Brian Goslow, Managing Editor bgoslow@artscopemagazine.com Welcome to our first issue of 2018. We start the new year with an issue filled with artwork and exhibitions covering many of the timely issues on our readers’ minds through reviews of shows that were hanging as we went to press; we couldn’t have done it without the help of curators, gallery directors and artists who shared their work with our writers so we could preview as-yet-unopened shows. We address the environment and global ...

INTERVIEW DEAN NANCY BAUER, SCHOOL OF THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS AT TUFTS by Laura Shabott I walk into the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) at Tufts on the day of its alumni reception for the annual SMFA Art Sale fundraiser. The energy in the school is palpable; this is one of the busiest days of the year for the 147-year-old institution. I am greeted warmly by Clare Saunders, assistant to the dean. There are racks and ...

FEATURED EXHIBITION OUTSPOKEN: 7 WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS HESS GALLERY PINE MANOR COLLEGE 400 HEATH STREET CHESTNUT HILL, MASSACHUSETTS THROUGH FEBRUARY 10 by Lisa Mikulski What does it mean to be outspoken? In today’s social and political environment, there are those of us who have certainly been outspoken. The political resistance, scores of journalists, the Women’s March and, most recently, the #MeToo Movement have rolled through our nation like sweeping tides. But even as women now come forth in staggering numbers to ...

FEATURED GALLERY COURTING THE UNCONTROLLABLE, PARTS I & II NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN ARTISTS OF MASSACHUSETTS GALATEA FINE ART 460 HARRISON AVENUE B-6 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS PART 1: JANUARY 3 THROUGH 28 PART 2: FEBRUARY 1 THROUGH 25 by J. Fatima Martins In her statement about “Courting the Uncontrollable I & II,” artist Marsha Nouritza Odabashian explained why she was selected as exhibition juror: “Establishing a relationship to the uncontrolled is an interest of mine, through the stories extracted from onion ...

REVIEW TRANSMUTATIONS MONTSERRAT GALLERY MONTSERRAT COLLEGE OF ART 23 ESSEX STREET BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS THROUGH JANUARY 20 by Elizabeth Michelman “Transmutations,” on view at Montserrat College of Art’s main gallery and curated by Michele L’Heureux, features three figurative artists. Their paintings, ranging from the very small to the entire wall, are created with acrylic and airbrush on canvas, oils, markers on paper and even glazed ceramic panels. Along with a realist technique, they share the power of a convincing likeness that ...

REVIEW ARTSCONNECT CATAMOUNT ARTS 115 EASTERN AVENUE ST. JOHNSBURY, VERMONT THROUGH FEBRUARY 16 by Elayne Clift It all began in 1975 when filmmaker Jay Craven launched a four-night-a-week, traveling 16mm film series presenting foreign, classic, and independent movies to residents in rural communities of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. By 1986, it had grown to become Catamount Arts, now northern New England’s largest independent arts center, which helped found other cultural organizations such as Circus Smirkus and Kingdom County Productions. Today, it ...

REVIEW NANCY STORROW: EDGELAND NEXT STAGE GALLERY 15 KIMBALL HILL PUTNEY, VERMONT THROUGH FEBRUARY 13 by Marguerite Serkin Nancy Storrow does not take her artistic vision for granted. She finds her inspiration in the hills and natural landscape of Southern Vermont, where she has made her home for over 50 years. In Storrow’s current exhibition, “Edgeland,” on view at the Next Stage Gallery in Putney, Vermont through February 13, the artist has offered an opportunity for a rare retrospective of ...

REVIEW ANNA VON MERTENS: COLOR: A LOVE STORY UNIVERSITY GALLERY AT UMASS LOWELL MAHONEY HALL 870 BROADWAY STREET LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS JANUARY 22 THROUGH MARCH 3 by Greg Morell There are two divergent roads of aesthetic departure for New Hampshire artist Anna Von Mertens. In one direction, we discover works of popular whimsy — a lighthearted exploration of the emoji. Fanciful, playful, vibrantly colorful and deliciously cute, it’s art candy you just want to eat. However, the other path that Von ...

REVIEW KATE HIGLEY: PAINTING BENEATH THE SURFACE GATEWAY GALLERY GREAT BAY COMMUNITY COLLEGE 320 CORPORATE DRIVE PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE THROUGH MARCH 2 by Linda Chestney Living life on the edge artistically — that’s how I describe Kate Higley. She pushes past fear, embraces change and lives life large. She has the unusual ability to enliven the right brain and left brain simultaneously. Higley — whose experience is diverse — loves art and loves biology. But for practical reasons early on ...

COVER STORY MINDFUL: EXPLORING MENTAL HEALTH THROUGH ART FULLER CRAFT MUSEUM 455 OAK STREET BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS THROUGH APRIL 22 by Beth Neville “Memento Mori,” a woodblock print with cut mylar crafted by Swoon, is a technical “tour de force” that dominates the Fuller Craft Museum’s “Mindful” exhibition. Memento mori in Latin means remembrance of death. This writer’s first-born baby girl died at four months of age, and Swoon’s imagery brings back all the sadness and anguish of that loss. In ...

UNIVERSITY SPOTLIGHT ON & ON: ARTS WITHOUT END & COLOR-ISM BEARD & WEIL GALLERIES WHEATON COLLEGE 26 EAST MAIN STREET NORTON, MASSACHUSETTS JANUARY 24 THROUGH FEBRUARY 23 by Suzanne Volmer The professional hats worn by Elizabeth Keithline include artist, public art consultant, critic, writer and teacher. This past autumn, she was appointed as interim director and curator of the Beard and Weil Galleries at Wheaton College, and she opens 2018 with “On & On: Arts Without End” and “Color-ism.” The ...

ARTISTS PROFILE THE TERRIZZI-BRICHER FAMILY by Kristin Nord Not too long ago, the South Kent household of Terrizzi-Bricher served up a sumptuous mix of color, texture, warmth and light, at a time of year when the Connecticut woodlands are a sea of greys, sepias and ochres. Matisse would have happily sunk into the deep pink upholstered chair in their cozy yellow living room, or embraced the presence of light in Scott Bricher’s studio. Scott Bricher sees himself as a primarily ...

ARTIST PROFILE DAVID LEE BLACK by Brian Goslow Photographer David Lee Black’s resume is one of a well-lived and experienced life: he earned a BS in music education at the University of Missouri in 1983 and was a Tullaloughaun Residency Fellowship Recipient in County Clare, Ireland in 2012 and 2014; professional career highlights include serving as associate artistic director for Orchestrations Conceptual Art, Inc. since 1985; as a juvenile parole officer for the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services from 1987-2014; ...

FEATURED MUSEUM MAINE MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS USM GLICKMAN FAMILY LIBRARY 314 FOREST AVENUE PORTLAND, MAINE THROUGH JANUARY 27 by Taryn Plumb At first, it appears to be a touching image of mourning: A man lies on his belly in a pastoral cemetery, leaning in so close to a gravestone that his head nearly grazes it. But take a closer look and you see that, well — he’s taking a closer look. Not at the headstone engraved with the surname ...

THOU SHALT KNOT: CLIFFORD W. ASHLEY NEW BEDFORD WHALING MUSEUM 18 JOHNNY CAKE HILL NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS THROUGH JUNE 2018 by Don Wilkinson In the 19th century, during a time of unprecedented opportunity and prosperity created by whaling and related endeavors — such as whale oil refinement — the City of New Bedford flourished. At one time, it was among the richest cities in the world. And with the wealth that the Yankee gentry had acquired, something else grew: a ...

REVIEW JAMES CHISHOLM: REFLECTIONS: OCEAN WAVES, INLAND STREAMS CAROL GRILLO GALLERY ENDICOTT COLLEGE WALTER J. MANNINEN CENTER FOR THE ARTS 376 HALE STREET BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS THROUGH FEBRUARY 8 by James Foritano Driving homeward from Endicott College’s North Shore campus toward Boston, keeping time with the traffic’s imperative to move this car — this metal carapace — along, or risk being moved rudely by a sudden bump from behind or the side, both unpleasant, I thought of the slow time I’d ...

GALLERY SPOTLIGHT EXPEDITIONS: FROM ICELAND TO THE GOBI DESERT PAULA ESTEY GALLERY 3 HARRIS STREET NEWBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS FEBRUARY 1 THROUGH MARCH 10 by Brian Goslow “Expeditions: From Iceland to the Gobi Desert,” featuring work by Lisa Lebofsky, Lisa Goren, Will Nourse, Katherine Richmond and David Stone, can be seen from February 1 through March 10 at the Paula Estey Gallery in Newburyport, Mass. “Expeditions” occurs as the gallery nears its fourth anniversary this April. “Over these short years, we have ...

REVIEW ANNA KUNZ: VENUS REILLY GALLERY SMITH CENTER FOR THE ARTS PROVIDENCE COLLEGE 63 EATON STREET PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND THROUGH FEBRUARY 24 by Suzanne Volmer Known for its theater, Chicago has a cadre of contemporary visual artists garnering national and international attention due to their performative edge. New England audiences can explore a ripple of that hybrid world with “Anna Kunz: Venus,” an art exhibition from the Windy City on view through February 24 at the Reilly Gallery at Providence ...

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT SEMBLANCES OF PLACE CONCORD CENTER FOR THE VISUAL ARTS 37 LEXINGTON ROAD CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS JANUARY 11 THROUGH FEBRUARY 10 by Lisa Mikulski A closer look at Betsy Silverman’s work reveals more than what you think you see. This Massachusetts artist creates highly detailed and beautifully vibrant scenes of Boston using only carefully selected and assembled pieces of paper cut from recycled magazines. Not a single brush stroke of paint, nor a hand-drawn line from a pen, exists here. ...

COMMUNITY ARTS RESEARCH COLLABORATIVE 82 PRESCOTT STREET LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS THROUGH FEBRUARY: SELECTED WORKS OF JESSICA TAWCZYNSKI FROM HER RECENT ARTIST’S RESIDENCY IN AKUREYRI, ICELAND by Flavia Cigliano Founded in 2009, the Arts Research Collaborative (ARC) in Lowell, Massachusetts quickly established itself as a cultural presence in the heart of the city, committed to working with the arts communities of both Lowell and the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML). The concept for a professional workspace and gallery came from three colleagues ...

EVENT ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH 2017 CONVENTION CENTER SOUTH BEACH, MIAMI, FLORIDA ART BASEL HONG KONG MARCH 29-31, 2018 ART BASEL SWITZERLAND JUNE 14-17, 2018 ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH DECEMBER 6-9, 2018 ARTBASEL.COM by Nancy Nesvet For this writer, Art Basel Miami Beach 2017, the world’s biggest art show — in space, sales, artist and gallery representation — provided a giddy week. The crowded fair, full of technology, dazzle and shine, featured work from the big names in contemporary art. ...

EVENT MIAMI ART WEEK ART MIAMI ARTMIAMI.COM CONTEXT ART MIAMI CONTEXTARTMIAMI. COM RED DOT MIAMI REDDOTMIAMI.COM SCOPE ART SHOW SCOPE-ART.COM SPECTRUM MIAMI ART SHOW SPECTRUM-MIAMI. COM UNTITLED ART FAIR UNTITLEDARTFAIRS. COM by Nancy Nesvet Taking advantage of the huge crowds of art collectors in Miami and Miami Beach for Art Basel Miami 2017, the artwork at satellite fairs — often blatantly political — this year was new, older, relevant, colorful, glitzy and humorous. Work at Art Miami and Context, over ...

by Brian Goslow “Off the Wall,” on view from January 18 through February 23 at The Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art, 522 Congress St., Portland, Maine, pays trib-ute to German-born American sculptor Eva Hesse’s ground-breaking work and its influ-ence on contemporary artists through the recent paint-ings and sculpture of Rosy Keyser and Ryan Wallace from Brooklyn. “A represen-tative sampling of work will be presented by each artist to provoke thought about the shifting dynamics between painting ...

by Donna Dodson According to the Biennial Foundation, Prospect New Orleans is one of only 20 biennials/triennials in the United States out of approximately 200 internationally. The current edition, Prospect.4, is curated by Trevor Schoonmaker, who is also the curator of contemporary art at Duke University’s Nasher Museum of Art. Looking at New Orleans as a nexus of cultures, P.4 features over 70 artists from Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America and the United States. At the grand opening, Schoonmaker ...