We often think of plastic as a nuisance, a pollutant or as an unnecessary evil. Plastic is everywhere, introduced to us the moment we’re born. Necessary and overused, contradictory and highly politicized, plastic has been demonized in American culture for the environmental impact it can have when improperly used and discarded of — which is, unfortunately, too often what happens. The ability to render the demonized into something adorable is a kind of power all on its own. Artist Michelle Lougee has done just that with her latest installation along Arlington’s Minuteman Bikeway. Sponsored by the Arlington Commission for Arts and Culture (ACAC), “Persistence”showcases plastic with a positive spin in 38 unique sculptures that Lougee created and hung from trees along the bikeway. (To read more, pick up a copy of our latest issue! Find a pick-up location near you or Subscribe Here.) … [Read more...] about THE SECRET LIFE OF PLASTIC: MICHELLE LOUGEE’S ENVIRONMENTAL ART IN ARLINGTON

When I think of scale in art, Monet’s water lilies or Cristo and Jeanne-Claude’s environmental installations spring to mind. While large-scale works immerse us, small-scale works ask us to squint up close to explore every detail. The 13th Biennial Miniature Print International Exhibition at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking requires just this. Curated by Christina Weyl, author of “The Women of Atelier 17: Modernist Printmaking in Midcentury New York,” this exhibition features 128 miniature prints generally measuring two-by-two inches, none more than four. (To read more, pick up a copy of our latest issue! Find a pick-up location near you or Subscribe Here.) … [Read more...] about SMALL SCALED CLASSICS: CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY PRINTMAKING IN MINIATURE

Artist Ruben Natal-San Miguel is a September 11 survivor. He escaped from the North Tower while working as a financial controller. Like it was for millions of New Yorkers, that day was a turning point for Miguel, who began photographing portraits afterwards, as if to soothe a collective memory or freeze moments in time that once were beautiful. Fast-forward 20 years, and Ruben is now a prolific photographer — and still based in New York City. “Some things you just can’t look away from,” he said about the city. “New York is like that. It’s a city of layers.” Indeed, the metropolis is chock full of layers — visual, auditory and physical — and they continuously renew. For Ruben, this richness made him curious about people. He began to seek them out, eventually photographing them as part of a larger attempt to understand his own place in the world. The subjects of his fascination are … [Read more...] about UNPEELING NEW YORK’S LAYERS: NATAL-SAN MIGUEL’S ATYPICAL BEAUTY