In 1983, German-born Otto Piene purchased a huge piece of property in Groton, Massachusetts, located approximately 40 miles northwest of Boston. He converted his new home into an “art farm” and residence where the ground- and sky-breaking internationally recognized avant-garde artist turned former grain silos into art installations and barns into a studio and workshop and the surrounding land into a test field for his inflatable “Sky Art” creations. “Fire and Light: Otto Piene in Groton, 1983-2014,” on view through June 2 at the Fitchburg Art Museum (FAM), features many of the fire gouache on paperboard, oil and fire on canvas, tempera gouache on paper paintings and detailed sketchbooks Piene created during that time period — as well as “Proliferation of the Sun,” a 35-minute multimedia production originating in 1966 that was about to be reintroduced to the world just as Piene passed … [Read more...] about LOCAL CONNECTIONS: PIENE’S ETERNAL FIRE LIGHTS UP FITCHBURG
Carole Bolsey’s “Hudson River Backwater”
Carole Bolsey is known for her large-scale canvases. So, when VisionArt was looking for an artist to take up their monumental 8’ x 27’ task of creating a piece of art large enough to serve as a “window” to the outdoors, Christina Godfrey (director of contemporary and corporate art at Sunne Savage Gallery) knew just the artist for the job. Bolsey’s “Hudson River Backwater” is a piece commissioned for Hudson Yards Grill, an all-American family restaurant opening to the public March 15 in the new Hudson Yards development, the largest development in New York City since Rockefeller Center. The restaurant has no windows, so the painting will be the patron’s view to the outside. The inspiration for the piece was a painting done by Bolsey back in 2015, titled “Lilies and White Canoe.” The piece is a mere 6’ 1” x 5’ 1” compared to the 7’ 6” x 26’ 10” canvas she just completed. The … [Read more...] about Carole Bolsey’s “Hudson River Backwater”
Making Connections with Donna Dodson
“Half-Silvered,” the current exhibition in the Women’s Studies Research Center’s Kniznick Gallery at Brandeis University, features photographs by Karin Rosenthal and kinetic sculptures by Anne Lilly that explore the relationship of the human figure to its reflection. Rosenthal’s photographs are carefully composed black-and-white images of human figures disguised by water, wind, shadow and light. Lilly’s works, made of stainless steel, use visual acuity and motion to create a psychological space of wonder and suspense. The reflections of the self — in both water and mirrors — transcend mere representation. Poetic intentions drive the decisions behind Rosenthal’s masterful photography and Lilly’s precision metal work. Each artist utilizes what is “halfvisible” to suggest the sublime or unseen world. The dynamic of a person secretly seeing from the other side of the glass very much … [Read more...] about Making Connections with Donna Dodson
CAPSULE PREVIEWS
“Migration: A Curated Fiber Arts Exhibition” runs from January 10 through February 28 at the Umbrella Community Arts Center, 40 Stow St., Concord, Massachusetts. The show, curated by the Umbrella Visual Arts Program who invited artists from diverse contemporary and craft traditions, will “contemplate ‘migrations’ within shifting and fluid ways of being and defining our own cultural, gendered and embodied identities.” Featuring handcrafted objects, interactive installations, talks and performances by Louise Berliner, Nayda A. Cuevas, Jodi Colella, Merrill Comeau, Nancy Crasco, Alexander Davis, Tica de Moor, Jeanne Flanagan (Mad Weave Creations), Janet Kawada, Donna Rhae Marder, Valerie Maser- Flanagan, Lois Russell, Joyce Utting Schutter, Adrienne Sloane, Sisters in Stitches Joined by the Cloth Quilt Guild and Ngoc-Tran Vu (Made Elsewhere), the exhibition “will pull together a collection … [Read more...] about CAPSULE PREVIEWS
LOOK, LAUGH AND LOVE: MIAMI’S SATELLITE FAIRS UPLIFTING, ENTERTAINING
With many people feeling it’s futile to watch the news or read about current events because one minute later they are not current at all and something more important has grabbed the headlines, the immediate result, at least judging by the work exhibited during Miami Art Week 2018, is that artists did not comment on politics through their work to the extent that they had in recent fairs. Instead, they depicted humor, kitsch, film and music personalities because those have more staying power, and are a break from the mind- and earth-crushing forces that impede our daily lives. The Art Miami, CONTEXT Art Miami, SCOPE and Aqua Art Miami satellite shows in Miami and Miami Beach during Miami Art Week from December 6–9, 2018, were entertaining and uplifting, providing much needed relief from life outside the art world. At Art Miami and CONTEXT Art Miami, two tented shows located side by … [Read more...] about LOOK, LAUGH AND LOVE: MIAMI’S SATELLITE FAIRS UPLIFTING, ENTERTAINING
TO THE DRAWING BOARD: ART EDUCATION AT ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH
Art Basel Miami Beach 2018 was bustling with crowds of people and visitors at the VIP and public days were rewarded with phenomenal work, both current and historic. Painting is back in a big way as drawing takes precedence over photography in the annals of art. Photography is still big, but is painted upon with cultural symbols embellishing work ranging from portraits of animals to landscapes to cultural figures. At Art Basel, sculpture left the kitsch behind; the Mickey Mouses and Popeyes of last year are gone and the fine art of Henry Moore and Alberto Giacometti prevailed. History is revered, imitated and commented on from the Egyptians’ art to more recent movements. Politics is current and past, as we compare and contrast our choices and ethics with those of past governments and rulers. There was much to see and absorb, demanding several visits to take it all in. With 268 … [Read more...] about TO THE DRAWING BOARD: ART EDUCATION AT ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH