The Cambridge Art Association (CAA) is saluting the new year by presenting the art of today and providing an opportunity for viewers to join a critical culture dialog about timeless issues that concern us all. Its first exhibition of 2022, “Vernacular Glamour,” is part of the Platform Curatorial Opportunity series launched in 2019 by the CAA for curators to explore new curatorial and exhibition concepts. It will be on view in its Kathryn Schultz Gallery from January 6 through February 5. Curated by contemporary art curator Juan Omar Rodriguez, “Vernacular Glamour” presents works in painting, photography, new media, drawings and textile. Rodriguez, a Latinx born in Phoenix, Arizona, currently based in Philadelphia, is committed to making the art world more expansive by supporting artists of color, Latinx, and queer artists. He selected eight contemporary artists who have been shaping … [Read more...] about RAISING THEIR VOICES: RECLAIMING SPACES AND CELEBRATING IDENTITIES AT CAA

Attleboro Arts Museum’s Executive Director, Mim Fawcett, made an insightful decision inviting gallerist LaiSun Keane to jury the prize awards for the museum’s current Members’ Show. LaiSun Keane Gallery opened with a real freshness in Boston’s SoWa Arts District in September 2020 and since then has presented a roster of innovative exhibitions. Her gallery has participated in art fairs “SPRING/BREAK” and “Art on Paper” during New York City Art Fair Week and most recently participated in “Untitled” during Miami’s Art Fair Week. Keane focuses on developing opportunity for under-recognized artists and she is informed about the latest art trends. Kudos to Fawcett for making such an excellent jurist choice. The Members’ Show is an eagerly anticipated yearly event at Attleboro Arts Museum. Members may submit up to three artworks. The promise made by the museum is that all artworks delivered … [Read more...] about A GREATER INTENSITY OF VOICES: LAISUN KEANE JURIES ATTLEBORO’S PRIZE-WINNING SHOW

Valentine’s Day is approaching and “Love Stories,” a fabulous exhibition of portraits from the National Portrait Gallery, London, is a perfect way to explore love and sex vicariously. Over 100 paintings of famous people, famous artists, famous love affairs and famous sex scandals fill the Worcester Art Museum gallery. Almost every art style and medium is represented beginning with the 1571 oil portraits of the Archbishop of York and his wife, through 2018 photos of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The exhibit is almost overwhelming in its visual riches and storytelling. “Scandal and Tragedy” and “Love Against the Odds” are two topical groupings — out of seven — of portraits that have the most contemporary appeal. An example is the famous sex scandal of Oscar Wilde’s outlawed love for Lord Alfred Douglas for which he was sentenced to “hard labor” (Gillman & Co., 1893, … [Read more...] about A RARE OPPORTUNITY: LONDON’S NATIONAL PORTRAIT MUSEUM’S TREASURES AT WAM