Juried shows are what you make of them, whether you’re an artist, the sponsoring venue or the juror. They can provide a chance to reach a new audience, expand your portfolio, or find out which artists you’ve not previously been aware of who are making work that deserves your attention — and possibly a place in your collection. The selection process for “8 Visions,” opening at the Attleboro Arts Museum on August 1, began during last December’s members’ exhibition at the museum, when juror Sarah Swift, gallery director at Hera Gallery in Wakefield, Rhode Island, reviewed portfolios from over 60 submitting artists. “I am a sucker for texture and materiality, particularly in application,” said Swift, explaining her selection process. “I looked for artists whose use of material seemed not just thoughtful, but ‘necessary’ to the contextual completion of their piece. I also looked for … [Read more...] about EIGHT VISIONS: VISCERAL VIEWS AT ATTLEBORO ARTS
July/August 2018
RAFAEL LOZANO-HEMMER: BRINGING THE WORLD HOME
The Body in Urban Space: A Conversation with Rafael Lozano- Hemmer about his work at The Armory Show in New York City in March, 2018; “Unstable Presence,” in Montreal; and “Voice Theatre,” his transformation of Augusta Raurica during Art Basel 2018. Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s young son recently told him that he was not an artist because he doesn’t draw. Perhaps he does not use the technology of pencil or crayon to reproduce images, but he uses techno-theatre, performance, architecture and science to draw parallels between individuals, modern-day society, surveillance, social interaction, human vs. machine and the threats imposed by all of these. Winner of every significant art prize worldwide, including representation at biennials and triennials from Mexico to Moscow, New York, Shanghai, Sydney and more, Lozano-Hemmer — by including us in his theatrical, immersive installations … [Read more...] about RAFAEL LOZANO-HEMMER: BRINGING THE WORLD HOME
INDEPENDENT SPIRIT: FISKE OWNS IT IN PORTSMOUTH
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” — Pablo Picasso Picasso said it, but American Master Gertrude Fiske lived it. She certainly paid her dues. She learned “the rules,” or perhaps more accurately, she absorbed the societal expectations of New England at the time, and then she allowed herself — encouraged by such mentor greats as Edmund C. Tarbell, Frank Benson, Philip Hale and Charles Woodbury — to carve her own path. Fiske (1879-1961) was born into a prominent Massachusetts family and spent much of her time farther north in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Downeast Maine. Her work was lauded for her ability to “see” a scene or a subject. That ability, that gift, set her apart. A founding member of the Guild of Boston Artists and later the Ogunquit (Maine) Art Association, Fiske was the first woman ever appointed to the Massachusetts State Art … [Read more...] about INDEPENDENT SPIRIT: FISKE OWNS IT IN PORTSMOUTH
COASTAL CONTEMPORARY: PASSION, DRIVE AND FAITH IN NEWPORT
It was finally a beautiful day, as you would expect in June. But, being a New Englander, I had my reservations as to how long it would last, considering that it had rained for most of the week. It was equally pleasant to drive to Newport and to meet Shari Weschler Rubeck, the owner/gallerist of Coastal Contemporary Gallery, the newest art gallery in town. But, the first words out of my mouth as I shook her hand were, “Are you crazy or something?” After all, with the current trend in the art world of galleries closing by the score, why would she be opening hers? Rubeck, aka Sumo Bunni, her very own persona brand, replied that it was a result of her passion, drive and faith. No, not the religious kind. Faith, as in trusting oneself. Or, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Rubeck’s faith also extends … [Read more...] about COASTAL CONTEMPORARY: PASSION, DRIVE AND FAITH IN NEWPORT
THE BERKSHIRES: GO WEST, YOUNG AND OLD
To “Go West” in summer to the Berkshires by car is a lush and green journey with many cultural riches to explore on the pathway to your destination. In the morning, traveling 10 or 20 miles above the speed limit on the Mass Pike is the normal pace as you jockey with gigantic trucks that are beginning their cross-country hauls. There is excitement as the altitude climbs and the region’s seductive mountains voluptuously engulf the visitor. The natural beauty of the Berkshires is enticing, awesome and relaxing. Think rural — and in some instances — forest primeval. The Appalachian Trail runs through Berkshire County, with markings noticeable along the 90.2-mile route. When you get on or off the trail, North Adams and Williamstown are perhaps the most concentrated culture zones. Campsites are available throughout the entire region and bed & breakfast accommodations are plentiful, as … [Read more...] about THE BERKSHIRES: GO WEST, YOUNG AND OLD
THE SOUTH COAST: ARTS COMMUNITY WITH HISTORIC ROOTS
In the mid-1990s, local media in southeastern Massachusetts began referring to what was then called Greater New Bedford as “the South Coast.” This unabashed bit of public relations boosterism was an attempt to negate the perceived stigma of urban blight and high unemployment. It was a successful rebranding. The sometimes vaguely defined South Coast area has expanded to usually include 11 Massachusetts municipalities, and sometimes the Rhode Island border towns of Tiverton and Little Compton. However, New Bedford remains the hub of the region. In 2011, in a much- quoted article in The Atlantic Monthly, urbanist Richard Florida declared it the seventh-most creative city in the United States, based on self-described artists working per capita. The South Coast has a thriving art community with creative roots reaching back to the glory days of whaling, when New Bedford was … [Read more...] about THE SOUTH COAST: ARTS COMMUNITY WITH HISTORIC ROOTS