By Brian Goslow Chesterfield, MA - For someone whose works seem permanently placed due to their multi-ton weight, James Kitchen’s iron sculptures move around -– a lot. The Chesterfield, Mass. resident’s “Saturn,” which weighs 3,000 pounds, was initially on the Northampton Fairgrounds before being moved to Worcester for its “Art in the Park” outside sculpture festival, the grounds of the Springfield Museums and the Northampton Courthouse before returning to Springfield, where it currently is one of 100 of his works on display citywide. The giant-like “Day’s End,” which debuted Memorial Day Weekend at the Paradise City Arts Festival in Northampton and currently towers over Worcester’s Elm Park, where it’ll remain till October 13; miniature versions of the work are currently available at Worcester’s Prints & the Potter Gallery, where they’re part of an exhibition of Kitchen’s … [Read more...] about Cornered: Sculptor James Kitchen
Artscope Online
Creatures at Touch Art Gallery
By James Foritano Cambridge, MA - If I seem a little out of breath, don’t worry; experimental theater does that to me. “Creatures,” staged by Boston Experimental Theatre (B.E.T.) at Pezhman Tavori’s recently opened Touch Art Gallery, worked its audience. Yours truly was obliged often to turn his neck and then his whole person to see actors who didn’t feel at all stage-bound, or even bound to a floor. Jared Wright, creature, could be found, as often as not, dialoguing with his partner creature, Lorna Nogueira, while hanging upside down from scaffolding intended to display arts and crafts. Ms. Nogeira, not to be “up-staged,” would, as often as not, attach herself to the acrobatic Mr. Wright, in order, I assumed, to keep their dialogue up-close and personal. Atefeh Nouri's bravura solo performance provided a fine coda to playwright, Mohammad Rezaee-Rad, based in Tehran, Iran. All … [Read more...] about Creatures at Touch Art Gallery
One Man, Two Guvnors at Lyric Stage
By James Foritano Boston, MA - “One Man, Two Guvnors” at the Lyric Stage resuscitates a tradition that goes back to Roman comedy and possible Greek antecedents, now lost. But the more immediate progenitor is Venetian playwright Carlo Goldoni’s “The Servant of Two Masters.” Goldoni took a tradition of broad farce in 18th century Italy and up-dated it to a more sophisticated genre for urban audiences. He kept to the satiric types, instantly recognizable, that wowed the rustics but removed their masks to reveal the actor’s faces, and thus gave more scope to individual acting talent. Types such as the grasping, controlling father, the impetuous, love-lorne daughter/son; the imperious master and oppressed servant; the materialistic cleric and the cowardly braggart paraded in a universal and eternal dance of fools. A happy ending was de rigueur, but the viewer could believe it or … [Read more...] about One Man, Two Guvnors at Lyric Stage
Cornered: Michelle Allison, co-owner League of N.H. Craftsmen
Littleton, NH - The September/October 2013 issue of artscope features wanderlust: Littleton, New Hampshire, which hosts its final Second Friday of the season this week and which will be holding its 44th Annual Littleton Art Festival on September 28 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Artscope managing editor Brian Goslow, who wrote the article, visited its League of N.H. Craftsmen location at 81 Main Street (at the Village Book Store) in July, and last month, in preparing the wanderlust feature, he conducted this email interview with Michelle Allison, co-owner of the store with Beth Simon. THE COMBINATION OF THE BOOKSTORE AND ITS ALL THINGS NEW HAMPSHIRE SECTIONS UPSTAIRS AND YOUR STORE FEATURING REGIONAL ARTISANS DOWNSTAIRS IS QUITE UNIQUE. HOW DO YOU FIND THEY COMPLIMENT EACH OTHER? It’s a mutually complimentary arrangement, with the two stores natural extensions of one another. We both offer … [Read more...] about Cornered: Michelle Allison, co-owner League of N.H. Craftsmen
CORNERED: Jon Stroker, owner, BAD-ART, Littleton, NH
LITTLETON, NH - The September/October 2013 issue of artscope features wanderlust: Littleton, New Hampshire, which hosts its final Second Friday of the season this week and which will be holding its 44th Annual Littleton Art Festival on September 28 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Artscope managing editor Brian Goslow, who wrote the article, visited BAD-ART gallery at 35 Mill Street in July, and last month, in preparing the wanderlust feature, he conducted this email interview with owner Jon Stroker. WHEN DID BAD-ART OPEN? BAD-ART opened on April 1, 2012 — a very fitting day for what we were doing. HOW DID YOU PICK LITTLETON AS THE SITE FOR THE GALLERY AND HOW HAS THE RESPONSE BEEN? I moved to Littleton from Connecticut about 11 years ago. Over the past couple of years there has been a great resurgence of Main Street businesses popping up in Littleton and there are now no empty … [Read more...] about CORNERED: Jon Stroker, owner, BAD-ART, Littleton, NH
CORNERED: Karl Saila, chairman, Five Rivers Art Alliance
By Brian Goslow Named for the five rivers that encompass the Midcoast Maine region, The Five Rivers Arts Alliance covers 12 towns spread over 200 square miles with the stated mission to strengthen those communities through the arts, “by increasing awareness, knowledge, education, appreciation, participation and support for the arts and other cultural activities.” They certainly do that through a series of monthly ArtsWalks and annual festivals. Artscope’s Brian Goslow cornered chairman Karl Saila to talk about the organization, those events and this summer’s successes. What does being chairman of Five Rivers Arts Alliance entail? As chairman I lead the alliance’s board of directors and as a group we are responsible for the performance of its established mission and continued success as a non-profit established under its bylaws to promote the arts … [Read more...] about CORNERED: Karl Saila, chairman, Five Rivers Art Alliance