UNIVERSITY SPOTLIGHT D. DOMINICK LOMBARDI: SAINTS, SINNERS AND THE COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS HAMPDEN GALLERY, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST 131 SOUTHWEST CIRCLE, AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS SEPTEMBER 10 THROUGH 29 by J. Fatima Martins There are gods and monsters in each of us. One person’s hero is another person’s villain; as Joseph Campbell famously wrote, “You could be a local god, but for the people whom that local god conquered, you could be the enemy.” In the exhibition statement for “Saints, Sinners and the Collective Unconscious,” artist D. Dominick Lombardi wrote that his work is his “personal freedom.” Our collective history and, therefore, unconscious, is haunted by saviors and destroyers, imaginative human-made entities derived from external and internal emotions and conditions. Our conscious struggle to break free from a mutual and vague imprisonment … [Read more...] about EXAMINING THE MYTH WITHIN: LOMBARDI’S GODS AND MONSTERS
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CORNERED: OLIVIA BERNARD
INTERVIEW WHAT LIES BETWEEN, RECENT WORKS BY OLIVIA BERNARD ORESMAN GALLERY BROWN FINE ARTS CENTER SMITH COLLEGE 22 ELM STREET NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS by Elizabeth Michelman Olivia Bernard’s sculpture has always spoken through the fingertips to the whole body. No matter how flat a piece becomes, there’s always another side — and always a sense of inside and outside. It’s tempting to read her small glass panels and attenuated sheets of handmade paper as following within the traditions of abstract or color field painting. But Bernard is neither a painter nor a follower and has no interest in carrying forward the ideological, political or art-historical agenda of abstract painting today. Her 3-D sculpture and installation is grounded in minimalism, feminism and process art. Drawing has always been an extension of her 3-D exploration; she approaches the surface not as … [Read more...] about CORNERED: OLIVIA BERNARD
WEEDING OUT THE OBVIOUS: WEN-HAO TIEN IN NEWTON
FEATURED ARTIST WEN-HAO TIEN: WEED OUT NEW ART CENTER IN NEWTON 61 WASHINGTON PARK, NEWTONVILLE, MA SEPTEMBER 22 THROUGH OCTOBER 19 by James Foritano Soon after Labor Day, common weeds will be carted to the New Art Center in Newton to be sculpted into an island in the center of its spacious Holzwasser Gallery. When the full spectrum lights are thrown on for the month-long exhibit’s September 22 opening — the brain-child of installation artist Wen-hao Tien — the culmination of the artist’s vision will shine in all its various weedy hues, forms and heights. And then begin to shift and shake — but more of that later. Right now, I want to question my use of the word “brainchild” — easy but not felicitous. Although Tien has led a decades-long career as an academic in Asian and international studies, first at Harvard University and recently at Boston University, her guts, … [Read more...] about WEEDING OUT THE OBVIOUS: WEN-HAO TIEN IN NEWTON
INTO THE THIRD DIMENSION: FIBER ART MOVES US IN LOWELL
GALLERY SPOTLIGHT THE FABRICATION OF IMAGINATION 2017 ARTS LEAGUE OF LOWELL 307 MARKET STREET, LOWELL, MA THROUGH OCTOBER 1 by Flavia Cigliano Viewing “The Fabrication of Imagination 2017” at the Arts League of Lowell (ALL) Gallery on a mid-summer’s afternoon was very enjoyable indeed. Well-lit and attractive, the high-ceilinged space allowed the 3-D fiber works to be displayed to their best advantage. The exhibit is part of an on-going tradition in Lowell, Massachusetts during the summer months, with most of the city’s larger arts and cultural institutions participating in a collaborative celebration of quilts and fiber-related works. The works at the ALL Gallery present a microcosm of a variety of the possible expressions of fiber art that have developed in the United States over the past 60 years. Starting in the late 1950s and early ‘60s, experimentation in all … [Read more...] about INTO THE THIRD DIMENSION: FIBER ART MOVES US IN LOWELL
SWEETS FOR THE SWEET: NOT JUST DESSERTS IN SHELBURNE
FEATURED MUSEUM SWEET TOOTH: THE ART OF DESSERT SHELBURNE MUSEUM 6000 SHELBURNE ROAD, SHELBURNE, VT SEPTEMBER 23 - FEBRUARY 18 by Elayne Clift Don’t go hungry to the Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education’s Murphy Gallery at Vermont’s Shelburne Museum between September 23 and February 18. That’s when a whimsical and somewhat decadent ode to America’s appetite for tasty confections will be on display, with pieces ranging from wildly decorated shoes to chocolate sculptures and tongue-in-cheek food installations involving everything from licorice to sugar cubes. Paintings, sculptures and ceramics add to the potpourri of art that head curator Kory Rogers said offers deeper meaning about our history and culture. While the work of both international and local artists using dessert-themed mixed media will offer a feast for the eyes and often a good chuckle, it also will … [Read more...] about SWEETS FOR THE SWEET: NOT JUST DESSERTS IN SHELBURNE
INSIDE OUT: CREATIVITY GROWS IN CONCORD
REVIEW 20TH ANNUAL OUTDOOR SCULPTURE EXHIBIT MILL BROOK GALLERY AND SCULPTURE GARDEN 236 HOPKINTON ROAD CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE THROUGH OCTOBER 15 by Greg Morell When I headed out to the Mill Brook Gallery and Sculpture Garden, I had no idea what I was in for. I soon discovered an arts paradise featuring a fascinating expression of gardens and outdoor sculpture situated in an expansive bucolic landscape where horses run wild in Concord, New Hampshire. The 2017 incarnation of their annual showcase of monumental fabrications in polished steel, marble, bronze, lacquered glass, and a plethora of natural materials including stone, fiber and clay – now in its 20th year – continues through October 15. It’s a show with many highlights. Nancy Reilly’s “Wedding Dress” offers a glimpse of the studied integration of garden and sculpture that well illustrates the unique … [Read more...] about INSIDE OUT: CREATIVITY GROWS IN CONCORD