By Nancy Nesvet In his centennial year, Ralph Fasanella, an artist who painted for thirty years before he was recognized as a great painter, is currently celebrated in Cooperstown, NY, New York City, and Washington, D.C. Each show illustrates his dedication to working people and the America he loved. Following 2013 exhibits in Lawrence, Massachusetts and at the Andrew Edlin Gallery in New York City, the celebration of Ralph Fasanella’s centennial continues. In Washington, D.C. the Smithsonian Museum of American Art’s exhibition, Lest We Forget, May 2-August 3, features Fasanella’s paintings of New York City, Lawrence, Mass., strikes, and laborers. There are paintings of political events as well, including the Rosenberg trial, the Kennedy assassination, and the McCarthy trials. Fasanella’s “Family Supper” borrows from the Ellis Island Memorial, “Modern Times,” and is a comprehensive … [Read more...] about Power to the People: Three shows of work by Ralph Fasanella
Artscope Online
Outsider Art Series: Judy Taylor’s Maine Labor History Mural Part 3
By Nancy Nesvet When Judy Taylor was commissioned to create the History of Maine Labor mural, Governor Balducci was in office. He and the members of the Maine Commission on the Arts were proud of the history of Maine labor, as it is depicted in the murals and proud of union and government input into laws and policies protecting workers. The problem resulted when Paul LePage became Governor. On March 22, 2011, Laura Boyett, an official in Governor LePage’s administration, announced a planned removal of the mural to the Department of Labor staff. Over the weekend of March 26-27, 2011, Taylor’s mural was removed from the Maine Department of Labor building in Augusta, due to an order from the state’s governor, Paul LePage, a Republican closely aligned with business interests and a businessman himself. Governor LePage cited an e-mail he had received that said the mural was antagonistic to … [Read more...] about Outsider Art Series: Judy Taylor’s Maine Labor History Mural Part 3
Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Belasco Theater
By Donna Dodson New York, NY - Currently playing on Broadway at the Belasco Theater in New York City, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” has been nominated for 8 Tony awards — so far. This rock musical is centered around Hedwig, the transgendered lead singer in a fictional rock and roll band from East Germany. The production, written and performed by John Cameron Mitchell with music and lyrics by Stephen Trask, first appeared off Broadway in 1998. One of the over arching themes of Hedwig is the story of platonic love, as it was explained to Hedwig (aka Hansel) when he was a little boy. In 2001, John Cameron Mitchell starred in the movie version that continued the theme of love, search for self and gay/queer gender roles and identity politics as it plays out in Hedwig’s search for rock stardom. The current Broadway production, featuring Neil Patrick Harris in the lead role, resurrects … [Read more...] about Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Belasco Theater
Outsider Art Series: Judy Taylor’s Maine Labor History Mural Part 2
By Nancy Nesvet It is important to understand both the history of the creation of the Maine Labor Mural cycle, including decisions about the content and style of the mural. The Reed Act, an unemployment fund administered by the Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. and nine other streams of funding at the U.S. Department of Labor provided funds to the State of Maine to fund an artist to create a mural for the Maine State Department of Labor building in Augusta. [i] The Maine Commission on the Arts was charged with administering a juried process to choose an artist to create the artwork and to be paid a commission of $62,000. During the administration of Governor John Balducci, in 2008, artist Judy Taylor was chosen. She embarked upon a process of researching the topics for a set of ten panels (later adding an additional panel) for the space, with the aid of Professor Charles … [Read more...] about Outsider Art Series: Judy Taylor’s Maine Labor History Mural Part 2
Abe Lincoln’s Piano at the Emerson/Cutler Majestic Theatre
By James Foritano Boston, MA – Artscope was at the Cutler Majestic Theater for a recent performance as Hershey Felder stepped out on stage with only artfully configured lighting and a few props to lead us through the crisis of President Lincoln’s assassination. It helps, when one has something to say, especially over the length of 90 minutes, to be multi-talented. To sing, to dance, to mime, to mimic doesn’t necessarily illuminate every wrinkle of this complex communal and personal tragedy, but it does provide entertainment, and even provocation to wonder. In popular song and musical accompaniment (on Abe Lincoln’s piano) Mr. Felder conjures up the world of sound and rhythm of an era. And we hear that world comforting and dialoguing with itself when art was largely homemade. Along this journey, Felder eloquently assumes and sheds multiple personas but concentrates on the … [Read more...] about Abe Lincoln’s Piano at the Emerson/Cutler Majestic Theatre
Artscoped! Revisiting Robert S. Neuman
By Kimberlee Meserve The last time artscope caught up with Robert S. Neuman was in 2007, when his retrospective, Robert S. Neuman: Selected Work 1954-2007, was being shown at the Beard/Weil Gallery at Wheaton College. At 87 years young, Neuman is still a busy man. Since his retrospective at Wheaton, he has had many themed shows concentrating on specific bodies of work and a number of retrospectives. Last year, he had a major retrospective, Definition of Place: 1950-2012, which featured over 50 pieces of work, from comics he wrote to his first wife when he was drafted to the Air Force in the '40s, to pieces he made in college, along with his more recent paintings. The show was exhibited at The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho, Idaho Falls, Idaho and the Prichard Art Gallery, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho. Definition of Place 1950-2012 was a retrospective in more ways than one. It … [Read more...] about Artscoped! Revisiting Robert S. Neuman