TYPE 30 DAYS AT SEA: NEW WORKS BY TIM CHRISTENSEN CENTER FOR MAINE CRAFT 24 SERVICE PLAZA DRIVE WEST GARDINER, MAINE By Taryn Plumb For 30 days, he was essentially a stow- away on a container ship set on a course thousands of miles across the open sea. The moody ocean vacillated between violence and tranquility; the scenery was at times turbulent, blissful, and teeming with life — but whatever each day brought, the experience was endlessly powerful and life-altering. Maine sgraffito artist Tim Christensen, bound for Sydney, Australia, spent hours above deck studying the changing pat- terns of the water, the sky and the wildlife, then rendering his observations in dozens of sketches and notes, filling a journal to the bindings. His trip is chronicled in the solo exhibit “30 Days at Sea,” now on view at the Center for Maine Craft Gallery in Gardiner. … [Read more...] about One Great Performance Piece: Christensen at Sea
November/December 2017
Olson is in Pink: Hot is Cool at Kingston
TYPE ROSE OLSON: BRIGHT, COOL AND HOT KINGSTON GALLERY 450 HARRISON AVENUE #43 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS NOVEMBER 29 THROUGH DECEMBER 30 By Brian Goslow Just as thousands of artists have used the unique light of Provincetown as their inspiration and muse, so have painters on Massachusetts’ North Shore. Abstract painter Rose Olson, whose collection of “Bright, Cool and Hot” paintings will be featured in Kingston Gallery’s final show of 2017, channels the skies above the water at West Beach in Beverly, Mass. “Living on the sea, the colors you see changing in the morning and night are so extraordi- nary,” Olson said. “It takes your breath away and probably has as much to do with my painting as anything. I used to watch the sun rise on the beach, then go home and try to paint those col- ors. You can’t help but try to replicate that.” Early in her career, Olson … [Read more...] about Olson is in Pink: Hot is Cool at Kingston
When the Spirit Moves: Energy Builds at Marquee in New London
TYPE WIND SPIRIT SPEAKS: NINA CHUNG AND PAT SCHOENFELDER MARQUEE GALLERY 74 STATE STREET NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT NOVEMBER 17 THROUGH DECEMBER 16 By Tom Soboleski The old maritime port of New London has been transforming over the past decade to embrace the creative talent it is blessed with. With more than a dozen galleries and studios, the energy is building — from community art to various professional niches. One of those, Marquee Gallery, has already hosted more than 40 international artists, as well as numerous regional and local artists, in its brief three-year existence. Marquee’s director, Clint Slowik, said he looks for emerging and mid- career artists who “have the talent but they also have the sincerity and the passion of an artist who I can see developing, who really dives into what their artistic vision is.” That mission will be manifested on … [Read more...] about When the Spirit Moves: Energy Builds at Marquee in New London
Cities Embrace Street Art: Murals Go Mainstream
BUSINESS UNDERGROUND AT INK BLOCK 90 TRAVELER STREET BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS By Brian Goslow At what point did street art go from being seen by most as an unfavorable blight on a neighborhood to being considered a highly desirable commodity? In 2009, Shepard Fairey was arrested for illegal tagging in Boston and thus missed DJing a sold-out party at his highly-promoted ICA show; in the first part of the 2010s, some Worcester city councilors, upset about an onslaught of destructive tagging throughout the city and unable to separate art from vandalism, called for the fining of business owners who commissioned local artists to paint murals on their walls. Now, Boston’s City Hall Plaza hosts Art Hub Boston and invites artists to paint shipping trailers brought specifically to the site for the event and, as part of the international Pow! Wow! Worcester mural … [Read more...] about Cities Embrace Street Art: Murals Go Mainstream
Artists Reflect and React: Soothe the Soul at Velvet Mill
FEATURED CENTER THE VELVET MILL ARTIST SHOW: NEW WORKS THE VELVET MILL 22 BAYVIEW AVENUE STONINGTON, CONNECTICUT THROUGH FEBRUARY 10, 2018 By Tom Soboleski The quintessential fishing village of Stonington, tucked in the southeast- most corner of Connecticut, has a stalwart history, including repelling a bombardment by the British Navy during the War of 1812. Its 21st century incarnation embraces the arts in an emphatic way. More than 25 studios hosting an array of artists have a home in The Velvet Mill, a defunct factory that for more than a century manufactured world-class quality velvet fabrics. On a balmy mid-October Friday evening, an enthusiastic crowd perused the opening of a show of new artwork by the Velvet Mill artists. From tried and true landscapes to provocative political art, all styles and tastes were on display. Artists throughout history … [Read more...] about Artists Reflect and React: Soothe the Soul at Velvet Mill
Cornered: John R. Stomberg
INTERVIEW JOHN R STOMBERG, DIRECTOR HOOD MUSEUM OF ART By Marguerite Serkin John Stomberg was appointed the first Virginia Rice Kelsey 1961s Director of the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College in January of 2016. A specialist in American and European modernist art, Stomberg’s experience includes directorships at the Mount Holyoke Art Museum and the Williams College Museum of Art. The Hood has one of the oldest and largest collections of art and artifacts in the United States, dating to 1772. The museum annually organizes more than 150 programs for col- lege, public and regional school audiences. Artscope’s Marguerite Serkin interviewed Stomberg for some candid thoughts about the reopening of the museum following extensive renovations, and the special qualities of working with a teaching museum of international prominence. MARGUERITE SERKIN: The Hood is … [Read more...] about Cornered: John R. Stomberg