By John Paul Stapleton. Boston, Mass. - The Copley Society of Art is currently displaying their annual Summer Members’ Show in the Upper Gallery. This year, Richard Baiano & Stephanie Bond, president and vice president of the neighboring Child’s Gallery, juried the show. “Aphrodisiacs” by Shell Eager took first place, followed by “In The Well of Katherine by Kat O’Connor. “L’Oeuf I” by Debby Krim took third while “Bounty” by Matthew Miller received an honorable mention. Aside from these great pieces, there are many other works in the show that deserve attention — and are for sale. Wendy Hale’s watercolor painting, “Running Late,” is a colorful city street scene. A rainbow created by the lights flooding into the image replaces the normal grays and mundane colors. The people in this image take on this rainbow as well, making them silhouettes that are equal parts to the … [Read more...] about Summer Members’ Show: As Expected at the Copley Society of Art
Visual Arts
Jim Shaw: Entertaining Doubts at Mass MoCA
By John Paul Stapleton North Adams, Mass. - In one of the biggest exhibitions Mass MoCA has ever installed, Jim Shaw’s multi-faceted talents and wide range of mediums come together in “Entertaining Doubts,” his biggest exhibition to date. The Los Angeles-based artist has taken over multiple galleries within the museum with his 115 pieces including backdrop paintings, video art, sculpture and even furniture. The whole exhibit teeters on the line of irony while still having a serious message within each piece such as with the ‘70s mom-styled wig on a tank crashing through a brick shopping mall wall in “Delilah.” The main attraction of the exhibit was his work with Superman as the subject, such as his huge installation “Not Since Superman Died,” which takes up a high ceiling room in the museum where strips of his backdrop are arranged throughout showing different stages of the … [Read more...] about Jim Shaw: Entertaining Doubts at Mass MoCA
The Isles Arts Initiative
By James Foritano Boston, MA - I enjoy sun, but as we ferried from Boston to George’s Island on a sunny Saturday afternoon, on July 11, even with a broad-brimmed hat, I felt like I had over-stayed my welcome on the top deck despite stunning views of Boston’s cityscape. I was onboard for this nautical adventure to take in the Isles Arts Initiative intended to call attention to the Boston Harbor Islands through its summer long public art series on George’s and Spectacle islands. (A counterpart exhibition at the Boston Sculptors Gallery from July 22 through August 14 will capture the intrinsic beauty of the 34 harbor islands.) In a mere 45 minutes, I was back on land to look at art outside on green parade grounds of George’s Island and inside a fort that was state-of-the-art when it was completed in 1863. The insides of Fort Warren are, in peace-time, blessedly dark and deep. One … [Read more...] about The Isles Arts Initiative
The Discover Quincy Pop Up Art Gallery
By John Paul Stapleton Quincy,MA - The corner of Ross and Cliveden is host to a huge graffiti mural that reads, “Quincy for the arts” which is fitting for the building that has been alive with creativity this summer thanks to Discover Quincy. Every Friday this summer, a free pop-up gallery has been open to the public to show how important art is to Quincy, said curator, Megan Marini, who donated her time to this pop-up gallery. The show features live music by various Quincy-local artists, a beer and wine bar, and artwork of all kinds from artists that is for sale with 100 percent of the profit going to the artist. “The feeling is that Quincy’s personality isn’t portraying like it is,” Marini said. “They need a place to experience the real personality of Quincy.” When picking the pieces, Marini said she wanted it to be contemporary and be able to make the observer feel something. … [Read more...] about The Discover Quincy Pop Up Art Gallery
Possessions: Prized and Otherwise at the Attleboro Arts Museum
By Brian Goslow Attleboro, MA - “Possessions: Prized and Otherwise,” currently on view at the Attleboro Arts Museum, 86 Park St., Attleboro, Mass., is the result of a nationwide call to artists to use any and all artistic mediums, regardless of size or how outrageous the concept, to explore the meanings behind “the things we hold dear – and the things we just plain hold.” The over 80 works — juried by Nancy and Lucy Grogan of Grogan and Co. Fine Art and Jewelry Auctioneers of Boston — and curated by museum executive director Mim Brooks Fawcett, include family heirlooms, travel souvenirs, treasured bric-a-bracs and items that unexplainably survived moving day. Artscope managing editor exchanged questions via email with co-juror Nancy Grogan to get insight into how the work featured in the exhibition were selected. HOW DID YOU APPROACH LOOKING AT THE WORK SUBMITTED FOR … [Read more...] about Possessions: Prized and Otherwise at the Attleboro Arts Museum
Gateway Arts presents Up the Ladder to the Open Door at the Open Door Gallery
By John Paul Stapleton Boston, MA - Gateway Arts has been helping disabled artists break into the mainstream since 1973 and is still going strong with their new “Up the Ladder to the Open Door Gallery” exhibit. Gateway artistic director Stephen DeFronzo and Lorri Berenberg curated this exhibit using work from artists who participated in Gateway’s “Up the Ladder'’ program. Over the past two years, these artists have worked with facilitators to create portfolios and a presence in their local arts community. The exhibit is being shown in the Open Door Gallery, hence the name, which is a space Gateway has worked with before in their mission to give disabled artists a voice; it’s located a few blocks from South Station on South Street. “We’re dedicated to provide arts based services to adults with disabilities” DeFronzo said. Gateway not only gives these adults a studio to work on … [Read more...] about Gateway Arts presents Up the Ladder to the Open Door at the Open Door Gallery