“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

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

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

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

“Unfinished Business” at the Newport Art Museum includes 40 works by female-identifying artists, depicting a full range of media and artistic intent, from angst to protest, concern for the environment, empathy and reverie. Exhibited on several floors of the museum’s John N. A. Griswold House, designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt and completed in 1864, the artwork both resonates and contrasts with the building’s soaring ceilings and heavily carved wooden interior. The exhibit title is a quote from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who stated: “the rights of women and girls is the unfinished business of the 21th century.” Curator Francine Weiss’ mission with this exhibit is “to share a diversity of art and experiences that spark reflection, inspiration, discovery and connections within our Newport community and beyond.” Weiss is responsible for the acquisition of 31 of the … [Read more...] about NEWPORT’S UNFINISHED BUSINESS: CURATOR WEISS’ ACQUISITIONS SHAPED LANDMARK SHOW

In a world too often portrayed as exclusively fractured and discordant, there is an urgent need to counter this view, offering instead a clearer picture of the infinite ways humans have worked to create bonds of harmonious interaction, whether for pragmatic needs, such as trade and cooperative commerce, or prompted by moral and ethical imperatives. Behind the strife of war and conflict we are shown daily, there is and has been a constant underlay of social stability built on mutual agreement for the benefit of all. “Painting the Persianate World: Portable Images on Paper, Cloth And Clay” at Smith College Museum of Art brings societal collaboration to the fore through distinctive images from the Persianate world between the 13th and 19th centuries, sharing a living narrative of intercultural connection. Since ancient times, Persia as a region has been home to diverse populations and … [Read more...] about PAINTING THE PERSIANATE WORLD: SMITH EXHIBITION AN INVIGORATING HISTORY LESSON