Named after one of his college courses, “Patrick McCay: Explore, Exploit, Express: A Thematic Retrospective,” on view at the Whistler House Museum of Art in Lowell, Massachusetts through August 3, also features the work of three of McCay’s past students: David Drinon, Suzanne Hodge and Lucas Grondin. He’s currently a professor at the Institute of Art and Design at New England College of Henniker, New Hampshire. While the exhibition looks at the Irish-born, Scottish-American artist’s work of over 30 years, the show is intended to look at his various styles of paintings during that period as opposed to his tenure as an artist. Displayed in the museum’s Parker Gallery (which also includes an ongoing display of works by Lowell Art Association artists), the show is hung in a way that flows perfectly through those styles, with, the show’s press material suggests, a tip of the hat … [Read more...] about CLEAR ABSTRACTION: PATRICK MCCAY’S MODERN LESSONS AT THE WHISTLER

The Hera Educational Foundation and Gallery in Wakefield, Rhode Island, is celebrating 50 years of providing an alternate exhibition space, initially for women, now for all artists at all stages of their careers. “Past and Present” opened on June 22 with a parade and reception. The call went out to their 175 current or past members, and 34 works were submitted. They create a dazzling wide-ranging display of media by artists with deep commitment to their artist voices. Hera’s founding context in 1974 was that art studio classes, galleries and museums were all run by men, where maybe one or two women would be added to a class or gallery roster. Women with deep commitment to their art practices and advanced art degrees rarely had gallery options. It is noteworthy that after a long inception of women imagining, founding and running Hera through volunteering and donations, the … [Read more...] about AN ALTERNATIVE CELEBRATION: RHODE ISLAND’S HERA GALLERY TURNS 50

“New England Now: Strange States” is the third exhibition in a series centered on our region as seen, interpreted, remembered and reimagined in the works of 12 artists, whether they be generations-local or new to this place we call home. Carolyn Bauer, who has curated all three shows, reminds us that the 2018 show elaborated on the way we define our land, and the 2021 show focused on the people that signify the character of the New Englander. This show delves deeper into identities — real, imagined, free or constrained, solidified or fluid, assertive or unsure, but always unique. The Diana and John Colgate Gallery space is transformed into a striking deep-grey expanse that recedes visually and brings to the forefront the works on display. The introductory text for “Strange States” suggests to the visitor that New England has historic literary traditions and figures that … [Read more...] about NEW ENGLAND NOW AT THE SHELBURNE