Annual Juried Exhibitions at Danforth By J. Fatima Martins It’s impossible to examine all of the quality work represented in this year’s ambitious Annual Juried Exhibitions at Danforth Art. This review will spotlight a small sample that I consider to be intellectually poignant; not all of my selections match those artists awarded prizes or honorable mentions by the exhibition curators. These artists have created compositions that encourage dialogue about the complex and often paradoxical nature of living. They talk about important topics such as environmental degradation, racial and ethnic competition, migration and displacement, and our violent heritage and culture. Before we examine the artists mentioned more closely, lets look at what the curators of the Annual Juried Exhibition have accomplished this year. From a pool of nearly 500 submissions, two curators selected 230 … [Read more...] about An Off the Wall Community of Artists
Issue Articles
Touching Base: Pawtucket’s Public Art Profile
By Suzanne Volmer The City of Pawtucket, Rhode Island recently launched ArtBridgesPawtucket.org to stimulate dialogue about the city’s changing infrastructure. As a conversation starter, it brings city planning concepts into focus to further encourage participation in the innovation process. Susan Mara, assistant director of the City of Pawtucket’s Office of Planning and Redevelopment, wrote the Our Town Grant proposal that successfully secured $75,000 in National Endowment of the Arts funding for the city’s purchase of public art in 2014. That amount has now been matched locally by combining city resources with private grant support. When interviewed, Mara spoke of Pawtucket’s intention to fulfill the National Endowment of the Art’s requirement of “artistic excellence.” Pawtucket wants transformative impact, and sees this grant as a tremendous opportunity with which to do … [Read more...] about Touching Base: Pawtucket’s Public Art Profile
It Must Be Maine
Gorvett and West in Ogunquit By Eric Taubert If you plan to head through Southern Maine this summer, set aside some time to turn down Shore Road at the logjam intersection in downtown Ogunquit and visit Maine’s oldest artists’ group, the Ogunquit Art Association (OAA). Originally founded on September 16, 1928 at the Perkins Cove Studio of painter Charles Woodbury, the OAA currently consists of 90-plus juried local artists who exhibit at the Barn Gallery on the corner of Shore Road and Bourne Lane. The OAA will hold its well-attended (and 64th Annual) Art Auction on August 1. Out-of-towners can preview selected auction works online and have the option to send a silent bid to Barn Gallery or request a private phone number for active bidding during the auction itself. Full details are available on the OAA’s dedicated auction website (oaaartauction.com). To read more, pick up a … [Read more...] about It Must Be Maine
It’s a Mystery
The Brush Uncovers Teenage Supersleuths By Taryn Plumb It’s the 1930s. Three stately women in chic slim-fit dresses, heels and finger wave bobs stand clustered at the edge of a lake, inspecting a piece of jewelry. Flash-forward roughly 30 years, and the same three women are depicted as decidedly younger, more confident and casual, even tomboy-ish — they walk barefoot in the water, button-down shirts tucked into rolled-up jeans. In the intervening decades, the trio, featured on the cover of the classic Nancy Drew mystery, “The Clue of the Broken Locket,” goes through at least two other transformations that reflect changes in society, values and fashion. When many of us pick up a book, the cover art is somewhat of an afterthought (even if it’s what initially drew our eye); it’s the goodies inside that we’re after. But in the upcoming exhibit, “Book Illustration: Nancy … [Read more...] about It’s a Mystery
I am Woman
The Eternal Feminine at Newport Art By J. Fatima Martins The “eternal feminine” is a layered and contentious construct that describes a set of defining idealized traits that is the archetypal “woman.” In the exhibition “The Eternal Feminine,” the concept is revealed and challenged, offering new expository possibilities that blur the line between Icon and Image. Newport Art Museum curator Nancy Whipple Grinnell worked in partnership with artist, professor and collector James Baker, who originated the exhibition idea and serves as co-curator. From his private collection, Baker loaned photographs, drawings, prints, paintings and sculpture, some purchased specifically for the exhibition. In addition to Baker’s loans, and material from the permanent collection, Grinnell invited six regional contemporary artists to contribute to the discussion. Baker’s curatorial assemblage is both … [Read more...] about I am Woman
Byzantium to Russia
The British Museum Dazzles at Museum of Russian Icons By Suzanne Volmer Located in Clinton, Massachusetts and facing Central Park (the town common) are adjoining historic buildings that are home to the Museum of Russian Icons, which currently features a special exhibit, “Byzantium to Russia: Origins and Development of Russian Icons, 1200 - 1900.” This exhibit newly informs the content of founder Gordon Lankton’s collection and gives viewers an opportunity to see some of the British Museum’s most noteworthy icons. When entering the building, recorded chants are heard playing in the background, helping to immediately transport the imagination into a world linked with the past. CEO and curator Kent Russell and the museum staff make every effort to welcome visitors in innovative ways that facilitate discovery of what this museum has to offer. The mission of Museum of Russian … [Read more...] about Byzantium to Russia