The collaboration between the Berkshire Art Museum and NAWAMA (The National Association of Women Artists, Massachusetts Chapter) is a natural one; the director of the BAM, Eric Rudd, bore witness to the issue of the inclusion of women in the art world, having been involved through his years of teaching at the Corcoran College of Art in Washington, D.C. in the 1970s. A visual artist as well, Rudd reflects on the fact that Washington in the 1960s was an exception to the rule of the male-dominated landscape of museum and gallery directors in the area. When he was out of the gate beginning his long exhibition history, he cites many galleries or museums that were run by women. Rudd’s experience is in line with the manifesto of NAWAMA, through the eyes and leadership of its Massachusetts Chapter’s president, Jennifer Jean Okumura. In her catalog entry, Okumura reflects on the … [Read more...] about A SPIRITUAL EVOLUTION: NAWAMA EXPANDS ITS MESSAGE TO THE BERKSHIRES
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ENHANCING THE MALL EXPERIENCE: NORWALK ART SPACE BRINGS ‘THE MEANING OF US’ TO SONO
Norwalk art is on the rise and The Norwalk Art Space (TNAS), the brainchild of founder Alexandra Davern Korry and Executive director Duvian Montoya, is at the heart of it. Through TNAS, Korry, who passed away in 2020, hoped to “create a space that would enhance educational opportunities for under-served students, promote under-represented local artists, and provide the public a welcoming space to enjoy art and music.” This multi-dimensional arts mecca headed by Montoya currently lives out Korry’s final wish by “offering free art and music education and mentorship... sponsoring and promoting local artists through our Resident Artist program and Korry Fellow exhibitions and providing the public an exciting venue to explore art and music, all free.” What a wonderful mission and what better place to put it into action than Oyster Town, Connecticut. One recent initiative The Norwalk … [Read more...] about ENHANCING THE MALL EXPERIENCE: NORWALK ART SPACE BRINGS ‘THE MEANING OF US’ TO SONO
ENHANCED BY THE ENVIRONMENT: THE MOUNT’S SCULPTURENOW EXPANDS THE OUTSIDE EXPERIENCE
Within every outdoor sculpture exhibition, there is a synchronic event happening — the merging of the sculpture itself with the venue that supports it. Usually, the natural environment is an integral part of the whole, lending itself to a conversation with the curated work within it. Sometimes thework is dispersed among city structures, creating focal points within an angular backdrop. Very often one finds the work embedded in nature. At The Mount in Lenox, Massachusetts, trees and rolling lawns provide a gracious complement to the mostly large sculptures. Everything comes alive with the anticipation of what lies around any given corner. Founded in 1993, “SculptureNow” has had a long presence in the Berkshires and has had a symbiotic relationship with The Mount (Edith Wharton’s Home) for 10 years. Its collaboration with The Mount has given the event the ability to extend its reach in … [Read more...] about ENHANCED BY THE ENVIRONMENT: THE MOUNT’S SCULPTURENOW EXPANDS THE OUTSIDE EXPERIENCE
VISUALLY ARRESTING, PROFOUNDLY CONTEMPLATIVE
You would be well-challenged to name another art museum anywhere in the world blessed with the beauty of location possessed by the Ogunquit Museum of American Art (OMAA). This absolute jewel of a museum is so strategically positioned on such a picturesque piece of coastal Maine property that visitors are often torn between whether to continue mindfully appreciating the exhibited art or allow their senses to be irretrievably seduced by the beguiling kaleidoscope of coastline magnificence surrounding that art. Sun glinting off of salt water. Slick and craggy rocks. Lobster boats entering and leaving Perkins Cove. Stone-strewn and rugged coastal ravines where effervescent waves splash, sizzle and gurgle. All of this natural splendor — and more — is part and parcel of the experience of visiting the OMAA. Indeed, the Southern Maine coastline is an extension of the museum property itself … [Read more...] about VISUALLY ARRESTING, PROFOUNDLY CONTEMPLATIVE
TRANSMIT. TRANSCRIBE. TRANSFORM.
Jennifer Jean Okumura is a lot like her paintings: inviting, precise and composed of a soft power. We speak one sunny morning in her Harrison Avenue studio, where she has been creating art for the past 10 years. Across the room from a few of her dreamy works, we launch into conversation about the artist’s earliest influences. Though a visiting artist during her junior year of high school offered a decisive push to pursue art, from a young age she was compelled to create. When her mother decided the backs of math tests were not adequate surfaces for her daughter’s doodles, she hung large sheets of paper on the wall for Okumura to mark with drawings. There must be tens of them, rolled up, still in her childhood home outside Philadelphia. Okumura has always been an observer and an explorer, unafraid of (and perhaps drawn to) the unknown. As a teen she spent many afternoons venturing … [Read more...] about TRANSMIT. TRANSCRIBE. TRANSFORM.
A SYNERGY OF DIALOGUE
Featuring vessels by Jennifer King and paintings by Gyan Shrosbree, the Boston South End-based LaiSun Keane Gallery will present the exhibition “Lashing Out” from June 2 through July 16. This pairing of rich narrative styles relates a strong sense of female empowerment. In a recent conversation, Keane remarked that she finds it interesting to explore contrasts spark- ing a synergy of dialogue, a potential that she recognized with these two artists that caused her to develop this show. “When I planned this exhibition, my goal was to showcase 2D and 3D artworks by women artists,” Keane said. “I was thrilled to discover Jennifer King on Instagram and learn that she and I share common friends in California’s ceramics field. Artist Gyan Shrosbree was recommended to me by an artist I was working with, Susan Metrican. I was impressed by the way [each] used color and materials to explore … [Read more...] about A SYNERGY OF DIALOGUE