The professional artwork of Lucia deLeiris embodies adventure travel to a T and begs the question, “What remains for a bucket list after you’ve sketched wild chimpanzees in Tanzania from Jane Goodall’s porch or chronicled what lives at both polar extremes?” Traveling to those places and others, including Micronesia and the Amazon, deLeiris has created a richness of descriptive artworks. Her sketches that documented Antarctica were lauded by the National Science Foundation. As a fourth- generation artist, she says that she cannot remember when creating wasn’t a defining aspect of her day. deLeiris is interested by the movement of living things and comfortable looking at life from above or below the horizon line. (To read more, pick up a copy of our latest issue! Find a pick-up location near you or Subscribe Here.) … [Read more...] about NEW ENGLAND, NATURALLY: DELEIRIS’ FARM LIFE PAINTINGS IN PROVIDENCE
Current Issue
ALLOWING TIME TO BREATHE: UNPRECEDENTED TIMES, ARTWORK IN BURLINGTON
One of the most difficult aspects of wearing a mask during the pandemic is the limitations the mask places on something that is natural — breathing freely, unobstructed. I’ve worn a mask daily since March when the CDC directed people to do so, but on almost every occasion, I’ve mumbled under my breath about the annoyance — until after the heartbreaking videos of George Floyd’s killing on the street; until George Floyd’s plea, “I can’t breathe.” It was impossible not to think of those words in any other context, especially later on when street protests repeated those words en masse. The connection between the private miseries of confinement, social isolation, fear of a deadly virus and the public outcry for recognition, acknowledgment and resolution of social and racial inequities came full circle in an unprecedented way. “Unprecedented?,” the current exhibition at Burlington City Arts … [Read more...] about ALLOWING TIME TO BREATHE: UNPRECEDENTED TIMES, ARTWORK IN BURLINGTON
ARTS FOR EVERYBODY: ATTLEBORO MEMBERS’ SHOW HAS ART FAIR FEEL
Open to the public during COVID- 19 as well as partially accessible in virtual formats, the Attleboro Arts Museum is presenting its annual Member’s Exhibition through January 29 with artworks by participants from across New England and the United States. At this year’s show, audiences will encounter a well-balanced blend of narrative and abstract styles, which AAM’s director, Mim Fawcett, has installed to create provocative sightlines from one artwork to another. The show demonstrates high quality across genres and also reflects this museum’s tendency to exhibit 2D and 3D art forms with equal emphasis. AAM’s motto, “Arts for Everyone,” translates here into an exhibition opportunity for artists of any age. The show’s guidelines explained that a member could bring up to three works to the museum with the guarantee that all would be included in the show. It is a sweeping promise … [Read more...] about ARTS FOR EVERYBODY: ATTLEBORO MEMBERS’ SHOW HAS ART FAIR FEEL
SPLENDIDLY UNCOMMON: POLLANS & SWAN SAIL AT BOSTON SCULPTORS
I like to think the lights never go out in the Boston Sculptors Gallery. It’s a place I’ve loved to haunt from where I’m situated in Cambridge by either floating down Mass. Ave. by car then turning left on Harrison Ave. or taking the Red line to the Silver Line to SoWA, or South of Washington — then enjoying multiple galleries. Margaret Swan and Larry Pollans, whose works are currently on display there, seem to make it look so easy. Just vision, knowledge of materials and application in the studio — over the years. (To read more, pick up a copy of our latest issue! Find a pick-up location near you or Subscribe Here.) … [Read more...] about SPLENDIDLY UNCOMMON: POLLANS & SWAN SAIL AT BOSTON SCULPTORS
A VIRTUAL INTRODUCTION: COPLEY SOCIETY DIVERSIFIES ITS MEMBERSHIP
In an innovative move, Newbury Street’s Copley Society of Art, the oldest nonprofit art association in the United States, has decided to present this year’s New Members Show virtually. We are given the gift of access to new creative expression in a time when we are deprived of so much of the art world. In this online exhibition, visitors are challenged to take in the works of the selected artists in a new way, not sharing wall space in a gallery, but one at a time. “The Copley Society is more than proud of the class of its newly elected Members of 2020. Diverse in background and multitalented, they have enthusiastically embraced this ever-changing COVID year,” said executive director Suzan Redgate. “We admire their perseverance and their willingness to adapt to the ‘virtual’ programming changes at Co|So while continuing to demonstrate and strengthen their artistic accomplishments. It … [Read more...] about A VIRTUAL INTRODUCTION: COPLEY SOCIETY DIVERSIFIES ITS MEMBERSHIP
AMERICAN PORTRAITURE TODAY: REGIONAL & NATIONAL SHOWCASE AT SPRINGFIELD
During a time when we are constrained by rules of distancing, and in some cases, by forced interaction with others, it is uplifting to find an immersive visual experience which reminds us of the innate humanity and captivating presence of the individual. Two exhibitions currently on view at Springfield Museums reveal the intrinsic worth of each person as reflected in portraiture, all within a larger social context manifested in the present day. The triennial Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, endowed by the late philanthropist Virginia Outwin Boochever, awards monetary prizes and a commissioned portrait from the first place winner to be included in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. In addition to three top prizes, the competition offers commendations, and a “People’s Choice Award” chosen from the pool of finalists. Open to all artists living and … [Read more...] about AMERICAN PORTRAITURE TODAY: REGIONAL & NATIONAL SHOWCASE AT SPRINGFIELD