By Marguerite Serkin Bennington Museum hosted an artist reception on the afternoon of June 3rd to honor legendary photographer Clemens Kalischer. Now on view in the museum’s ground floor gallery, "Between Past and Future: Clemens Kalischer's Vermont" provides a wide sampling of Mr. Kalischer's masterfully- composed portraits. Spanning more than six decades of Vermont life, the collection was curated by Kalischer's daughter Tanya, and Bennington Museum executive director Robert Wolterstorff. Known for his candid, yet meticulous approach, Kalischer's images leave no detail overlooked. "Postmaster" documents a stern man behind an iron grille, surrounded by the evocative post office paraphernalia of the 1940's and 50's. "Teenage Couple Dancing" (1958) is a photograph in motion, encapsulating the vigor and style of the day. Photographs from Kalischer's long affiliation with … [Read more...] about Between Past and Future: Clemens Kalischer’s Vermont at Bennington Museum
Current Exhibits
CORNERED: STEAMPUNK REIMAGINEER BRUCE ROSENBAUM
By Titilayo Ngewnya Brockton, MA - On September 10, “New Sole of the Old Machine: Steampunk Brockton, Reimagining the City of Shoes” opens at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Mass. Curated by Steampunk ReImagineer Bruce Rosenbaum, founder of ModVic, LLC, the exhibition features work by John Belli, Jim Bremer & Ruth Buffington, David Lang, Susan Montgomery, Janel Norris, Sam Ostroff, Bruce Rosenbaum and Michael Ulman. The show’s opening reception is this Sunday, September 11 from 2-5 p.m. Last month, Titilayo Ngwenya, the museum’s director of communications, interviewed Rosenbaum prior to the show’s opening. TITILAYO NGWENYA: HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE STEAMPUNK? BRUCE ROSENBAUM: For those who are new to Steampunk let me offer this simple math formula: History + Art + Technology = Steampunk. Steampunk started off as a subgenre of science fiction. It’s really a big “What if?” … [Read more...] about CORNERED: STEAMPUNK REIMAGINEER BRUCE ROSENBAUM
First Light Shines at the ICA
A Decade of Diversity and Inclusion by Joshua Ascherman Despite the surge in identity-interested art production that occurred in the 1990s — a time when some artists were thinking specifically about inequality within the art world itself — there are still art museums in the United States that have a problem with diversity and inclusion. This is not so at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, which has made it a mission to collect works that “examine the most urgent social and political issues of our time.” In “First Light: A Decade of Collecting at the ICA,” the museum commemorates its 2006 move to a gorgeous Diller Scofidio + Renfro building on the waterfront by putting some of the highlights of its collection on display; one of the first things that viewers will notice is the show’s strong focus on art by women. In fact, women artists comprise nearly two-thirds of … [Read more...] about First Light Shines at the ICA
Brewster’s Quixotic Encounters
A Movement and a Region Evolve by J. Fatima Martins David Brewster exemplifies, in an extraordinary way, how American regionalism has evolved and continues to manifest into the contemporary realm. He is a master of formal and trained juxtapositions and dichotomies. In his paintings, Brewster combines the power of midcentury action and expressive mark-making — contemporary forms of plein air production — with the narrative intellectualism of scene painting, capturing and interpreting, from a personal perspective, the nuances of a specific time and place. He is a thoroughly American artist, and as expected for a doyen talent, his work is steeped in and bridges the fullness of art history. What makes him an example and expansion of the regionalist mode is the manner in which he reveals, creates and projects a story. Like the regionalists of the past, his style appeals to a … [Read more...] about Brewster’s Quixotic Encounters
Feminine Influence
NAWA at Endicott by J. Fatima Martins “Breaking Ground,” a presentation of 55 conceptually and materially diverse works of art — painting, photography, ceramics, fiber, printmaking, mixed-media, sculpture and bronze — by 46 contemporary women artists of the Massachusetts chapter of the National Association of Women Artists, Inc. (NAWA) asks: “Does being a woman artist influence your style, subject and or medium?” NAWA, the oldest professional women’s fine arts organization in the United States, was founded as the Women’s Art Club of New York in 1889. Its membership has included some of the most prominent, influential and world-renowned female artists, such as Louise Nevelson, Suzanne Valadon, Mary Cassatt and Rosa Bonheur, to name only a few. The exhibition features a sampling of almost everything (except video arts), with styles and modes ranging from traditional, … [Read more...] about Feminine Influence
Provincetown in Autumn
A Cornucopia of Art by Laura Shabott The Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM) is at the very tip of Massachusetts (next stop: Azores) with a cultural impact that is extraordinary. In its 102nd year, the vitality of the museum and school can be measured by the 250 volunteers who support a highly effective staff stewarded by director Chris McCarthy. Under her direction, PAAM is much larger than its physical size and location, reaching around the globe with its membership and quality of shows. September and October are lovely months in Provincetown, with the changing of the light that has inspired artists for over a century. It’s the perfect time to attend the upcoming shows and events... To read more, pick up a copy of our latest issue! Click here to find a pick-up location near you or Subscribe Here. … [Read more...] about Provincetown in Autumn