REVIEW ARTSCONNECT CATAMOUNT ARTS 115 EASTERN AVENUE ST. JOHNSBURY, VERMONT THROUGH FEBRUARY 16 by Elayne Clift It all began in 1975 when filmmaker Jay Craven launched a four-night-a-week, traveling 16mm film series presenting foreign, classic, and independent movies to residents in rural communities of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. By 1986, it had grown to become Catamount Arts, now northern New England’s largest independent arts center, which helped found other cultural organizations such as Circus Smirkus and Kingdom County Productions. Today, it is responsible for a diversified program in film, music, theater, dance and visual art that enhances the lives of residents throughout northern Vermont and New Hampshire. In its early years, Catamount Arts operated from a modest building located next door to St. Johnsbury’s Masonic Temple. In 2005, the Masonic Lodge … [Read more...] about ENRICHING AND EDUCATING: ART CONNECTS AT CATAMOUNT
January/February 2018
BEAUTIFUL MINDS AT FULLER: EXPLORING MENTAL HEALTH THROUGH ART
COVER STORY MINDFUL: EXPLORING MENTAL HEALTH THROUGH ART FULLER CRAFT MUSEUM 455 OAK STREET BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS THROUGH APRIL 22 by Beth Neville “Memento Mori,” a woodblock print with cut mylar crafted by Swoon, is a technical “tour de force” that dominates the Fuller Craft Museum’s “Mindful” exhibition. Memento mori in Latin means remembrance of death. This writer’s first-born baby girl died at four months of age, and Swoon’s imagery brings back all the sadness and anguish of that loss. In a dance of life and death, Swoon’s four images of women are surrounded by skeletons and fleshless skulls, somewhat softened by a lacy pattern of palm fronds and curling cloud patterns. Her complex image begins with an aging-dying woman whose fleshless arms and hands embrace a smiling, young woman embracing a little girl. This young woman’s upper torso morphs into a bony … [Read more...] about BEAUTIFUL MINDS AT FULLER: EXPLORING MENTAL HEALTH THROUGH ART
EVOKING CURIOSITY AND EMPATHY: TRANSMUTATIONS AT MONTSERRAT
REVIEW TRANSMUTATIONS MONTSERRAT GALLERY MONTSERRAT COLLEGE OF ART 23 ESSEX STREET BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS THROUGH JANUARY 20 by Elizabeth Michelman “Transmutations,” on view at Montserrat College of Art’s main gallery and curated by Michele L’Heureux, features three figurative artists. Their paintings, ranging from the very small to the entire wall, are created with acrylic and airbrush on canvas, oils, markers on paper and even glazed ceramic panels. Along with a realist technique, they share the power of a convincing likeness that evokes curiosity and empathy for the person behind the image. Following quite different agendas, the artists incorporate photographic sources and employ collage processes to recombine pre-existing materials into a new whole. To read more, pick up a copy of our latest issue! Find a pick-up location near you or Subscribe Here. … [Read more...] about EVOKING CURIOSITY AND EMPATHY: TRANSMUTATIONS AT MONTSERRAT
COURTING THE UNCONTROLLABLE: PRACTICAL MAGIC AT GALATEA
FEATURED GALLERY COURTING THE UNCONTROLLABLE, PARTS I & II NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN ARTISTS OF MASSACHUSETTS GALATEA FINE ART 460 HARRISON AVENUE B-6 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS PART 1: JANUARY 3 THROUGH 28 PART 2: FEBRUARY 1 THROUGH 25 by J. Fatima Martins In her statement about “Courting the Uncontrollable I & II,” artist Marsha Nouritza Odabashian explained why she was selected as exhibition juror: “Establishing a relationship to the uncontrolled is an interest of mine, through the stories extracted from onion skins randomly poured onto paper and canvas. While I have enjoyed developing and jurying these two shows, my work is only included through imagery to help clarify my choices.” “Courting the Uncontrollable I & II” are the inaugural shows in the Curator’s Platform at Galatea Fine Arts, Boston, and the theme of the exhibition was developed by Jennifer Jean … [Read more...] about COURTING THE UNCONTROLLABLE: PRACTICAL MAGIC AT GALATEA
FINDING A VOICE: SEVEN OUTSPOKEN WOMEN AT HESS
FEATURED EXHIBITION OUTSPOKEN: 7 WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS HESS GALLERY PINE MANOR COLLEGE 400 HEATH STREET CHESTNUT HILL, MASSACHUSETTS THROUGH FEBRUARY 10 by Lisa Mikulski What does it mean to be outspoken? In today’s social and political environment, there are those of us who have certainly been outspoken. The political resistance, scores of journalists, the Women’s March and, most recently, the #MeToo Movement have rolled through our nation like sweeping tides. But even as women now come forth in staggering numbers to express themselves, often the voices of these individual girls and women are dismissed or victim-blamed into submission. There are those whose voices have never, nor will ever, be heard. “Outspoken: Seven Women Photographers,” now on view at Pine Manor College’s Hess Gallery, presents the voices of women who illuminate their stories — their … [Read more...] about FINDING A VOICE: SEVEN OUTSPOKEN WOMEN AT HESS
CORNERED: SMFA AT TUFTS DEAN NANCY BAUER
INTERVIEW DEAN NANCY BAUER, SCHOOL OF THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS AT TUFTS by Laura Shabott I walk into the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) at Tufts on the day of its alumni reception for the annual SMFA Art Sale fundraiser. The energy in the school is palpable; this is one of the busiest days of the year for the 147-year-old institution. I am greeted warmly by Clare Saunders, assistant to the dean. There are racks and walls filled with art as we climb the stairs to the administrative offices. As an alumna of the SMFA (diploma 1995), I can sense the change in the very fiber of the school; it is welcoming and cared for, the result of a merger with Tufts University in 2016 with Dr. Nancy Bauer as dean. That she took the time for me on this particular day was a testament to her dedication to artists. Bauer glows from accomplishing more than most: dean, academic dean, Ph.D. in … [Read more...] about CORNERED: SMFA AT TUFTS DEAN NANCY BAUER