The genius of Salley Mavor’s meticulously realized imaginative worlds is just what we need right now. Using needle and thread, as she has since childhood, “I stitch during every possible moment”, her hands have taught her how to proceed to create three-dimensional mise en scenes (she calls them fabric bas-reliefs) of alternative realities which are part theater, part dollhouse, part folklore and folk art, and always completely original — unfolding, she said, magically, like visions... … [Read more...] about MULTICULTURAL DREAMS: MAVOR’S BEDTIME STITCHES WARM UP THE CAHOON
November/December 2020
JUST PASSING THROUGH: THE DANFORTH CELEBRATES THE NATURAL WORLD
What a singular sensation it is to walk into a museum gallery, thoughtfully painted in just the right hues, with just the right lighting, to confront art on its own terms. The great outdoors has served us well as the ultimate catch-all venue for most of 2020, but with the weather turning less hospitable, art lovers may yearn for something more traditional ... like, walls. If you are seeking a museum to visit with safety precautions in place, at a scale perhaps not so large as to overwhelm pandemic and politics-jangled nerves, the Danforth at Framingham State University checks all of the boxes. Since opening in August, the staff has had ample time to fine-tune safety protocols. Advance reservations are required, and the number of visitors is limited so as to ensure adequate physical distance. Three exhibits on view this Fall/Winter “speak to each other and how we commune to the … [Read more...] about JUST PASSING THROUGH: THE DANFORTH CELEBRATES THE NATURAL WORLD
RESPONDING WITH HOPE: FALL EXHIBITIONS COMBINE NEW & OLD AT SVAC
With the theme of “Hope,” the Southern Vermont Arts Center (SVAC) in Manchester, Vermont, opened its annual Fall/Winter member exhibition on October 10. On view in the Yester House, the exhibition represents an artistic response to this year’s COVID-19 pandemic by 75 of the 200 SVAC member artists. Their works invite visitors to ponder a range of media and to find respite from the stress caused by the health crisis. The offerings are diverse, ranging from Kathleen Fleming’s new works, the colorful “After the Rain” and “Beyond the Fields,” both mixed media on panels, to Todd Reuben’s graceful stainless-steel sculptures. Lauren Silver’s ceramic stoneware plants and Carolina Ellenbogen’s nine miniature portraits of “People I’ve Never Met” add to the serendipity. Deborah Liljegren, Patty Hudak and Anthony Surratt are among the featured artists with works ranging from … [Read more...] about RESPONDING WITH HOPE: FALL EXHIBITIONS COMBINE NEW & OLD AT SVAC
CALL AND RESPONSE: NEWPORT’S JOYOUS PUZZLE WITH MANY SURPRISES
Reinterpreting artwork from the past is a tricky business! “Call and Response” is an invitational exhibition by 15 Newport regional artists who were given access to the Newport Art Museum’s collection. Each artist chose one work to interpret in any style, thus the apt title. The result is a joyous puzzle with many surprises and great diversity of solutions to the problem of interpretation. Basically, two approaches are employed; one a “literal” interpretation; the second, an antithesis, almost rejection, of the museum-owned work’s media and content... … [Read more...] about CALL AND RESPONSE: NEWPORT’S JOYOUS PUZZLE WITH MANY SURPRISES
WARHOL’S BIG SHOT: NEWPORT SHOW REVEALS THERE’S STILL MORE TO SEE
What more is there to say about the explosive, trendsetting work of Andy Warhol, the bad boy and sought-after mega star of the Pop Art movement in the 1960s? Dr. Francine Weiss, Newport Art Museum curator, stated, “For an artist interested in the appropriation, replication, and mechanical reproduction of images, the medium of photography was a natural choice.” This exhibition of Warhol’s photography and resulting prints, photographed with his Polaroid “Big Shot” and SX-70 cameras, validates Weiss’ claim... … [Read more...] about WARHOL’S BIG SHOT: NEWPORT SHOW REVEALS THERE’S STILL MORE TO SEE
REASON FOR A SECOND LOOK: FITCHBURG’S BIG PICTURE DEMANDS REPEAT VIEWING
I arrived at the Fitchburg Art Museum to see its current “The BIG Picture: Giant Photographs and Powerful Portfolios” exhibition expecting a show of big, large-scaled imagery destined to mesmerize my visual senses. What I found was an ever more-powerful show that, planned that way or not, through photography, serves as a loud vehicle on how the art world, as well as society, needs to truly open its eyes to all viewpoints — and the origins of them — if it wants a world of equality. The big picture is the BIG picture. Organized by Museum Director Nick Capasso with Terrana Assistant Curator Marjorie Rawle, the exhibition is spread out over two floors; each collection, each image, holds a deeper meaning than that revealed upon a first viewing when most eyes search for what makes it worthy of their attention. … [Read more...] about REASON FOR A SECOND LOOK: FITCHBURG’S BIG PICTURE DEMANDS REPEAT VIEWING