Hera Gallery’s “Silent Presence” exhibition opened on June 10 with limited hours. In this exhibition, which physically closed on August 1, four women artists used photography, sculptures and paintings to reflect upon the human perspectives of the man-made and natural world around us. You can see the entire exhibition online at https://www.heragallery.org/silent-presence. The title of the exhibit appears to be a nod towards the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has changed our lifestyles. In putting together the show, Molly Kaderka, Viera Levitt, Elizabeth Lind and Roberta Richman became familiar with each other’s work and found the common thread of nature’s presence within each other’s pieces. Painter Kaderka’s work in the exhibit expresses the theme of how humans relate to the natural world and find meaning and connection with it. Growing up in the Catholic Church surrounded by … [Read more...] about SILENT PRESENCE AT HERA GALLERY
Visual Arts
GOING FORWARD: PEDULLA AND DEVRIES ADAPT TO CHANGING ART MARKET
For artists, the start of the COVID-19 pandemic presented twin problems: how to show work, and how to sell it. The former was, to a degree, out of their hands. Galleries have been sorting out the conundrum through online exhibitions — juried and not — along with expanding their presence on social media and their own websites. As restrictions have eased, galleries have worked out safety restrictions and socially distanced exhibits. But the selling problem still remains, and the problem is persisting, even as the world opens up more and more. Paul Pedulla is a painter based in Massachusetts. His primary medium is acrylic on canvas, and his work has been sold internationally. Pedulla’s paintings often depict coastal settings in a minimalist style; ever-present in the majority of his works is a transfixing blue, assigned to sea and sky, with a depth so imposing that one feels able to … [Read more...] about GOING FORWARD: PEDULLA AND DEVRIES ADAPT TO CHANGING ART MARKET
WILL VIRTUAL EXHIBITIONS REMAIN ONLINE WHEN GALLERIES REOPEN?
In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, galleries and cultural institutions found themselves migrating online. The transition to virtual has been a mixed bag: some galleries made the move smoothly, while others have struggled. Many have upped their social media presence and outfitted their websites with new, interactive features. We have watched an entire industry expand beyond brick-and-mortar frantically, out of necessity. Michael Rose, the current gallery manager at Providence Art Club, found himself ahead of the virtual curve. “In the fall of 2019, I think I realized in earnest that in addition to my blog and other assets included on my freelance advising and appraisal website, I could use my platform to create virtual exhibitions.” As an appraiser and art historian, along with his work at the Art Club, Rose was in a unique position, “Because my day job is managing the … [Read more...] about WILL VIRTUAL EXHIBITIONS REMAIN ONLINE WHEN GALLERIES REOPEN?
BEST OF ONLINE SHOWS: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN ARTISTS MASSACHUSETTS CHAPTER’S “FLOATING DREAMS” STRIKES A CHORD
One of four current National Association of Women Artists Massachusetts Chapter (NAWA MA) online exhibitions, “Floating Dreams” is poignant and peaceful — a welcome invitation to reflect and an engaging collection of works. The show explores, in tandem, the realms of the subconscious mind and the physical, tactile world. Full of pieces that one might not immediately associate with its theme, “Floating Dreams” challenges viewers to stay present and inquisitive among each contributing artists’ work. And this seems to be exactly what “Floating Dreams” is about: leaving ample space for interpretation; implying the slightly fantastical or subtly surreal; and allowing us to access our inner dreams, constant within us though scarcely recognized. In viewing the exhibition as a whole, the inspirational force of the natural world becomes clear. A few works feature obvious representations of … [Read more...] about BEST OF ONLINE SHOWS: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN ARTISTS MASSACHUSETTS CHAPTER’S “FLOATING DREAMS” STRIKES A CHORD
THE BUSINESS OF ART: MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES FACE INTENSE CHALLENGES AND CHANGES
The landscape of the art market has clearly changed over the past three months. Economic challenges pervade the art market as other sectors equally feel the negative effects of shutdowns due to the coronavirus, but art markets, museums and artists uniquely suffer due to restrictions placed upon them by patrons and institutions. They, in turn, have explored possible approaches to increase their funding, some successfully and some not. The prohibition of large gatherings has ended art fairs, biennales and triennials for the time being, and may limit them in the future. Even if the sponsors choose to go on with the extravaganzas, they recognize that potential visitors, gallery directors and curators will be lax to get on a plane to attend. Art Basel, the granddaddy of art fairs has responded to the potential threat as best they can. They refunded 75 percent of the fees of galleries and … [Read more...] about THE BUSINESS OF ART: MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES FACE INTENSE CHALLENGES AND CHANGES
REFLECTIONS FROM UNDER THE RUG SHOP: A PERSPECTIVE ON COVID-19 FROM INSIDE ARTSCOPE MAGAZINE
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