ELIZABETH MICHELMAN: WHERE TO BEGIN It seems a good omen that the director of the ChaNorth International residency program, Hungarian sculptor Brigitta Váradi, has offered me the studio she’d once occupied in the old Dutch Colonial “Farmhouse.” Through the south window of the former parlor, the February sun arcs over a leafless hogbacked mountain. To the north, a sweep of high-tension electrical wires crosshatches the rolling rows of stubble in the ice-bound pasture. I’d visited this Hudson Valley residency once before, as a guest critic. Now I was returning to rescue my own art. After the challenges of a recent move from Boston to Portland, Maine, I needed a respite. For many months, the routines mooring my inner and outer worlds had been disrupted. ChaNorth offered four weeks simply to make art in the company of artists. I invited along sculptor Suzanne Volmer, my Artscope … [Read more...] about AN ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCY ADVENTURE: ARTSCOPE’S MICHELMAN AND VOLMER AT CHANORTH

Massachusetts offers dozens of Open Studios weekend events across the Commonwealth, throughout the year. The majority take place in the spring, summer and fall, and most take place annually, though a few take place twice a year, for example, in Dorchester and Somerville. A handful take place monthly, including in SOWA in Boston’s South End and at Western Avenue Studios in Lowell. Open Studios can range from as few as 10 artists in one location to over 300 artists across one city or even a region like the South Coast (covering Dartmouth and Westport, Massachusetts as well as Tiverton and Little Compton, Rhode Island), Cape Ann or the Berkshires. Some incorporate shuttle bus services between artist studio locations, others are walkable across the board. Some Open Studios events include food trucks like a festival, others include live music and family activities. Some feature hands-on … [Read more...] about A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE: MASSACHUSETTS OPEN STUDIOS ENCOURAGE BROWSING, BUYING

Expo Chicago is a truly international affair with exhibits from 170 galleries, hailing from 75 cities, 29 countries and countless individual artists. A stunning display of modern and contemporary art for sale filled the main hall of Navy Pier, with a strong emphasis on contemporary paintings, drawings, photos and mixed media wall works. Attending with my husband, and “Myth Maker” partner, Andy Moerlein, it was our first time visiting this fair and we enjoyed the scale, scope and variety of the artwork on display. We attended Expo Chicago on opening night and met Lavaughan Jenkins at the gate. He is one of our favorite artists who launched his career in Boston. Jenkins toured us through his new paintings on view at the Vielmetter Los Angeles booth. The way that he layers the paint to build up his figures in low relief is one of the signature techniques of his work, which seamlessly melds … [Read more...] about ROOTED IN TRANSIT: NEW ENGLAND ARTISTS SHINE AT ART EXPO CHICAGO 2024

With the three-plus years of pandemic isolation behind us, that deep yearning for travel gnaws away at the heart as much as the psyche. We long to share conversation with people, draw in the scent of summer’s earthy outdoor bounty and take in the revised view of well-loved places that have lingered in memory for far too long. No more waiting — suddenly we are off — unless your passport has expired. A trip to the Médoc region of France may not be in the plans this year as I await the six-month lag to renew my passport but travels closer to home are just as satisfying. The hometown journey starts in Northern Vermont. My travel begins at South End Burlington’s Soda Plant, a former soda manufactory, reinvented a century later as an arts and entertainment complex in the city’s funky arts district. A lot has changed here: new galleries, cafes, bars, design studios — a basecamp for … [Read more...] about ADVENTURES CLOSER TO HOME