D. Dominick Lombardi’s curation of whit is unmistakable. In a fine arts show at UMassAmherst’s Hampden Gallery featuring works by 26 artists, and with a theme as broad as humor, cohesiveness is not a given. And yet, while “A Horse Walks into a Bar” contains a myriad of mediums and styles, its parts come together to form a wonderfully silly, provocative and subtly nostalgic whole. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of “A Horse Walks Into A Bar” is the innovative and unique use of materials and methods to achieve a sense of playfulness and absurdity. Among the most intriguing of these is Lucy White’s Band-Aid prints, “Sex Pistols,” 2005, “Peace Panty,” 2006, and “I Hate You Brief XL,” 2006. In her signature minimalist style, with an edge of art-poking-fun-at-art, White offers viewers an easy avenue into weighty issues like gender inequality and gun violence. Other exciting uses of … [Read more...] about “A HORSE WALKS INTO A BAR” AND OTHER CURIOUS NOTIONS AT HAMPDEN GALLERY
Group Show
CANAL STREET ART GALLERY: COLLABORATION, CULTURE & COMMUNITY
GALLERY SPOTLIGHT CANAL STREET ART GALLERY 23 CANAL STREET BELLOWS FALLS, VERMONT by Elayne Clift When the Canal Street Art Gallery opened its doors last November in Bellows Falls, VT, its inaugural “Group Show” of works by 18 local artists was praised by the town’s residents and by the larger art community of southern Vermont. Their response signaled that the gallery had succeeded in establishing an atmosphere that reflected the founders’ mission: To create a comfortable space for artists’ creativity to be experienced in “a culture that may need a more comfortable relationship with the arts,” as Michael Noyes, one of three gallery founders, put it. Noyes, the gallery’s director, partnered with Emmett Dunbar, a photographer and former economic developer for Rockingham Township, and Garrison Buxton, a muralist and printmaker. Both Garrison and Noyes had prior gallery … [Read more...] about CANAL STREET ART GALLERY: COLLABORATION, CULTURE & COMMUNITY
Making Lemonade in Vermont
Gloria King Merritt's Happy Accident by Taryn Plumb It basically started out as a fluke. Four years ago, a tendon snapped in Gloria King Merritt’s thumb (the result of a 40-year-old injury). Her hand had to be rewired; she couldn’t do the simplest things, like fasten buttons or tie her shoes. Her doctors told her that in order to get her dexterity back, she should repetitively make quarter-inch marks with a pencil on a pad. That got old pretty quickly; it was not only boring, but mind-numbing. So instead, she picked up a tablet and a stylus and began experimenting with digital art. As she put it, she “devoured” software, and within 12 weeks, had a complete drawing. “Now I’m addicted,” said the Woodstock, Vermont-based digital artist, whose work will be on display through July 17 as part of “Domesticated Beasts and Dreams of Home: Early Summer Group Show,” also … [Read more...] about Making Lemonade in Vermont
Boston Biennial 4 at Atlantic Works Gallery
By Ali Russo Atlantic Works Gallery had a “wicked good” opening reception on April 8, though the quintessential colloquial phrase undermines the true success of the show. The “Boston Biennial 4” delivered an evocative and inspiring selection of art of various types of mediums and styles; a panel of over 20 jurors, one of them being Artscope’s publisher and founder, Kaveh Mojtabai, helped choose the works for the show. The gallery itself is a six-minute walk from the Maverick station off the Blue Line that’s located three flights up into a building with a brick façade reading, “Atlantic Works Rd” in faded, speckled paint down the side. The nearness of the ocean — especially the smell of it, leaves the area with a homey and welcoming feeling. Stepping inside, the sense is not only paralleled, but is also confined within the interesting design and architecture that the space has … [Read more...] about Boston Biennial 4 at Atlantic Works Gallery
PEDAGOGY AND PLACE
100 YEARS OF ARCHITECTURE AT YALE by Kristin Nord New Haven, Connecticut - Later this spring, after almost 20 years, Robert A.M. Stern will be passing the torch as the dean of Yale’s School of Architecture to Deborah Berke, architect and founder of the New York-based Deborah Berke Partners. The exhibition on view through May 7 in the school’s Rudolph Hall gallery was developed in large part from a renowned spring seminar taught by Stern that looked at various studies of architecture — and the at-times tempestuous relationship with the building in which that education has taken place. The exhibition draws upon a large body of work, including video with cameos of the school’s legendary teachers and examples of student projects, fanning out to trace the chronological development and spaces of more than 30 other major schools of architecture throughout the world. Stern’s … [Read more...] about PEDAGOGY AND PLACE
Mystic as a Muse: 100 Years of Inspiration at the Mystic Arts Center
By Newlin Tillotson Mystic, CT- The Mystic Arts Center in the seaport town of Mystic, Conn. has had a long-standing history as an influential home for the arts. Its newest exhibition, “Mystic as a Muse: 100 Years of Inspiration,” explores a history that began with founder Charles Harold Davis, a landscape painter and impressionist, who settled along the Mystic River to capture the area’s marine beauty. The exhibit features work from the past 100 years up to the present day. The center perches on the edge of Mystic River and is just around the corner from the downtown shops. There are small boutiques, independent art galleries and jewelry stores, including The Art Garden, where visitors can find beads from around the world and a friendly pug named “Buddha.” At the top of the street, adjacent to the arts center, is the famous Mystic Pizza, the place Julia Roberts worked at as “Daisy” … [Read more...] about Mystic as a Muse: 100 Years of Inspiration at the Mystic Arts Center