Through early fall, the Boston Sculptors Gallery presents two compelling solo exhibitions exploring the boundaries of material, form and imagination. Wen-hao Tien’s “Flight Lessons” invites viewers into a poetic world of hand-formed clay pieces, trapeze-like swings and dynamic sculptures that meditate on freedom, resilience and the urge to push beyond boundaries. Simultaneously, Ellen Schön’s “Loftings” offers a striking investigation of ceramics at the intersection of tradition and technology, showcasing 3D-printed vessels and sculptures that balance digital precision with the unpredictable vitality of clay. Together, these exhibitions explore the tension between control and chance, human intention and material agency, inviting visitors to witness how art can simultaneously chart philosophical ideas and evoke tactile experiences. “Flight Lessons,” a new installation by … [Read more...] about BETWEEN PRECISION AND PLAY

An exhibition by highly accomplished artists about creepy crawlers? Surely you jest! Not so fast folks. If you allow yourself just a bit of being open to that which you usually shut down about, magical things can happen. When I first pitched this show to my editor, I felt excited about it. Because it’s quirky, it’s courageously creative and surely it was a professional challenge for the artists. I’ve experienced with artists that when they stretch themselves to do that which they’ve never done, there’s usually growth, excitement and inspiration. This show is even more fun because it is a site-specific one-of-a-kind exhibition. Never to be seen again quite like what you will experience at the Lamont Gallery. So, it is with “Strange Kin.” This show is by Jennifer Angus, Catherine Chalmers, Kate Kato, Ruth Marsh and Britt Ransom, five female artists from the United States, Canada and … [Read more...] about BEAUTY IN THE CRAWL

“Love and Practice,” the current exhibition at Catamount Arts’ Fried Family Gallery, offers the visitor more than it may have intended to do. It includes paired paintings and sculptures with the artists’ smock/shirt/pants and other apparel worn during their time in artistic pursuit. All eight artists are also staff at the Vermont Studio Center in nearby Johnson so in addition to studio time, they also serve to fulfill the daily tasks that keep that organization running. The gallery’s introductory notes inform us that these textiles and objects are discarded, yet here they serve as another dimension in the creative process. They are mounted above, below or just dangling from the works on exhibit. Indeed, there is a dialogue of sorts going on between painting, sculpture and discarded cloth. The discerning eye will see this conversation in the drips, spots, smudges, blots and stains of … [Read more...] about THE THINGS WE LEAVE BEHIND