For the third consecutive year, New England Sculptors Association (NESA) members have juried works placed throughout the outside area surrounding the Alternatives’ Whitin Mill Complex in Whitinsville, Massachusetts (where they’ve been since late fall) and, starting January 12, they’ll be joined by sculptures by NESA members inside the Spaulding R. Aldrich Heritage Gallery. ValleyCAST, the arts and culture arm of Open Sky Community Services, runs the exhibit. Formerly Alternatives Unlimited, Inc., Open Sky provides services for individuals with behavioral health challenges and intellectual or developmental disabilities. ValleyCAST and Open Sky provide outreach and events that enrich and empower an inclusive community. In 2015, Dennis H. Rice, who co-founded Alternatives Unlimited, Inc., launched the idea of having sculpture on its Community Plaza, which was named in his honor upon his … [Read more...] about A SCULPTURAL WINTER WONDERLAND: NESA CHANNELS MILL HISTORY AT VALLEYCAST GALLERY
Reviews
WE ARE STILL HERE: NEW ART CENTER’S INTERCESSION CHRONICLES BLACK COMMUNITIES
“INTERCESSION,” a meditation on personal and community agency, started as a response to the current war in Gaza. The exhibition asks, “How do we navigate when we begin to question who and what we understand? Is there a way to speak, when both speaking and being silent are equally volatile positions?” The photographic work of Alonso Nichols, Philip C. Keith, Sam Williams and Lauren Miller at the New Art Center’s Corridor at Trio Gallery in Newton, Massachusetts, explores these questions through three types of artistic practice: chronicling, projecting personhood and memory of space. As a genre of art, documentation, or the act of chronicling life within Black communities is overdetermined by the erasure and indignity caused by the history of enslavement. The inspirational oratory of abolitionists such as Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass, documented in revolutionary newspapers, … [Read more...] about WE ARE STILL HERE: NEW ART CENTER’S INTERCESSION CHRONICLES BLACK COMMUNITIES
BREAKING SILENCE AT SVAC: LAFOND AND DEL BUONO CONFRONT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
For Nayana LaFond the issue of violence against women is personal. Not only is she a survivor of domestic violence, she’s also a citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario with roots in the Red River Settlement and a descendant of the Anishinaabe and other Indigenous groups. As a cancer survivor as well, art is vital to her healing process, she said. “Art is medicine for me. In indigenous cultures, it’s medicine. I see the work I do as sacred.” LaFond’s art life began in childhood when she began using crayons creatively, a talent her kindergarten teacher encouraged. Later she skipped seventh grade to take art classes at a community college in Massachusetts where she refined her skills at drawing, painting and working with stained glass and clay. After finishing high school, she returned to Greenfield Community College where studying art became deeply meaningful to her. She transferred to … [Read more...] about BREAKING SILENCE AT SVAC: LAFOND AND DEL BUONO CONFRONT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
SITKA’S VIBRANT ARTISTRY UNVEILED: THE JOURNEY FROM TEXTILE DESIGNER TO MASTERFUL PAINTER
In a splendid fusion of colors, cultures and artistic evolution, the Sitka Home Art Gallery on Newbury Street, Boston, welcomes art enthusiasts to an extraordinary exhibition that transcends the conventional boundaries of creativity. Sitka, a name once synonymous with textile design excellence in the world of high fashion, continues to thrive as an artist of profound versatility. The mesmerizing exhibition, titled “My Hand Behind Ralph Lauren Prints: 1990s-2015,” on view from November 14 through 30, not only unveils the hidden stories of Sitka’s collaboration with the iconic fashion house of Ralph Lauren but also reveals the breathtaking metamorphosis of a gifted textile designer and a masterful painter. Sitka’s artistic journey is one that defies categorization, much like his boundless creative spirit. His art is a testament to a life rich in experiences, a tale of diverse influences … [Read more...] about SITKA’S VIBRANT ARTISTRY UNVEILED: THE JOURNEY FROM TEXTILE DESIGNER TO MASTERFUL PAINTER
THE SUPERHERO WE NEED: BRANDON CABLE’S RAT KNIGHT COMIC ART IN ROCHESTER
Well, this is a twist! How many comic book artists have you encountered in your life? When I heard of this exhibition, I thought it’d be fascinating to explore — because it’s so different from what we usually cover. Brandon Cable is a New Englander who hails from Connecticut and has drawn and executed art all his life. Even when he was quite small, the standard gift he received was paper, markers and lots of encouragement. He eventually found his way north to Manchester, New Hampshire, where he earned his BFA from the Institute of Art and Design at New England College — in yes, Comic Arts! Who knew? Professionally, he is employed as a graphic artist. When he was in school, his college’s art collective, the Society of the Unified Artists, or SOUA for short, came up with an idea for creating rat superheroes as their mascot. “SOUA” sounds like sewer with a Boston accent, and Cable ran … [Read more...] about THE SUPERHERO WE NEED: BRANDON CABLE’S RAT KNIGHT COMIC ART IN ROCHESTER
RECONSIDERING PASTELS: INTERNATIONAL SHOWCASE AT MAINE’S BRICK STORE MUSEUM
Perhaps, you wonder, what could be a unifying theme for an expansive show of pastels by 60 artists who hail from 14 states, Canada and China? I certainly did. The answer is simple. There is none, beyond superior art and a desire to educate the public about the lesser-known medium of pastels. But that’s enough. This show was organized by the Pastel Society of Maine’s Exhibition Committee. Its host venue, the Brick Store Museum, is in the seaside town of Kennebunk’s historic district. Dedicated to preserving and exhibiting the region’s rich cultural and artistic heritage for over 80 years, the museum is in a charming brick- front building on a tree-lined street. Distributed throughout four rooms, the exhibition delights the eye and feeds the soul. In addition to the works mounted on the walls, a video plays on a monitor — intent on educating those who aren’t familiar with pastels. If … [Read more...] about RECONSIDERING PASTELS: INTERNATIONAL SHOWCASE AT MAINE’S BRICK STORE MUSEUM