FEATURED ARTIST WEN-HAO TIEN: WEED OUT NEW ART CENTER IN NEWTON 61 WASHINGTON PARK, NEWTONVILLE, MA SEPTEMBER 22 THROUGH OCTOBER 19 by James Foritano Soon after Labor Day, common weeds will be carted to the New Art Center in Newton to be sculpted into an island in the center of its spacious Holzwasser Gallery. When the full spectrum lights are thrown on for the month-long exhibit’s September 22 opening — the brain-child of installation artist Wen-hao Tien — the culmination of the artist’s vision will shine in all its various weedy hues, forms and heights. And then begin to shift and shake — but more of that later. Right now, I want to question my use of the word “brainchild” — easy but not felicitous. Although Tien has led a decades-long career as an academic in Asian and international studies, first at Harvard University and recently at Boston University, her guts, … [Read more...] about WEEDING OUT THE OBVIOUS: WEN-HAO TIEN IN NEWTON
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SWEETS FOR THE SWEET: NOT JUST DESSERTS IN SHELBURNE
FEATURED MUSEUM SWEET TOOTH: THE ART OF DESSERT SHELBURNE MUSEUM 6000 SHELBURNE ROAD, SHELBURNE, VT SEPTEMBER 23 - FEBRUARY 18 by Elayne Clift Don’t go hungry to the Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education’s Murphy Gallery at Vermont’s Shelburne Museum between September 23 and February 18. That’s when a whimsical and somewhat decadent ode to America’s appetite for tasty confections will be on display, with pieces ranging from wildly decorated shoes to chocolate sculptures and tongue-in-cheek food installations involving everything from licorice to sugar cubes. Paintings, sculptures and ceramics add to the potpourri of art that head curator Kory Rogers said offers deeper meaning about our history and culture. While the work of both international and local artists using dessert-themed mixed media will offer a feast for the eyes and often a good chuckle, it also will … [Read more...] about SWEETS FOR THE SWEET: NOT JUST DESSERTS IN SHELBURNE
INSIDE OUT: CREATIVITY GROWS IN CONCORD
REVIEW 20TH ANNUAL OUTDOOR SCULPTURE EXHIBIT MILL BROOK GALLERY AND SCULPTURE GARDEN 236 HOPKINTON ROAD CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE THROUGH OCTOBER 15 by Greg Morell When I headed out to the Mill Brook Gallery and Sculpture Garden, I had no idea what I was in for. I soon discovered an arts paradise featuring a fascinating expression of gardens and outdoor sculpture situated in an expansive bucolic landscape where horses run wild in Concord, New Hampshire. The 2017 incarnation of their annual showcase of monumental fabrications in polished steel, marble, bronze, lacquered glass, and a plethora of natural materials including stone, fiber and clay – now in its 20th year – continues through October 15. It’s a show with many highlights. Nancy Reilly’s “Wedding Dress” offers a glimpse of the studied integration of garden and sculpture that well illustrates the unique … [Read more...] about INSIDE OUT: CREATIVITY GROWS IN CONCORD
MENDING FENCES: REALITY VS. ILLUSION IN CHESTER
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT FENCES: A PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT BY MICHAEL PRESSMAN THE MAIN STREET GALLERY OF THE CONGREGATION BETH SHALOM RODFE ZEDEK 55 EAST KINGS HIGHWAY, CHESTER,CT THROUGH OCTOBER 16 by Tom Soboleski Photography, as we all know, is not real at all. It is an illusion of reality with which we create our own private world. So said American photographer Arnold Newman. Illusory is one way to describe the images in “Fences,” an exhibit of new photography by Michael Pressman in Chester, Connecticut. Composed mostly of composite photos that blend fences with out-of-place natural elements, they might be the trompe-l’oeil of photography — are the scenes real or an illusion? They certainly fool the eye. On display at the Main Street Gallery of the Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek synagogue through October 16, many superlatives could aptly apply to the photos — bold, … [Read more...] about MENDING FENCES: REALITY VS. ILLUSION IN CHESTER
MASTERFUL INFLUENCE: THIERRY’S TRIBUTE TO MONET
REVIEW GABRIELLE THIERRY: THE MUSICALITY OF THE WATER LILIES — COLORED MUSICAL SCORES INSPIRED BY CLAUDE MONET WATER LANDSCAPES IRIS AND B. GERALD CANTOR ART GALLERY COLLEGE OF THE HOLY CROSS ONE COLLEGE STREET, WORCESTER, MA THROUGH OCTOBER 7 by Beth Neville A French artist, Gabrielle Thierry deserves a warm welcome in the United States for her colorful and enchanting large-scale paintings inspired by Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies” murals. Shipped directly from Paris, France, her eight oil-on-canvas paintings are on exhibit through early October at the Cantor Art Gallery at the College of the Holy Cross. Thierry employs a complex theoretical system of her own invention to “translate” Monet’s late works into a personal vision involving art and music. But to appreciate Thierry’s art, the viewer must look directly at the paintings without considering her theories. … [Read more...] about MASTERFUL INFLUENCE: THIERRY’S TRIBUTE TO MONET
EXPLORING ABSTRACTION: POGOR AT COLO COLO
FEATURED ARTIST ELIZABETH POGOR COLO COLO GALLERY 101 WEST RODNEY FRENCH BOULEVARD NEW BEDFORD, MA THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30 by Brian Goslow Elizabeth Pogor has spent a good part of her summer creating many of the paintings that will be on display in her first exhibition of oil paintings at New Bedford’s Colo Colo Gallery through the end of September. She received the show through old-fashioned networking with a modern twist. Pogor sent a private message and an image to Luis Villanueva, owner and director of Colo Colo Gallery, through the gallery’s Facebook Page, request-ing that he visit her website to review her work. “I did and I liked what I saw,” he said, “and we made an appointment for her to see my gallery.” He found she complemented his existing artist roster. “The gallery has nine years of history in promoting women artists with talent,” Villanueva said. “She is a … [Read more...] about EXPLORING ABSTRACTION: POGOR AT COLO COLO