There are certain locations around the world that have always attracted artists, and Groton, in the heart of Massachusetts’ Nashoba Valley, is one. The former home of Edmund Tarbell of the Boston School, who fell in love with the landscape; Mary Minifie, who follows in his footsteps; and Paul Matisse, whose Kalliroscope Gallery, in a repurposed old church, is a focal point of Groton’s local art and music scene. The work of these three and more than 20 other area artists will be on display through October 31 in “Sense of Place,” with a celebratory reception at The Groton Inn this Sunday, September 26, from 2-5 p.m. The Inn is also home to two J. D. Poor murals and a working gallery, the NOA Gallery at The Groton Inn, featuring 60 rotating works by New England artists. The exhibit was the idea of Bobbie Spiegelman, former President of the Groton History Center, whose goal was “to … [Read more...] about A SENSE OF PLACE: NASHOBA VALLEY ARTISTS & HISTORICAL LEGACY CELEBRATED IN GROTON
Exhibits
OUR SHARED HUMANITY: AMY FORD’S IN RELATIONSHIP EXHIBITION AT MCLAUGHLIN-HILLS BARN GALLERY
When you think “portrait artist” and the likes of Leonardo da Vinci (“The Mona Lisa”) or Rembrandt (“Self Portrait”) surface, you’re way off base. If you think Vincent Van Gogh (“Self-portrait in Straw Hat”), you’re getting closer. If you think Gustav Klimt (“Portrait of Adele Block Bauer”) you’re staying on track. But when you say “portrait painting” in the context of Seacoast (New Hampshire/Maine) artist Amy Ford, you need to capture an artistic expression more like Chuck Close (pixelated collages) or Picasso (Cubism and fragmentation). And yet, Amy Ford is none of these. She exudes her own poetic essence via her canvases and boards. Ford’s formal training began in the studio of Italian artist, Silvestro Pistolesi, where he instilled the classical Italian sensibilities and discipline so apparent in his work, and early on reflected in Ford’s work. And while Ford immersed herself in … [Read more...] about OUR SHARED HUMANITY: AMY FORD’S IN RELATIONSHIP EXHIBITION AT MCLAUGHLIN-HILLS BARN GALLERY
ARTISTS EXPLORE ‘ANOTHER CROSSING’ AT THE FULLER CRAFT MUSEUM
Over 400 years ago, the course of history changed when English colonists set out across the Atlantic bound for the “New World.” But for the Wampanoag people, this land was old, storied and contained everything they had ever known. At the Fuller Craft Museum, 10 artists were brought together to explore the depth and history of this event with its “Another Crossing: Artists Revisit the Mayflower Voyage” exhibition, on view through October 10. For artists Annette Bellamy, Sonya Clark, David Clarke, Michelle Erickson, Jeffery Gibson, Jonathan James-Perry, Jasleen Kaur, Christien Meindertsma, Katie Schwab and Allison Smith, this was no simple task. “The implications of the Mayflower crossing are so far-reaching that they are difficult to comprehend,” said Glenn Adamson, exhibition curator. “The voyage is both a national origin story and, given the widespread devastation of the … [Read more...] about ARTISTS EXPLORE ‘ANOTHER CROSSING’ AT THE FULLER CRAFT MUSEUM
A Day in Concord: ‘Dazzleship’ and ‘(un)seen’
When visiting Concord this summer, between stops at the Emerson or Alcott house, visit some of the art museums and galleries that dot this historic city. The Umbrella Arts Center and Concord Art are presenting poignant shows that explore the past and present of the human experience. The Umbrella Arts Center’s “Dazzleship” is a homage to seafaringvessels from the first World War that were painted with bold stripes and patterns meant to confuse onlookers. These “dazzle” patterns obscured the direction and velocity of ships on the water. The term finds renewed meaning with “Dazzleship,” a group exhibition curated by Michael MacMahon that – like dazzle paintjobs — aims “to toy with our perception.” Along with MacMahon, who also has a painting in the show, “Dazzleship” brings together 13 artists: Julia Csekö, Gage Delprete, Maya Erdelyi, Laura Fischman, Sarah E. Jenkins, Cody Justus, … [Read more...] about A Day in Concord: ‘Dazzleship’ and ‘(un)seen’
THE ART SCENE. BACK TO NORMAL?
New York held a ticker tape parade in honor of health care workers on July 7. Galleries are opening up in New York, Massachusetts, Paris, and more. The fireworks were phenomenal and well attended by joyous Americans eager to celebrate their liberation from pandemic restrictions, showing their smiles, hugging their friends, families and strangers. Amid all this back to normalcy, Artscope Magazine reviewed a photograph so representative of all that is happening that it made me believe we had emerged into a new and better world. Puerto-Rican Street photographer Ruben Natal San Miguel, in his first solo show, “American Beauty” opened July 4 at Gary Marotta Fine Art in Provincetown, showing a woman in the South Bronx, New York City, one of the country’s areas hardest hit by the Covid 19 pandemic. Dressed in patriotic red, white and blue, in ripped cutoffs, she embraces her young son, and … [Read more...] about THE ART SCENE. BACK TO NORMAL?
EMBRACE THE UNUSUAL AT THE ATTLEBORO ARTS MUSEUM
“Real or Imagined” at the Attleboro Arts Museum has something for everyone — paintings, sculptures, even 3D printed artwork. The 95 pieces in the show were selected by guest juror Clare Bell, exhibition director at the Guggenheim Museum. She narrowed down the selection from 756 pieces submitted by 416 artists from across the country. Of those 95, she selected six favorites which won jurors choice awards. The sheer variety in “Real or Imagined” is striking and is evident from the moment one enters the gallery. Immediately, the eye is drawn in different directions. Left are two large black herons sculpted from found objects, right is a bronze-colored 3D printed sculpture of a man emerging from a foot, and on all the surrounding walls are paintings and photographs – some abstract canvases of bright engaging colors and others that play upon childhood memories of toys and Halloween … [Read more...] about EMBRACE THE UNUSUAL AT THE ATTLEBORO ARTS MUSEUM