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July/August 2016

Hot Chicks at Silver Circle

// Current Exhibits, Current Issue, Exhibit Openings, Exhibits, July/August 2016, Visual Arts

Bigger is Better by J. Fatima Martins With cheeky intelligence, witty bravado, and a balance of innocence and sensuality, Silver Circle Art Center presents “Big Chicks,” a collaborative exhibition — featuring the contemporary traditionalist painter Alecia Underhill and the expressive and diverse sculptor, painter and illustrator Jean-Paul Jacquet — that addresses the contentious meaning of the word “chick.” In a preview of the show, Silver Circle noted, “After all, some people like chickens, some people like chicks.” Jacquet, who is a highly respected visual arts instructor at the prestigious Pomfret School in Pomfret, Conn. and one of the most intriguing visual artists working in New England today, is showing large-scale paper and fiberglass sculptures, some created specifically for “Big Chicks,” of highly stylized, voluptuous nude women (and one man) that are … [Read more...] about Hot Chicks at Silver Circle

South County Invitational

// Current Exhibits, Current Issue, Exhibits, July/August 2016, Visual Arts

Showcasing Connections and Contrasts by J. Fatima Martins Sumo wrestling. It’s a sport. It’s a performance. And it’s art, explored in a three-part — photograph, video and sculpture relief painting — installation by Jocelyn Foye in “The South County Invitational.”. In “Sumo Wrestling Performance,Torrance Art Museum, CA” Foye uses sumo as source material to dialogue about the power of the body. The work is a documention and reinterpretation of an actual event, showing and exploring the movement, power and structure of human anatomy and how it affects and alters the surrounding environment as well as the material objects and other human bodies it touches. Foye’s installation is one of the most conceptually and materially interesting works included in an exhibition featuring over 35 works by 23 artists. They are: Kevin Gilmore, Nina Briggs, Jon Campbell, Chris Sancomb, … [Read more...] about South County Invitational

A Cross-Section of Craft

// Current Issue, July/August 2016, Visual Arts

NH Craftsmen Keep it Interesting by Linda Chestney Experts like to talk about how often people change careers during their lifetime. This figure usually ranges between three and seven times, according to the United States Department of Labor. (The number of job changes tends to average around 12.) So it’s fascinating to learn that artists/artisans seriously skew that number downward. The extremely accomplished, award-winning, fine craftspeople I interviewed for this article have decades of experience in their work — anywhere from a couple of decades to over four. And it shows. When artscope’s managing editor, Brian Goslow, approached me with the assignment to cover the 83rd annual League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Fair, I asked what he had in mind. “Do as you wish.” Not sure that was well-defined enough, I queried further, “Do you have certain categories in mind? … [Read more...] about A Cross-Section of Craft

Playing Hide and Seek in Amherst

// Current Exhibits, Current Issue, Exhibits, July/August 2016, Visual Arts

The Magical Art of Eric Carle by John P. Stapleton As an artist with close to household name status from his children’s books, it’s not a surprise that Eric Carle would be putting so much of his family into his images. At the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, they’ve got a new exhibit called “Hide and Seek” that sheds light on the little family references he’s hidden in various pieces. “Easter Eggs,” as they’re called, are small pieces of a work that blend in, but are a direct reference to an outside subject. In Pixar movies, you’ll see Buzz Lightyear get thrown around in movies that aren’t Toy Story as a cute reminder of that classic movie, seamlessly dropped into the background of that new world. For Carle, he was a fan of initials, but didn’t shy away from the route of reusing characters for minor moments in his work. The Hungry Caterpillar himself … [Read more...] about Playing Hide and Seek in Amherst

Making Lemonade in Vermont

// Current Exhibits, Current Issue, Exhibits, July/August 2016, Visual Arts

Gloria King Merritt's Happy Accident by Taryn Plumb It basically started out as a fluke. Four years ago, a tendon snapped in Gloria King Merritt’s thumb (the result of a 40-year-old injury). Her hand had to be rewired; she couldn’t do the simplest things, like fasten buttons or tie her shoes. Her doctors told her that in order to get her dexterity back, she should repetitively make quarter-inch marks with a pencil on a pad. That got old pretty quickly; it was not only boring, but mind-numbing. So instead, she picked up a tablet and a stylus and began experimenting with digital art. As she put it, she “devoured” software, and within 12 weeks, had a complete drawing. “Now I’m addicted,” said the Woodstock, Vermont-based digital artist, whose work will be on display through July 17 as part of “Domesticated Beasts and Dreams of Home: Early Summer Group Show,” also … [Read more...] about Making Lemonade in Vermont

Bierstadt in New Bedford

// Current Exhibits, Current Issue, Exhibits, July/August 2016, Visual Arts

An Unlikely Partnership Makes Sense by Don Wilkinson The New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park (NBWNHP) is a 16-acre urban park spread over thirteen city blocks, many of them cobblestoned, and is part of the National Park Service (NPS). In 2014, the NBWNHP approached the New Bedford Art Museum/Artworks! (NBAM/AW!) to invite it to participate in the centennial anniversary celebration of the NPS. It was decided that the museum would host an exhibition of works by the famed 19th century landscape painter of the American West, Albert Bierstadt. Born in Solingen, Rhine Province, Prussia in 1830, Bierstadt moved to New Bedford with his family the following year. But why a Bierstadt show to celebrate the NPS? There is a meandering, far-reaching connective thread. His paintings of the frontier, when exhibited and copied and published back East during the years in the … [Read more...] about Bierstadt in New Bedford