The colors pop off the wall and hit you right in the face — in a good way. The shades of spring and whatever your heart desires fit right in at the Artists’ Group of Charlestown’s 2021 Spring Art Exhibition, “Revitalized,” StoveFactory Gallery; and with all the windows open, the warm spring night filled the room. Before I walked into the exhibit, I had the pleasure of talking to one of the artists, Deidre Tao, about the show. She was excited for me to enjoy the art and told me to take my time as there was so much to see. She was not wrong. What I saw were landscapes, abstract paintings, cyanotypes, and even textiles. I was able to experience what gave new life to other people. Whether it was “Vineyard Cove” by Tao, a pastel sky over a beach scene, or botanical prints on silk by Pat McSweeney. “October” by McSweeney was novel to me and the way the artists captured the color … [Read more...] about REVITALIZED AT THE STOVEFACTORY ART GALLERY
Visual Arts
URBANO PROJECT CELEBRATES THE WARMTH OF WE HEAL’S ART WORKSHOPS
A click of a Zoom link and a question of whether the video would stay on and I was in to view the online closing celebration for the “We Heal” exhibition and book release coordinated by sculptor Nora Valdez in collaboration with patients from the Cancer and Sickle Cell Support Programs at the Boston Medical Center and Dana Farber Cancer Institute and youth from the Urbano Project. The project was an encouraging and inspiring workshop that allowed those going through hardships to experience the creativity they have. As everyone rolled in for the March 19 event, I sat and waited for the presentation of what would be beautiful art from people who do not consider them artists. It started with a warm welcome to show how much of a community had been built through this exhibition. The exhibition mimicked the feeling of healing and the work resembled places that feel good to those who … [Read more...] about URBANO PROJECT CELEBRATES THE WARMTH OF WE HEAL’S ART WORKSHOPS
THE BUSINESS OF ART: NFT’S ON THE MARK?
On March 11, 2021, a 10 second video clip by video artist Beeble, whose real name is Mike Winkelmann, was sold by Miami-based art collector Pablo Rodriquez-Fraile for $69,346,250 in Ethereum Digital currency. He had bought it in October 2020 for $67,000 making quite a nice profit less than a year later. No one to date has bought NFT’s (non-fungible tokens) for their aesthetic value, although Beeble’s work is quite beautiful. “Everydays: The First 5000 Days,” a collage of 5000 images produced over 33 years by Beeble, is a unique string of code called a non-fungible token (NFT). Unique to the buyer/owner, it cannot be reproduced or sent to anyone else. Consequently, the artwork can only be viewed by the purchaser, on their computer, or projected on their wall. It carries on the tradition of the Renaissance fresco, only viewable in the Medici or Sforza palace or church, and transferable for … [Read more...] about THE BUSINESS OF ART: NFT’S ON THE MARK?
CORNERED: JANUARY/FEBRUARY ARTSCOPE COVER ARTIST DANIELLE KLEBES
“Stray,” the painting by Danielle Klebes featured on the cover of our January/February 2021 issue, can now be seen at Springfield Museums as part of its “This Is Us: Regional Portraiture Now: Phase Two” exhibition. While she lives, and works in North Adams, Massachusetts, since earning her Master of Fine Arts degree in Visual Arts from Lesley University College of Art and Design in 2017 and after serving as MASS MoCA Artist in Residence, Klebes has spent a great deal of her time out-of-town participating in artist residencies at the Vermont Studio Center and Monson Arts in Vermont, various national programs in Ohio, Nebraska, Georgia and Michigan and international residencies in Quebec and Norway. She’s had a series of solo exhibitions in Massachusetts, Vermont, Pennsylvania and Quebec and participated in group exhibitions in New York and Colorado. Klebes, who mainly works in … [Read more...] about CORNERED: JANUARY/FEBRUARY ARTSCOPE COVER ARTIST DANIELLE KLEBES
RETURNING TO “BREATH”: ZARAH HUSSAIN PRESENTS MEDITATIVE ART FOR A WORLD IN CRISIS AT THE PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM
A healing show made for a troubled time, Zarah Hussain’s “Breath” offers an age-old request: to slow down, to breathe deeply, and to get in touch with who and where we are. The multi-media exhibition at Salem’s Peabody Essex Museum, and accompanying online content, could not be timelier. Global and local communities alike are mourning the insurmountable loss of life from COVID-19; the climate crisis is systemically and sporadically resulting in air pollution and wildfires which threaten our airways; and the last words of George Floyd (and so many others across generations and countries), “I can’t breathe,” have sounded an alarm in our collective minds. In the midst of it all, Hussain’s vibrant, concentric patterns resonate deeply with our most fundamental needs for health, healing and peace. Through subject matter, mediums and methods which match the moment and the movement with equal … [Read more...] about RETURNING TO “BREATH”: ZARAH HUSSAIN PRESENTS MEDITATIVE ART FOR A WORLD IN CRISIS AT THE PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM
SEEING PAST THE PANDEMIC: ROBERT DUGRENIER’S GLASS ART IN VERMONT
If you traveled abroad before the pandemic, you may have stopped in at the Paris Ritz and been awed by the round frosted glass elevator shaft that depicts scenes from the Napoleonic Wars, or perhaps the glass chandeliers at the Divan Hotel in Istanbul, or the serpentine glass installation that runs the length of the bar at London’s Dorchester Hotel. All of those are Townshend, Vermont artist Robert DuGrenier’s work. And that’s only a small sampling of his oeuvre. For more than 30 years, DuGrenier has worked from his glassblowing studio in Vermont and a secondary space in New York City. To say that DuGrenier is a prolific artist, is like saying Tiffany’s sells jewelry — where, in fact, DuGrenier’s work is available. When the pandemic hit last March and shutdowns and stay-at-home orders became the norm, DuGrenier, like many artists, found that his scheduled exhibitions were … [Read more...] about SEEING PAST THE PANDEMIC: ROBERT DUGRENIER’S GLASS ART IN VERMONT