Last night I attended the Members Reception for the New England Photography Biennial at the Danforth Museum in Framingham. The show was curated by Francine Weiss, Curator and Editor for Loupe magazine for the Photographic Resource Center in Boston. Gathering together 76 works by 44 artists, the Biennial was large enough to feel representative of the exciting work going on in the New England area, but intimate enough to let the individual works shine.
Tuesday Sept 17
Visiting Artist Lecture: Janette Brossard & Norberto Marrero
When: Sept 17, 11am – 12pm
Location: Screen Printing Studio, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, 230 The Fenway, Boston, MA
Wednesday Sept 18
Ask a Curator Day
When: Sept 18, All Bay – Use the hashtag #AskaCurator on Twitter. You can ask questions to specific museums using the @MUSEUMNAME or you can ask general questions using #AskaCurator.
Location: Twitter
Tuesday Sept 10
Cuban Virtualities: New Media Art from the Island
When: Reception: Sept 10, 5:30pm, Curatorial Introduction at 7pm, On View: Sept 5 – Dec 8
Location: Tufts University Art Gallery, 40 Talbot Avenue, Medford, MA
Maria Magdalena Campos Pons: My Mother Told Me
When: Reception: Sept 10, 5:30pm, Curatorial Introduction at 6:30pm, On View: Sept 5 – Dec 8
Location: Tufts University Art Gallery, 40 Talbot Avenue, Medford, MA
“Visiting Thahab” is an ongoing performance project by artist Nabeela Vega that, in her own words, explores “the muslim woman’s presence as an object in contemporary, domestic and foreign spaces.” Vega uses the character of Thahab (meaning body in gold) in order to scrutinize the role of the Muslim American woman in post-9/11 America and to investigate themes such as the blending of feminine and masculine roles and spaces, and the modern significance of assimilation .
September is officially in gear!
Thursday Sept 5
New Student Salon Show Opening
When: Reception: Sept 5, 5 – 6pm, On View: Sept 4 – 18
Location: School of the Museum of Fine Arts, 230 The Fenway, Boston, MA
Great Distances Opening Reception
When: Sept 5, 6 – 9pm
Location: Aviary Gallery, 48 South St, Jamaica Plain, MA
LAZY RIVER: Leidy Churchman Opening Reception
When: Reception: Sept 5, 6 – 8pm, On View: Sept 5 – Oct 20
Location: Stone Gallery, Boston University, 855 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA
WORD PLAY
When: Reception: Sept 5, 6 – 8pm, On View: Sept 5 – Sept 29
Location: Uforge Gallery, 767 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, MA
The Truth is Out There — The Art of Science Fiction
When: Reception: Sept 5, 6 – 8pm, On View: Sept 5 – Sept 29
Location: Uforge Gallery, 767 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, MA
Nature Talks Back
When: Reception: Sept 5, 6-8pm, On View: Sept 5 – Oct 5
Location: Beard & Weil Galleries, Wheaton College, 26 E. Main Street, Norton, MA
Friday Sept 6
It’s SOWA First Fridays!
When: Sept 6, 5 – 8
Location: 450 Harrison St, Boston, MA
John Cederquist: Indecision of Upholstery, Mary Kocol: Ice Gardens: The Poetics of Nature, Garry Knox Bennett: Just Some Lamps
When: Reception: Sept 6, 6 – 8pm, On View: Sept 3 – Sept 28
Location: Gallery NAGA, 67 Newbury Street, Boston, MA
Somerville Toy Camera Festival @ the Nave Gallery
When: Reception: Sept 6, 6 – 9pm, On View: Sept 6 – Sept 28
Location: The Nave Gallery, 155 Powderhouse Blvd, Somerville, MA
Cambridge Open Market: A New Weekly Open Air Art Market
When: Opening Day: Sept 6 11:30am – 5:30pm, Every Friday through Sept & Oct
Location: The Plaza, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Saturday Sept 7
Invisible Cities: Drawing with Light and Shadow with Marguerite White
What: Bring your smartphone or digital camera, as we collaborate to create our own short film! Limit to 8.
When: Sept 7, 2 – 5pm, Free, Register Here
Location: Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street, Boston, MA
(Event in connection with the 23rd Drawing Show: Drawing Connections, on view in the Mills Gallery July 12- September 22nd)
A Festival of Sound & Performance Art
When: Sept 7 – Sept 8, 1 – 10pm, $15/day
Location: The Quarry, 68 Quarry Road, Acton, MA
Sunday Sept 8
New England Photo Biennial
When: On View: Sept 8 – Nov 3
Location: The Danforth Museum, 123 Union Avenue, Framingham, MA
Reframed: Memory, Place & Time: Beth Dacey, Robert Festa, Amy Hitchcock, David Sturtevant
When: Reception Sept 8, 4 – 6pm, On View Sept 6 – Oct 19
Location: Brickbottom Artists Association, 1 Fitchburg Street, Somerville, MA
Monday Sept 9
Create the Vote: Mayoral Candidate Forum on Arts, Culture, and Creativity
When: Sept 9, 6 – 7:30pm
Location: The Paramount Theatre, Emerson College, 559 Washington St, Boston, MA
Dilated Biography: Contemporary Cuban Narratives
When: Reception: Sept 9, 5 – 7pm, On View: Sept 10 – Oct 19
Location: The Grossman Gallery, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, 230 The Fenway, Boston, MA
Reality Check
When: On View: Sept 9 – Dec 7
Location: Bakalar & Paine Gallery, MassArt, Boston, MA
Thursday Aug 29
Thahab Visits SMFA– One Night Event – Work by Nabeela Vega
When: Aug 29, 7 – 9pm
Location: School of the Museum of Fine Arts, 230 The Fenway, Boston, MA
Friday Aug 30
Culture Tap – interactive kiosks that celebrate the South End’s culture and history, activated by a Charlie Card (no charge required)
When: August 30 through October 18
Location: BCA Plaza, Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St, Boston, MA
Saturday Aug 31
TROUBLE: Tim McCool
When: Opening: Aug 31, 7 – 10pm, On View: Aug 30 – Sept 10
Location: The Hallway Gallery, 66a South Street, Jamaica Plain. MA
Percussions*Re*Percussions: Quintín Rivera Toro
When: Reception – Aug 31, 6 – 8pm, On View Aug 30 – Oct 5
Location: IBA – Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción, 405 Shawmut Avenue, Boston, MA
Thursday Aug 22
Shhhhh / The Sound of Shhhhh: resident artist Susan Metrican
When: Reception & Artist Talk – Aug 22, 6 – 8pm
Location: Samsøn Prøjects, 450 Harrison Avenue &/@ 29 Thayer Street, Boston, MA 02118
Artists for Humanity: Summer Art Exhibition & Celebration
When: Aug 22, 4 – 8pm, Entrance is Free, 50% of proceeds will go to the artists, the rest to support Artists For Humanity programs
Location: Artists For Humanity EpiCenter, 100 West Second Street, South Boston
Friday Aug 23
WASH/Super-Saturated
When: Aug 23 & 24, 7pm, Suggested $10 donation
Location: Mobius, 55 Norfolk St, Cambridge
Saturday Aug 24
Street Diamonds 2
When: Reception Aug 24, 7 – 9pm, On View Aug 10 – Sept 7
Location: Fourthwall Project, 132 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA
Ampersand (a concert series put together by WMBR and the List Visual Arts Center) held the inaugural concert of its soon-to-be monthly concert series this evening.
Luke Damrosch opened for Julia Kent. Damrosch combined pre-recorded sounds with live drum set and visual projection. The visual imagery traced the historical evolution of telephonic sound transmission, with instructional imagery translucently overlaying scenes of urbanity and nature: the intellectually analytical overlaid with the experiential. Damrosch’s performance blended the science of sound with the experience of sound art, keeping the audience engaged not only with the performance itself, but also with their own experience of listening.
There is something you should know about me – I love cello music and I adore looping artists. There’s just something about the simultaneous precision and creativity of creating and layering music live until it swells into something much larger than the single performer. Julia Kent’s music was paired with imagery of elegant spirals of smoke twisting backwards and forwards in time. Although the visuals were mesmerizing, I found it hard not to close my eyes sometimes in order to fully appreciate the rich layered tones of Kent’s music. Kent included some non-cello non-live elements of percussion into a few pieces, which I mostly found distracting and off putting, although the use of the tiny music box in the last number was a nice touch. I must say I did go into the concert wondering if there was room for two awesome looping cellists in my life (my favorite cellist is Zoe Keating), but I came out definitely convinced that there is. And with the 2 CDs I purchased tonight added to my collection, I will now have 4 albums by looping cellists on my iPhone. Although nothing can compare to experiencing a looping artist perform live, I highly recommend you check out Julia Kent’s music. Ampersand’s first monthly concert was definitely a success. I can’t wait to see who they have performing next month.
Check out Luke Damrosch.
Check out Julia Kent.
Check out Ampersand, WMBR, and the List.
Left: “Black Ant Optional” by Danielle Fiesta, Right: “T-Stop” by Seth Berkowitz
The Nave describes “Entering Somerville” as: “Art and music inspired by or created from the people, events and geography taking place in the 4.2 sq miles that make up the City of Somerville, MA.”
Tuesday Aug 13
National Poetry Slam
When: Aug 13 – Aug 17 – See Festival Guide
Location: Many locations throughout Somerville and Cambridge, Finals at Berklee Performance Center, Aug 17X @ 6:30
Thursday Aug 15
Ampersand: A WMBR & List Concert Series presents: JULIA KENT
When: Aug 15, 7:30 – 10pm, $3 w/ MIT ID | $5 General. Tickets at door.
Location: MIT, E15, Bartos Theater, 20 Ames St, Cambridge
If you happen to be in Providence:
Art Twerk:RISD Fletcher Open Studios
When: Aug 15, 5 – 10:30pm
Location: RISD, 212 Union St, Providence, RI
Friday Aug 16
War Against Magic
When: Opening Aug 16, 5:30pm, On View Aug 16 – 31
Location: Gallery Kayafas, 450 Harrison St, Boston, MA
Sunday Aug 18
Near Than Far, Near Then Far – Mid Show Reception/Going Away Party (Your chance to own a Quinn Gorbutt original!)
When: Aug 18, 6 – 9pm
Locations: The Aviary, 48 South St, Jamaica Plain, MA