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New England's Culture Magazine

Artscope Magazine | March/April 2021

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sculpture

“A HORSE WALKS INTO A BAR” AND OTHER CURIOUS NOTIONS AT HAMPDEN GALLERY

// Artscope Online, Current Exhibits, Visual Arts

by Hannah Carrigan

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

SCULPTORS AS ACTIVISTS: TAKING A STAND AT ATTLEBORO ARTS MUSEUM

// March/April 2020

by Suzanne Volmer

Primaries for the national election punctuate politics in the United States with rhetoric ranging from how to reach for the brass ring of prosperity to stumping on national and global policy issues. In this climate, Attleboro Arts Museum director Mim Fawcett said that 75 percent of artwork that she is seeing from artists involves social commentary. That commentary has prompted “Take a Stand: Voices of the New England Sculptors Association.” From April 9 through May 8, the show will weigh in on Zeitgeist with sculptures plumbing topics such as environment, civil rights, racism, Roe vs. Wade, gender equality, gun violence and immigration. Sculptor Ruth Rosner has two artworks in the show from her “Refugee Women” series, which comment on U.S. border enforcement. Disturbing to her are the ongoing herding practices reminiscent of the Holocaust. By phone, Rosner described her practice of … [Read more...] about SCULPTORS AS ACTIVISTS: TAKING A STAND AT ATTLEBORO ARTS MUSEUM

DALE’S STATE OF BECOMING: BALANCING SCULPTURE & EMBROIDERIES IN GROTON

// March/April 2020

by Elizabeth Michelman

A pair of ravaged pewter sculptures resembling hieroglyphs flank the window in the Groton School’s Brodigan Gallery on the site map for its upcoming “In a State of Becoming” exhibition of work by Boston-based metalsmith and sculptor Venetia Dale. Both are the height of a fireplug — one rotund, the other a spiky “X.” They reach upwards like toddlers asking to be picked up. “Between: Kitchen-Aid Mixer,” together with wall-mounted pewter castings of other Styrofoam packing inserts, comprise Dale’s “Between” series. Their label points to the mother’s essential functions: holding, supporting and aiding the child, both in a physical and an emotional environment. Dale, a visiting lecturer at the Mass College of Art and Design, began hoarding packaging materials in the new house where she would raise her young family. They came from accessories and comforts acquired for the home — faucets, … [Read more...] about DALE’S STATE OF BECOMING: BALANCING SCULPTURE & EMBROIDERIES IN GROTON

WELL WORTH REVISITING: FAMILIAR LANDMARKS AND STYLES AT WHISTLER HOUSE

// Current Issue, Issue Articles, January/February 2020

by Flavia Cigliano

Juried exhibitions are a mainstay for art associations, galleries and museums, and with good reason. Everyone seems to benefit from them. Artists enter for the recognition, validation and exposure to possible buyers and to the critical eye of their fellow artists. Gallery owners are able to seek out emerging talent as well as established artists for possible representation. Art aficionados and casual visitors alike can follow and compare artists’ work. Often times, little noted at these shows is the extraordinary effort of the jurors in selecting works for the exhibitions. Not only are they required to winnow down the entries to a fraction of those submitted, but they are regularly required to evaluate works in every possible medium. It’s a highly subjective process. Jurors are experts in their own fields with varying experiences, predilections and prejudices. Often, they are most … [Read more...] about WELL WORTH REVISITING: FAMILIAR LANDMARKS AND STYLES AT WHISTLER HOUSE

DISCOVERING KITH + KIN: FRIENDS AND MENTORS OF LESLEY MFA

// Artscope Online, Exhibits, Visual Arts

by Olivia MacDonald

An art mentor is someone who motivates and inspires a fellow artist to experiment, to sketch out their goals on an empty canvas, painting their dream lives in all colors. Their creative minds blend together and connect and at Lesley University, the Art and Design school is celebrating its 30th graduating class from its low-residency Visual Arts MFA program, where mentors and visiting lecturers and faculty all encompass this encouraging, patient and driven atmosphere of artistic vision. The work of these advisors, the very people who provided creative sparks in Lesley’s students, is now exhibited in a show titled “Kith + Kin: Friends and Mentors of Lesley MFA.” Upon entering the wide-open gallery with wall-length windows overlooking bustling Mass Ave., guests are immediately welcomed into a serene space. Along the back wall, a pear-shaped sculpture by Candice Ivy titled “Honey From … [Read more...] about DISCOVERING KITH + KIN: FRIENDS AND MENTORS OF LESLEY MFA

Revealing the Will of Water: Andy Goldsworthy’s Watershed Opens at deCordova

// Artscope Online, Exhibits, Visual Arts

by Meredith Cutler

It’s one of the first truly brisk days of autumn at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum. The sun sparkles as icy gusts of wind drive fallen leaves into wild, calligraphic trajectories across Waleska’s Way. The ADA-compliant, accessible stone path leads down the park’s pond-side hill to Andy Goldsworthy’s Watershed, a permanent, site-specific installation which opened to the public on November 9, 2019. The acclaimed British land artist has made his mark on this planet by working directly with natural materials, natural forces and the landscape – creating works that challenge the viewer’s perspective on nature, time, weather and permanence. Built partially embedded into the hill just below the deCordova’s rear parking lot, the functionality and engineering behind Watershed is, like many natural processes, hidden from view. It’s a modest space – a shed true to its name and from … [Read more...] about Revealing the Will of Water: Andy Goldsworthy’s Watershed Opens at deCordova