THE MUST-SEE FESTIVAL GUIDE by Sarah Frichey Living up to its trademark, “an exhibition the size of a city,” this year’s New Haven City Wide Open Studios festival has something for everyone. Whether you’re looking to discover new talent, get your hands dirty in a workshop, tour studios with a museum curator, explore projects relating to the festival’s theme or experience something entirely new, this guide features six tailored routes, making sure you hit all the right spots. The key to navigating these venues is knowing how they’re organized. The festival is produced and presented by Artspace, a 30-year-old non-profit exhibition and program space, with the support of participating artists and volunteers. Most of the action takes place over three weekends in October. From October 10-11, 180 artists install pop-up workspaces in the historic Goffe Street Armory (290 Goffe … [Read more...] about New Haven City Wide Open Studios

CULTURE ABOUNDS AMID THE LEAVES by Arlene Distler At this perennially favorite time to visit Vermont, Brattleboro and vicinity have much to offer alongside the shimmering days of Indian summer and vivid colors of peak autumn. There’s no better time to cruise the countryside, but there’s also a wealth of cultural happenings. Below are some highlights. BRATTLEBORO MUSEUM AND ARTS CENTER (10 VERNON ST.): has an exceptionally fine group of shows that will be up through Oct. 25. “Jim Dine: People, Places, Things” explores themes that have preoccupied Jim Dine from his earliest art-making endeavors, yet the show is fresh, filled with seldom-seen work. This is a must-see for fans of Dine, and is also a lovely intro to the artist. Notes curator Mara Williams, ”The commonplace becomes extraordinary in this celebrated artist’s hands.” “Threaded Dances: Debra Bermingham” consists of … [Read more...] about Brattleboro Fall Preview

EXPLORING ART BOTH NATURAL AND MANMADE by John Paul Stapleton When people talk about Vermont, the first thing that comes to mind isn’t necessarily the art produced by the residents, but the amazing scenery that the Green Mountain State has to offer. “The free art is right there,” said Peter Schumann, founder and director of Bread and Puppet Theater, while pointing to the horizon. “We have cheap art. That’s free.” This “free art,” as Schumann has called it, is only the beginning of artistic value in Northern Vermont, as I found out during a recent visit. After cutting through the fog on a night drive and spending a night at the Stowe Inn, I started my day by walking down to Green Mountain Fine Art Gallery (64 South Main St.) in Stowe. The short walk over the covered footbridge and around the corner led me to a national historic registered building built in 1828. Inside I … [Read more...] about Stowe & St. Johnsbury, Vermont

A FIGURATIVE SHOW by Suzanne Volmer Michele Aucoin and Nick Paciorek opened ArtProv Gallery in Providence’s Jewelry District roughly a year ago. Located at 150 Chestnut Street on the third floor of an artist building, there is a creative history attached to the destination associated with the studios of some of Providence’s better known art professionals, including Bunny Harvey and Allison Paschke. The happenstance of location, coupled with Aucoin’s advertising and business experience, created an immediate buzz. Making a lasting business was always this gallery’s trajectory. Commercial gallery entrepreneurialism is actually rather rare in Providence, which surprisingly boasts only a handful of independently run galleries. The formula Aucoin and Paciorek have developed involves under- standing impediments and having flexibility to reach ahead to dissolve any barriers to … [Read more...] about Clothing Optional

FIVE FOCAL POINTS TO PONDER AT HESS by Brian Goslow In compiling the lineup of photographers that would make “Inventory of Reverie,” curator Rachel Loischild gave participants the option of being as experimental or not as they wanted to be. “It turned into a show that really touches on history and artifact and combines them with a very subtle feminist undertone that runs through all of the work,” she said. “Everything follows the thread of photography, but in very different forms.” That starts with her own work. Loischild normally exhibits her own photographs, whether of the natural world or remnants of everyday life, new and old, but for this show at Pine Manor  where she is a photography professor  she utilizes studio portraits of brides from the 1920s through ‘50s that she has found on eBay, Etsy and at estate sales, junk sales, tag sales or wherever else she could find them. … [Read more...] about An Inventory of Reverie