Artscope Magazine

New England's Culture Magazine

Artscope Magazine | January/February 2021

Subscribe to the Magazine

A vibrant, dynamic magazine with arts news, reviews and info you can use, delivered right to your door!

Subscribe now

Sign up for our Email Blasts!

Special Artscope updates in your inbox every two weeks!

Sign up

News

ART DRIVING SOCIAL CHANGE GLOBALLY: THE NEW MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE GALLERY

// Artscope Online, News, Visual Arts

by Nancy Nesvet

The Middle East Institute (MEI), based in Washington, D.C.,  launched its highly-anticipated gallery for Contemporary Middle Eastern Art on September 13.  Featuring socially engaged work by seventeen artists, from Morocco to Afghanistan, spanning video, painting, sculpture, installation and performance, the artists’ inspirations, from Sufi poetry to folk art and popular culture challenge stereotyped identities while celebrating cross-cultural influences, breaking down political, linguistic and religious borders.   In a town rich with galleries and institutes, the new gallery at MEI brings a different kind of diplomacy.   Talking about the art with old and new friends and strangers, standing shoulder to shoulder with those of all differences, attitudes, nationalities and opinions, it is empathy for the human condition that holds us together. Talking to each other, crying together, … [Read more...] about ART DRIVING SOCIAL CHANGE GLOBALLY: THE NEW MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE GALLERY

Step into the Studio: SOWA September 21-22

// Artscope Online, Current Exhibits, News, Visual Arts

by Olivia MacDonald

A variety of art from over 200 artists resides in SOWA, the South End’s art district and this sunny weekend, the artists open their doors for an excursion that the whole family can experience. Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 6pm marks the start of the fall season of open studios, where visitors can wander through old factory buildings which have been renovated into artists’ studios. This is a unique event to meet artists behind their craft, whether it be painting, wire art, jewelry making, or repurposed natural materials. Visitors can observe artists in their creative environments and discover the process of a piece’s creation or purchase a piece that speaks to them. In studio 219 of 450 Harrison Ave, Ann Strassman, displays realistic acrylic paintings on corrugated cardboard that reflect everyday portraits of street life. She recycles cardboard in her own way in her wide open studio … [Read more...] about Step into the Studio: SOWA September 21-22

Art Against the Weymouth Compressor Station

// Artscope Online, Featured, News

by Bryanna F. Drew

For a fun family day of art and political activism, join the Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station (FRRACS), the Braintree Art Association and other environmentally conscious South Shore residents and artists on Sunday, June 23 for their Painting in the Park event at King’s Cove Park in Weymouth, Massachusetts. The event’s purpose is to raise awareness of the environmental and public safety concerns surrounding the proposed frack-gas compressor station planned to be constructed next to the Fore River Bridge. Frack-gas compressor stations are typically constructed in less-populated rural areas due to the high risks associated with these structures. The purpose of a compressor station is to increase the pressure in the pipes to increase the speed of the natural gas in order for it to be able to travel further distances. The goal for this specific compressor station … [Read more...] about Art Against the Weymouth Compressor Station

NAVIGATING THE DIGITAL MURKY WATERS OF COMMERCIALIZING ONE’S ARTWORK

// Artscope Online, Featured, News

by Bryanna F. Drew

Today’s day and age of commercialism is marked by ethically dubious fast-fashion markets, Ikea furniture, next-day shipping and low prices chosen over quality. Brick-and-mortar galleries struggle to gain business and no one wants to shell out hundreds of dollars on original pieces of art. In this world where cheap, mass-produced goods are the products of choice, where does that leave artists? In the modern technological age, it would make sense that artists have more opportunities than ever to have their work noticed, yet the marketplace has just become that much more ruthless in now-worldwide competition. Print-on-demand (POD) websites are the current popular trend in attempting to make money by commercializing one’s art. An artist can create a profile, upload their works and select the products that they wish their designs to be printed on (t-shirts, cups, calendars, classic … [Read more...] about NAVIGATING THE DIGITAL MURKY WATERS OF COMMERCIALIZING ONE’S ARTWORK

Washington D.C.’s Newest Museum

// Artscope Online, Featured, News, Visual Arts

by Nancy Nesvet

Encompassing the history, arts and culture of Palestinians, the Museum of the Palestinian People located at 1900 18th St. NW, near Dupont Circle is the newest museum to open in Washington, D.C. Work by contemporary Palestinian artists and artifacts illustrating the history and culture of Palestine will be displayed, including paintings by Palestinian artist Ahmed Hmeedat and a video, “Borders & Promises,” by renowned videographer, Haya Zaatry. The museum will host its opening ceremonies on Saturday, June 15, from 3–7 p.m. and Sunday, June 16, from 12–6 p.m., featuring tea and Palestinian sweets, contemporary visual art, historic artifacts and performance. The reception will include folk dancers performing the Dabke (meaning “stamping of the feet”), an Arabic folk dance first created in the villages of the Levant to remember the line formed by villagers joining hands and stomping … [Read more...] about Washington D.C.’s Newest Museum

CAMBRIDGE ARTS RIVER FESTIVAL RETURNS THIS SATURDAY JUNE 1

// Artscope Online, Featured, News

by Leah Hamilton French

The recent Memorial Day weekend, with its golden sun and warm weather, was a welcome respite after the long New England winter and a cold and rainy spring. I spent the weekend kayaking on the Charles, picnicking in my local park, and strolling the suddenly green streets of my neighborhood. Everywhere I went, I encountered other Cantabrigians out and about and enjoying the sunshine. Now that we are out, we don’t want to go back in. Thankfully, there are many free outdoors art events to look forward to as we slide towards summer. Coming up this weekend, don’t miss the 40th annual Cambridge Arts River Festival, now in its new location in the Central Square Cultural District. The festival, which will take place on Saturday, June 1, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., will bring the neighborhood alive with four stages of music plus dance, theater and vendors selling crafts, international foods and … [Read more...] about CAMBRIDGE ARTS RIVER FESTIVAL RETURNS THIS SATURDAY JUNE 1