By Puloma Ghosh Boston, MA -- The Boston Sculptors Gallery’s current exhibit, “Ovid’s Girls: Boston/Berlin,” is striking at first glance in the variety of technique and form displayed by its artists. Each piece invokes Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” in its ability to take any material and transform it into a unique form that makes you almost forget its original structure. It also represents the journey of the artist’s soul and how it is transformed by every piece, and how every artist takes that same journey, whether in Berlin or Boston. The exhibit is a collection of work by 12 women, half from Boston and half from Berlin. Several years ago, curator Anette Schwarz, who has spent many years traveling between Germany and the United States, stumbled upon the Boston Sculptors Gallery. “I was struck by the similarities between the sculpture I saw here and the sculpture I had seen in my time in … [Read more...] about Ovid’s Girls: Boston/Berlin at Boston Sculptors Gallery
Exhibits
Across the Bridge: Art and Power at the Salem Harbor Power Plant
By An Uong Salem, MA - The Salem Harbor power plant towers over the rest of the cobblestoned town. It is hard to imagine what kind of machinery lie within the dauntingly large group of buildings, let alone all of the people it takes to run such a system. On the other side of the North River is the Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, where, though students study art in all kinds of environments, carrying out the artistic process at a power plant is a first for the college. Montserrat Professors Ethan Berry, Rebecca Bourgault and Dawn Paul developed the idea with Footprint Power, who recently became the plant’s new owner. These teachers, along with 29 Montserrat students and the plant employees, produced the exhibit “Across the Bridge: Art and Power.” The project is documentary by nature in its exploration of the employees’ histories and daily lives. Students spent their time … [Read more...] about Across the Bridge: Art and Power at the Salem Harbor Power Plant
Sight Specific: A Selection of American Perceptual Paintings at Concord Art Association
By An Uong Concord, MA — In the town of Concord, Mass., which feels a long ways away from the hurried noise of nearby Boston, the Concord Arts Association rests under overarching green canopies, bustling in its own way. Its outer facade is that of a classic colonial home, but the entrance gives way to humble rooms. The art that currently hangs on the walls has been chosen and curated by mentor, painter and long-time local resident George Nick. Attending the opening night of “Sight Specific: A Selection of American Perceptual Paintings,” it proved difficult to walk in any one direction without almost having a dangerous collision with another attendee, or pausing to wait for a crowd to meander onward. The second floor, though more spacious, had a similar hectic sensation. Men and women, both young and old, nonchalantly carry their drinks around, wrists angled toward the art, pausing … [Read more...] about Sight Specific: A Selection of American Perceptual Paintings at Concord Art Association
Say Cheese! Somerville Toy Camera Festival
By Puloma Ghosh Somerville, MA - The Somerville Toy Camera Festival, spanning through five different galleries across Somerville, shows how one can make art just by playing around. Now in its second year, the Toy Camera Festival exhibits the potential of toy cameras when placed in the right hands. The Brickbottom Gallery (1 Fitchburg St.) in south Somerville is currently host to an array toy camera photographs by artists all across the nation. Most of the work uses Holga medium format plastic cameras, and various pinhole cameras. The subjects vary from nature, people, abstract close-ups, and urban landscapes, but the nature of the toy cameras gives every piece a soft, surreal look to them, as if snapshots of a dream. “La Porte des Étoiles” and “Aube Lunaire” by Romary Daval, both taken with a film canister pinhole camera, show scenes of passing night. A distant tree line is … [Read more...] about Say Cheese! Somerville Toy Camera Festival
Engendered: Exploring Gender at Atlantic Works Gallery
By Puloma Ghosh East Boston, MA - “Engendered” captures a small but important conversation about gender by local artists of many ages and backgrounds in a gallery by the sea. Between the peaceful sounds of the ocean and boats, each piece stands out with a loud statement about the nature of gender and society and how it affects the individual. “I have been working with the transgender population for a long time,” said curator Samantha Marder, explaining her desire to explore the subject of gender through artwork, “So I was curious, after 17 years, about what other people might say about gender, and hopefully not from just the ‘isn’t that funny, a boy in a girl’s dress’ perspective, but more fully rounded.” The variation in subject and medium of the pieces she selected succeeded in giving a well-rounded perspective on the issue. Some pieces in the show stand out as weighty … [Read more...] about Engendered: Exploring Gender at Atlantic Works Gallery
Richard Kattman: Transcendental Abstractions at Fruitlands Museum
By An Uong Harvard, MA — At this time of the year, from its nearby grassy fields to the more distant rolling hills, where the vast swaths of greenery never seem to end, the Fruitlands Museum boasts quite the view. Its visitor center sits atop a hill, overlooking the various cottages that house its exhibits. As Fruitlands mainly features work and displays covering Shaker to Native American history, one would not expect to happen upon an abstract exhibition such as “Transcendental Abstractions,” in which Richard Kattman endeavors to capture the essence of the museum’s land and space in his abstract paintings. As part of his season-long artist residency with the museum, Kattman paints plein air on their grounds, facing the overwhelming scene of woods and mountains. As the view stretches before him, he paints to express his experience with the land. Through this process, he … [Read more...] about Richard Kattman: Transcendental Abstractions at Fruitlands Museum