As your wheels turn down the bumpy roads of a small town, seemingly uninhabited except for collapsing billboards and flickering neon signs, it can be hard to remember that people reside within the hollow structures on either side of the pavement. Sprawling landscapes are reimagined with the passing of time, to be built up into a metropolitan dystopia or left alone like a barren reminder of what it once looked like. In a world concerned with betterment and beauty, it can be difficult to know how to move forward with intentionality while maintaining a delicate balance between appreciation for the past and an ambition for the future, all while remaining present in the short years we are granted. 13FOREST Gallery in Arlington, Massachusetts recognizes it as such: Boston-based artist Robert Maloney weaves themes of decaying architecture and disappearing memories to depict his tumultuous … [Read more...] about INNERSTATES THROUGH LIFE AND LOSS

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the New Britain Museum of American Art (NBMAA), located just 12 miles from Hartford, Connecticut. The “Modern Women: Visionary Artists” exhibit is a nod to and celebration of the female side of the abstract expressionist movement. This exhibit features a group of female artists who were based in New York City in the late 1940s. Their visions were largely influenced by the angst and discomposure following World War II. Joan Brown, Jenny Holzer, Helen Frankenthaler, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell, Louise Nevelson and Lee Krasner invite the audience to consider their way of seeing. Typically, when we think of abstract expressionism, we think of Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning or the New York School. For decades, most of the attention has been paid to these leading male artists. More recently, the focus has shifted to the female … [Read more...] about HER CANVAS, HER VISION

“Crisis” is a powerful word, and whoever paired it with “climate” knew precisely what they were doing. For many young Americans, including myself, the term conjures up images of burning forests, melting ice caps and record-breaking hurricanes. However, “the ShowRoom” — the current exhibit at the Fort Point Arts Community (FPAC) Art Space — acknowledges this dire line of thought without parading its urgency, offering a perspective on the ecofuture that is both accessible and utilitarian. The exhibition features the work of five artists who depict the world in its current state without hyperbole or shying away from difficult realities. The result is playful, thoughtful and practical. They illustrate real-world data, model abstract solutions to water scarcity and illustrate the power of community. They furnish spaces with formerly rust-laden metal and encourage children to help reveal … [Read more...] about A CLIMATE CRISIS REFRAMED

From the moment you step inside the second-floor gallery of the New Bedford Whaling Museum hosting “Community BLOOMS: Katy Rodden Walker,” you are submerged into a mysterious underwater world. This gem of an exhibition is an experiential installation that immerses you in ocean depths where ethereal jellyfish float suspended in an imaginary sea. The mystery is enhanced as a slowly transforming light projection of cobalt blue morphs into lime green. Gradually, the colors morph into an orange sunset washing over the gallery. An intriguing sense of bioluminescence occurs when the projected light is caught in and magnified by translucent plastic debris that has been transformed into floating sculptures of jellyfish. These creatures, with their balloon-like bodies and trailing tentacles, are the focus of this motorized, gently moving installation. After a few moments, you will be transfixed … [Read more...] about INTO THE LUMINOUS DEPTHS