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
Wonderlust
CULTURAL, SYMBOLIC, SPIRITUAL.
It’s spring in New England! Let’s head out for a fun road trip! We’ll hit four art venues and a dozen artists, spanning the Seacoast of New Hampshire and Maine. Let’s begin in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. 100 Market Gallery is located at, yes, 100 Market Street, in Portsmouth. The current exhibition is titled “Viewpoints: 5 Artists Come Together.” The show runs now until July 9, and boasts 110 works. Photographers Annette Brennan and Jon Winslow sometimes overlap subjects, but then they take the road less traveled. Brennan will often focus on close-ups of nature — a “bee’s-eyes” view of a rose, or a startlingly bright juxtaposition of purple iris against yellow-green stems. A classic is her photo “Forsythia” — an abundant, almost canvas-dominating array of glowing forsythia, a weathered barn behind it shedding old red paint and a calming blue sky sets the stage. Her series … [Read more...] about CULTURAL, SYMBOLIC, SPIRITUAL.
A RETURN TO CAPE LIVING
Power, intimacy, legacy. These words describe the phenomenal exhibitions slated for the summer of 2023 at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM) and Cape Cod Museum of Art (CCMoA), two regional museums with international audiences and memberships. Each institution looks to its formidable community of artists for a lineup of great art by highly accomplished people and groups. Here are the dates, times and show descriptions for May, June, July and August 2023. PROVINCETOWN ART ASSOCIATION AND MUSEUM 460 COMMERCIAL STREET PROVINCETOWN, MASSACHUSETTS SKY POWER: BECKONING COLOR May 5 - June 25 Sky Power is a contemporary painter living and working in Provincetown. Her abstractions and dreamscapes are driven by emotion, strong composition and color-as-form, created through the language of abstraction. Influenced by three Hans Hofmann students — Paul Resika, Selina … [Read more...] about A RETURN TO CAPE LIVING
THE SPILLOVER WAS REAL
Art Basel is like a meteor that falls to earth creating an energy crater in Miami Beach, with layers and layers of concentric circles of influence reverberating for miles. During my visit, I spent much time digging for diamonds, being attracted to art that spoke not only for the moment, but that radiated infinitesimal revelation of the past and projections of possible futures. As an artist, curator and gallery director, I naturally stood in awe of the logistical tangles of such a large and complex event, of the thousands of workers involved in every aspect of the exhibitions, the gallery owners’ selections and vision, and logistical challenges and safety issues. Certainly, this is a feat of feats. Art Basel Miami Beach is the epicenter of the comprehensive Miami Art Week, and I also ventured off campus to the streets of the city proper to find out how the main event impacted the … [Read more...] about THE SPILLOVER WAS REAL
A SUPPORTIVE PLATFORM
Rising seas and high-rise buildings continue to coexist in Miami, a city threatened by climate change, vulnerable to constant floods and doomed to be swallowed by the ocean. While the water doesn’t claim part of southern Miami Beach, the art fairs continue to take over part of the landscape annually, trying to coexist and amicably blend in with nature. Artists have been, for decades, the leading voices echoing the need for social, political and economic changes while raising awareness about pressing environmental issues through their practices. Art fairs would only be expected to comply with contemporary art market interests by making meaningful changes and adapting to healthy habits. Consistency speaks louder than words. Founded in 2020, the Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC), a nonprofit membership organization, has been introducing proactive ways to yield results where members … [Read more...] about A SUPPORTIVE PLATFORM
A MAGNIFICENT GLOBAL ART EXPERIENCE
“Live life with no excuses. Travel with no regret.” — Oscar Wilde The art of travel is traveling with art! Are we there yet? While traveling, experiencing the world through the eyes of artists has always provided me with a safe method to understand the context and experience events that instantly connect me closer to the local culture. Inspired by the hiatus provided by the virus spread, with gratitude to science, the traveling industry is bouncing back. This past summer was the perfect setting to bid the international art world hello, again! As I satisfied my cravings for exploration of the global art world in person, my adventures included Ireland, Scotland and London. I ventured through some less-traveled and some heavily traveled roads, and the arts were always my guiding star. In Ireland, among my local discoveries were the hand weavers from the River Avoca. The little town of … [Read more...] about A MAGNIFICENT GLOBAL ART EXPERIENCE