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New England's Culture Magazine

Artscope Magazine | September/October 2020

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Artscope Online

REFLECTIONS FROM UNDER THE RUG SHOP: A PERSPECTIVE ON COVID-19 FROM INSIDE ARTSCOPE MAGAZINE

// Artscope Online, Audio/Visual, News, Uncategorized, Visual Arts

by Hannah Carrigan

In many ways it seemed as though something in the universe had been telling me the coronavirus pandemic was to come. I miraculously chose this semester to take a leave of absence from my college (which is five miles west of New Rochelle, the epicenter of the New York outbreak) and to spend it, instead, at Artscope Magazine’s “underground bunker” (so nick-named for its location under a rug shop). At the beginning of the pandemic I joked that COVID-19 was a form of divine intervention… a “Noah’s arc-type situation.” I don’t know if that’s what this is exactly, but I do know that what is happening now is both an ecological/biological and social/cultural episode.  The pandemic did not come as a surprise to everyone. The first recorded travel-related COVID-19 case came to America on January 21, while the outbreak in Wuhan had been ongoing since December. People like Bill Gates have been … [Read more...] about REFLECTIONS FROM UNDER THE RUG SHOP: A PERSPECTIVE ON COVID-19 FROM INSIDE ARTSCOPE MAGAZINE

ART IN PLACE ONLINE AT STANDARD SPACE

// Artscope Online, Current Exhibits, Visual Arts

by J.M. Belmont

In mid-March, the art scene all over New England — and slowly afterwards, much of the United States — came to a standstill — or at least its institutions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many galleries moved to appointment-only viewings. An overwhelming number temporarily closed altogether. Cultural backbones like the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston are closed to the public, with its date for reopening being extended to further and further dates. The communal feeling that art brings has been thrown out of synch. Even imagining the empty halls of museums or a gallery with its lights out brings a disconcerting mood. But some institutions are defying that mood. Standard Space in Sharon, Connecticut, has launched “Art in Place,” a rolling virtual exhibition focused on art relating to the ongoing pandemic. The idea for its development came to curator Theo Coulombe two weeks ago: “My art … [Read more...] about ART IN PLACE ONLINE AT STANDARD SPACE

COPING WITH COVID-19: INSIGHTS AND INNOVATION FROM THE ART WORLD

// Artscope Online, News

by Hannah Carrigan

While artists may be spending much of this pandemic in their studios working to produce new works, many of us are left without such established art practices to help us make sense of (or escape) our current radical reality. At the same time, COVID-19 has pushed art institutions and organizations to get creative about the ways in which they operate. Many have created resources for the general public, so that we can create, view or in some other way take part in the excitement and depth of art — from wherever we may be.  At a time when uncertainties, fear and illness plague our society, art remains a resource and practice which, in its essence, cannot be stamped out. And if we’re going to be quarantined, we might as well use our time at home to engage with that art: to pause, reflect, create and, ironically, participate. While galleries and artists scramble to keep their audiences … [Read more...] about COPING WITH COVID-19: INSIGHTS AND INNOVATION FROM THE ART WORLD

LUCIAN FREUD: THE SELF-PORTRAITS

// Artscope Online, Exhibits, Visual Arts

by J.M. Belmont

Two self-portraits by British painter Lucian Freud (1922-2011) are the first works one sees when entering the Museum of Fine Arts Boston’s "Lucian Freud: The Self-Portraits” exhibition. The most recent of the two shows Freud at close to 80 years old, while the other dates towards the end of the Second World War. The self-portrait of the older Freud is a delicious blend of pink and greys that faintly mellows his face. In the one in which he is young, his image is amateur, flat and everything is just ever so slightly out of proportion. His left hand is far larger than the right. His eyes are not level to one another and his mask-like facade is reminiscent of the skulls engraved on colonial tombstones. The exhibit consists of 40-odd self-portraits, ranging from his time in various art academies to shortly before his death nine years ago, at the age of 88. The collection is filled with … [Read more...] about LUCIAN FREUD: THE SELF-PORTRAITS

“A HORSE WALKS INTO A BAR” AND OTHER CURIOUS NOTIONS AT HAMPDEN GALLERY

// Artscope Online, Current Exhibits, Visual Arts

by Hannah Carrigan

D. Dominick Lombardi’s curation of whit is unmistakable. In a fine arts show at UMassAmherst’s Hampden Gallery featuring works by 26 artists, and with a theme as broad as humor, cohesiveness is not a given. And yet, while “A Horse Walks into a Bar” contains a myriad of mediums and styles, its parts come together to form a wonderfully silly, provocative and subtly nostalgic whole. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of “A Horse Walks Into A Bar” is the innovative and unique use of materials and methods to achieve a sense of playfulness and absurdity. Among the most intriguing of these is Lucy White’s Band-Aid prints, “Sex Pistols,” 2005, “Peace Panty,” 2006, and “I Hate You Brief  XL,” 2006. In her signature minimalist style, with an edge of art-poking-fun-at-art, White offers viewers an easy avenue into weighty issues like gender inequality and gun violence. Other exciting uses of … [Read more...] about “A HORSE WALKS INTO A BAR” AND OTHER CURIOUS NOTIONS AT HAMPDEN GALLERY

VIRTUAL MUSEUM TOURS OFFER ESCAPE FROM COVID-19 LOCKDOWN

// Artscope Online, News, Visual Arts

by Nancy Nesvet

Save yourself from social interactions while saving the admission fee while seeing great local, national and international art exhibitions. Artscope Magazine has previewed a wide collection of shows and picked the best for you to hunker down and watch in this time of social distance. MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON, HIGHLIGHTS TOUR. See the latest show and the permanent exhibit with great graphics and video without braving the traffic, human and auto. https://mfa.org/visit/mfa-guide/highlights NEW ENGLAND AIR MUSEUM VIRTUAL TOUR. While air traffic slowly comes to a standstill, look at the beginnings, middle and latest in air travel. http://www.neam.org/shell.php?page=virtual_tours BOSTON CHILDREN’S MUSEUM VIRTUAL TOUR. A great tour to keep the kids busy at home. Interactive and easy to navigate. https://www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/museum-virtual-tour GOOGLE ARTS AND … [Read more...] about VIRTUAL MUSEUM TOURS OFFER ESCAPE FROM COVID-19 LOCKDOWN