The “Skyward Bound” and “Revival: A Spiritual Journey” solo exhibitions at the Ely Center of Contemporary Art bring two Guyanese, New England-based artists sharing personal experiences and reflections on cultural identity. “Skyward Bound” marks Marlon Forrester’s reentry into the New Haven art scene with a profoundly engaging body of work that defies conventional boundaries of color, shape and form. Originating from Guyana and based in Boston, Forrester boasts an academic background that includes a B.A. from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in 2008 and an M.F.A. from Yale School of Art in 2010. Following a transformative period at Yale, Forrester emerged as a pivotal figure within a cohort of artists who challenged institutional norms. His commitment to fostering diversity and critical complexity has propelled him, alongside fellow students, to navigate the historically … [Read more...] about GUYANA-BORN, NEW ENGLAND STRONG: FORRESTER & CROMWELL ELEVATE NEW HAVEN’S ELY CENTER
Reviews
PARADISE BETRAYED?: LANI ASUNCIÓN’S ACTIVIST LOOK AT HAWAI’I RARELY SEEN
The show title, “Duty-Free Paradise,” offers a glimpse of content through wordplay, punning to self-describe this solo exhibition by Lani Asunción at the Mills Gallery at the Boston Center for the Arts (BCA), that continues through April 13. Achieving a great exhibition layout is a subtle thing. “Duty-Free Paradise” benefits from being presented in kunsthalle-style, which involves clean, uncluttered placement so that complex ideas can emerge to reveal layers of meaning. In this case, there is a feeling of space, or breathing room, which benefits site-lines of association facilitating absorption of content. The scale of imagery in relation to the space is right. Credit for successful exhibition planning belongs to curator J.R. Uretsky and Asunción as cohorts on this project, a bristling term sometimes used now in the arts for working collaboratively. Visually, “Duty-Free Paradise” … [Read more...] about PARADISE BETRAYED?: LANI ASUNCIÓN’S ACTIVIST LOOK AT HAWAI’I RARELY SEEN
A BEAUTIFULLY CONCEIVED MESSAGE: ENVIRONMENTAL ARTIST CHRISTY RUPP ANCHORED AT FAIRFIELD
“Streaming: Sculpture by Christy Rupp” in the Fairfield University Art Museum’s Quick Center Marsh Gallery is a must see. Artists that work with recycled trash as their medium will witness a master’s hand with detritus and see work deeply endowed with the informed passion of a citizen scientist. As you enter, there is an all-consuming 30’ by 40’ stock photo on the largest gallery wall. It is like an IMAX image of mountains of plastic to the horizon without a hint of the earth beneath. Rupp uses this image to attach her “Petroplankton,” imaginative sculptural enlargements of micro-organisms at the bottom of the food chain, already compromised with micro-plastics. Composed of steel and single-use plastic, each of these 27 microbe objects is cleverly hidden in the wasteland. They have names like “Black Pipes,” “Drive Case,” “Floss Blue” and “Computer Board.” Wordplay is a tool Rupp uses … [Read more...] about A BEAUTIFULLY CONCEIVED MESSAGE: ENVIRONMENTAL ARTIST CHRISTY RUPP ANCHORED AT FAIRFIELD
INTERACTIVE “BUCKETS OF STUFF”: WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF BRAD CHAPMAN BLEAU
Taking its name from a 1976 song by Tom Waits, Brad Chapman Bleau’s first solo exhibition, “Step Right Up,” like the forementioned composition, is offering something for everyone in, “An exhibition of Junk Paintings and Assemblage Sculptures” at the Mary Cosgrove Dolphin Gallery at Worcester State University, where he is a gallery curator and adjunct professor of art. Entering his second-floor workspace at the Worcester Center for Crafts, in an area that also hosts Worcester State University Visual and Performing Arts classrooms as part of their partnership formed in 2009, atop a worktable, sits a large coil of barbed wire that he found 10 years ago. It’s joined by a work-in- progress featuring a backdrop of ghoulish looking cutout “holding” a wooden tray containing a toy gun, plastic skull, a box of Band-Aids, an animal bone and pack of Newport cigarettes. The borders of the room are … [Read more...] about INTERACTIVE “BUCKETS OF STUFF”: WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF BRAD CHAPMAN BLEAU
TURNING TRASH INTO ART: KIM BERNARD ENCOURAGES HANDS-ON LEARNING AT MILTON
An indication of an artist that excels in his or her field is their drive to grow, improve upon existing accomplishments and do it, “just that much better” next time. If you add on teaching and changing someone’s world view, all the better. Rockland, Maine artist Kim Bernard does all those things. Her creative expressions over the years are diverse — she said that they feed off each other and are ultimately connected. But how to capture a woman of unlimited passions and projects? Let me mention a few. Bernard is not one to be restricted. If she thinks it, she makes it happen. “One Woman’s Trash,” Bernard’s current exhibit at Nesto Gallery at Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts, was created by interacting with students at the academy — getting them excited about trash and turning it into art. She will return to the campus in early April as a visiting artist to create an … [Read more...] about TURNING TRASH INTO ART: KIM BERNARD ENCOURAGES HANDS-ON LEARNING AT MILTON
MAPPING A FUTURE ESCAPE: BOSTON SCULPTORS HOST JESSICA STRAUS’ NEXT ADVENTURE
In “Packing for Mars,” Jessica Straus reminds us that taking planet Earth for granted can no longer be an option. Jessica Straus’s solo exhibition presents a captivating fusion of black humor, nostalgia, longing and regret, echoing the timeless wisdom of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince,” which suggests that adults often lose touch with the essential innocence of childhood. Set against the backdrop of the Boston Sculpture Gallery, located in Boston, Massachusetts, from April 4 to May 5, Straus’s showcase invites viewers on a reflective journey, delving into themes of memory, human connection and environmental stewardship. Through a masterful blend of woodwork, mixed media and intricate craftsmanship, Straus imbues her pieces with a characteristic wit that opposes the more profound, sometimes melancholic narratives they convey. The exhibition is a futuristic reference to … [Read more...] about MAPPING A FUTURE ESCAPE: BOSTON SCULPTORS HOST JESSICA STRAUS’ NEXT ADVENTURE