a founding member of Galatea Gallery in Boston. He connected us— immediately finding a landing pad for our new work.”
“Minimal Impact: Matthew Simons and Lynne Adams” will be on view at Galatea Fine Art in Boston’s SoWa District this December.