Printmakers Tackle the Issues Linda Chestney Why is it that certain facets of our life become bigger than life? Why do some issues eat at the core of who and what we are — and cause us to passionately focus on it — to make change? When we grasp the gravity of why “this” (whatever it maybe) is important to us, why do we tenaciously persevere to make a difference? Quite simply — “because it matters.” Those passions, those drives, those desires to make a difference are executed differently by different people. For civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr., it was spearheading peaceful civil disobedience protests. For journalist Gloria Steinem, it was portraying a Playboy bunny in the Playboy Club to later write about the sexist treatment firsthand in her book. For athleteactivist adventurer Erik Weihenmayer, it was to conquer the summit of Mount Everest and to later lead … [Read more...] about A 2016 State of Mind
November/December 2016
Message In A Bottle
British Marine Art at Yale Suzanne Volmer The recently refurbished setting of the Yale Center for British Art (YCBA), a building designed by Louis I. Kahn that opened in 1977, elegantly and minimally frames its “Spreading Canvas: Eighteenth-Century British Marine Painting” and “Yinka Shonibare MBE (RA)” exhibitions, on view through early December. The YCBA collection contains many works of art, books and manuscripts from across Great Britain’s rich history, including contemporary works that relate directly to Shonibare’s exhibition in terms of corresponding time periods. Audiences have a chance to enhance their visit by meandering through galleries, cross-referencing content in relation to both shows that are highlighted in this article. Yinka Shonibare’s cameo exhibition at the Yale Center for British Art features contemporary artwork narratively engaged with the … [Read more...] about Message In A Bottle
Crafting the Elements
Embracing Imperfection at Fairfield Kristin Nord Jeffrey Horvitz was already known as a major collector of French Old Master paintings and Chinese cinnabar lacquerware when his wife, Carol, came upon a stunning assemblage of contemporary Japanese ceramics in a Manhattan gallery window. She was astounded, and her visceral response set her off on more than a decade of serious collecting, amassing what is now considered to be the most important collection of its kind in the United States. Working closely with renowned Manhattan dealer Joan Mirviss, the couple’s other aim has been to share their remarkable acquisitions with new audiences. Thirty-one choice works from Carol’s collection will be on view in the exhibition, “Crafting the Elements: Ceramic Art of Modern Japan from the Collection of Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz,” through mid-December at the Fairfield University Art … [Read more...] about Crafting the Elements
Woven Power at Holy Cross
Communication Through Texile J. Fatima Martins Traditionally, to evoke the gods, the Iban and Dayak women of Malaysia’s Sarawak and Indonesia’s West Kalimantan region wove “power” textiles called “pua kumbu” and “kain kebat.” These women were revered as important “bards” and teachers. To place these cultures into a context, the Iban and Dayak are located on the island we know as Borneo, one of the places known for ancient ritual “headhunting.” The ceremonial cloth depicts mighty spirit guides and religious language, as well as motifs and designs referencing the animal life and people of the community and surrounding tropical forest. Yinka Shonibare’s cameo exhibition at the Yale Center for British Art features contemporary artwork narratively engaged with the historical personage of Admiral Lord Nelson. Curated by Martina Droth, its focus is on the artist’s “Nelson’s Ship … [Read more...] about Woven Power at Holy Cross
Art Basel Miami Beach
You Say You Want a Revolution Nancy Nesvet Art Basel Miami Beach, the United States edition of Art Basel, the world’s biggest art fair, will be held at the Miami Beach Convention Center from December 1 through 4, with invitationonly “First Choice” and “Preview” viewings on November 30. For the second year, Artscope will be returning to Art Basel Miami Beach as an official exhibitor. Join us on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages as Artscope brings Art Basel Miami Beach 2016 to you as it happens through live-streaming video and photographs. If you’re in attendance, we’ll be on display in the Magazines sector and Collective Booth. Overseen by Basel’s “Director Americus,” Noah Horwitz, the former director of New York’s Armory Show, this year’s Art Basel Miami Beach is highlighted by a Galleries sector featuring 200 of the world’s leading international modern and … [Read more...] about Art Basel Miami Beach
Aaron T. Stephan
Inventive and Inspired Taryn Plumb It’s 7 p.m. You’re out for a night on the town. You grow a little wary when you reach your destination — a waterfront warehouse that you enter along with 19 other guests through an old rusted door. Your hosts guide you to an uncomfortably small, harshly-lit room where impersonal Muzak is playing. You make awkward conversation — and wait. Suddenly, your hosts dramatically lift the ceiling and push down one of the walls of the stifling room, and in front of you is a welcoming clearing replete with grass, trees, stumps and several picnic baskets. This was the opening installment of the performance art piece “Inside, Outside, Above, Below,” presented by Portland artist Aaron T. Stephan and his partner Lauren Fensterstock. It is indicative of Stephan’s desire to not only create art, but art that is immersive and transcends traditional … [Read more...] about Aaron T. Stephan