DESTINATION BOSTON, MA
DESTINATION BOSTON, MA
BOSTON
F
ine art is as much a part of Boston’s identity as its rich history and legendary sports teams. Home to world-class museums like the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Massachusetts’ largest city offers amazing opportunities to interact with fine art and crafts, from sleek galleries to renowned craft schools and artists’ guilds. Time to plan your itinerary! According to a 2014 cultural study by ArtsBoston, the city and environs has more arts and cultural organizations per capita than any other U.S. metro area. All you need are comfortable shoes, a ticket on the “T” (the city’s mass transit system) or an Uber to begin experiencing all the city has to offer. Start your fine art tour in Boston’s North End, a densely-populated, traditionally Italian neighborhood that’s easily reached using the Freedom Trail, a red brick trail past important sites from the American Revolution (including Paul Revere’s home and the Old North Church). Convenient to mass transit—the closest T stop is Haymarket on the Orange and Green lines and Aquarium on the Blue Line—the neighborhood’s primary thoroughfare is Hanover Street. Wander past the cozy restaurants and bakeries, then turn on North Street and head over to North Bennet Street School. Founded in 1881, North Bennet Street School calls itself “America’s first trade school.” Founded as a school where students could learn time-honored skills like pottery, printing, watch repair and sewing, the curriculum has evolved to include full-time and
Rosales + Partners, conceptual design: Christian Menn, architect: Miguel Rosales, preliminary engineering: Parsons Brinckerhof, Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, Boston, MA. Photography courtesy of Miguel Rosales. © Rosales + Partners.
single classes in bookbinding, furniture making, jewelry making, even repairing violins and pianos. The Windgate Gallery, the School’s store and art gallery, features beautiful handcrafted
works by students, alumni and faculty. In honor of the School’s Annual Celebration of Craft, the gallery features the Student and Alumni Exhibition from May 30–June 29 (from May 7–23, the
THE
G A L L E RY Curated by:
AT
2018
WHARF
Open daily at:
290 Congress St., Boston atlanticwharfboston.com @atlanticwharf
fortpointarts.org @fortpointarts
43 Art New England M a r c h / A p r i l
AT L A N T I C
S P E C I A L
A D V E R T I S I N G
S E C T I O N
BOSTON exhibition will be on view at International Place, Boston). Just a 15-minute walk from the North End is Atlantic Wharf, combining contemporary office, living and retail spaces on Boston’s bustling waterfront. Inside, the The Gallery at Atlantic Wharf showcases the work of the nearby Fort Point Arts Community, where more than 300 artists have studios in the neighborhood’s historic warehouses. “All of our artists are from Fort Point Arts, a great local group that offers so much to our community,” says Atlantic Wharf marketing coordinator Sarah Goldstein. On view through April 21 is How Do I Look?, featuring works by 11 Fort Point artists, including multi-media artists Elisa Hamilton, photographer Renee Ricciardi, abstract sculpture by Taylor Apostol, and an interactive piece by conceptual artist Heather Kapplow, all reflecting on the subjective nature of visual perception and flaws in the theory of sight as truth. A short walk away in the Back Bay is Il Décor, a unique venue for experiencing art. Among its airy rooms of contemporary European furniture, Il Décor, which is close to the Public Garden, is showcasing the works of Boston painter and jazz musician Matthias Lupri. The exhibition is part of the gallery’s Art Amidst Design series exploring art within the context of modern home design. Lupri’s large, textured oil paintings—archetypal abstracts, figures and landscapes—are created using different-sized palette knives and are inspired by his life, dreams, symbols, myth, philosophy and psychology. “All of my work represents my inner journey as an artist,” he says. “The show represents a mixture of my art styles.” A few blocks over, in the Back Bay, is fashionable Newbury Street. Housed in the elegant Victorian residencies are some of the city’s finest shops, restaurants, and art galleries, selling everything from affordable art by emerging artists to museum-quality works. The Copley Society of Art is among the most venerable galleries in the neighborhood. Founded in 1879, the Copley Society is the oldest non-profit art association in the United States. Representing more than 400 living artist members, from students to nationally-recognized artists, from traditional and academic realists to contemporary and abstract painters, photographers and sculptors, the gallery hosts 15–20 exhibitions annually. The Society’s winter member show from March 8 through
S P E C I A L
A D V E R T I S I N G
Lori Mehta, Shelter from the Sun, 2017, oil on craddle board, 16 x 16”. Courtesy of artist and Beacon Gallery.
CRAFT with CONFIDENCE
S E C T I O N
NBSS_ANE_161128.indd 1
WINTER MEMBERS SHOW: IN THE STYLE OF
Rose Leitner, Morning, detail Ellen Granter, Lotus Shadows, detail
MARCH 8 – APRIL 12, 2018 copleysociety.org
NBSS.EDU March/April 2018
11/28/2016 10:51:55 AM
Art New England 44
BOSTON April 12 is In the Style Of, juried by Tom Kellaway, editor of American Art Review, and featuring works in the style of the creators’ favorite artists. “We’re very excited, we’ve gotten some really fun submissions,” says gallery coordinator Aly Schuman. Running simultaneously is the Society’s 26th Annual Student show, March 8–22. Its largest fundraiser, the 30th Annual Fresh Paint Day is April 22. Participating artists paint en plein air at various points around Boston, then their finished works hang at the Society in time for its gala and silent auction on May 3. Down the street from the Copley Society is another historic gallery, The Guild of Boston Artists, founded in 1914. “We’re the only gallery solely dedicated to representational painting and sculpture, portraits, landscape and still life,” says
TWO GREAT RESTAURANTS ONE GREAT CHEF
gallery director Alexander Ciesielski. From April 7–28, in the Guild’s President’s Gallery, is a oneman show by longtime member Gary Hoffmann. A successful portrait artist, still life and genre painter, Hoffmann’s evocative works in oil, pastel and watercolor reflect the expert draftsmanship and design of the Boston School of Painting. His work is in numerous private collections as well as at the Boston Public Library, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University and the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. About a 30-minute walk from Back Bay is SoWa (South of Washington Street), among Boston’s leading art destinations. There are more than 300 working artists’ studios and critically-acclaimed galleries in SoWa, many featuring internationally famous art exhibitions. Thousands of people flock to the area for First Friday monthly art gallery openings, the SoWa Art Walk (on the first Saturday and Sunday in May), and the South End Open Studios. Located on Harrison Avenue in the heart of SoWa is Fountain Street Gallery, a contemporary art gallery with a mission to make original fine art accessible, approachable and affordable. Originally founded in Framingham, MA, the organization moved to SoWa in 2017 and spotlights works by member artists who work collaboratively to produce high-caliber exhibits, juried shows, installations and events. Through April 1, the Main Gallery features mixed-media works by Kathline Carr and Chelsea Revelle in Surfacing Beyond the Narrative. “What links [these two artists] is the idea of domesticity and a sense of place,” says Fountain Street director Marie Craig.
Matthias Lupri, Nocturnal Eve 12:16, 2013, oil on canvas, 72 x 36”. Courtesy of artist.
Bin 26 Enoteca 26 Charles St Beacon Hill, MA 617-723-5939 www.bin26.com
Lala Rokh
97 Mt Vernon St Beacon Hill, MA 617-720-5511 www.lalarokh.com
45 Art New England M a r c h / A p r i l
2018
S P E C I A L
A D V E R T I S I N G
S E C T I O N
BOSTON From April 4–29, the Main Gallery hosts Identity, showcasing the bold, colorful figurative paintings of Romanian artist Sorin Bica, a contemporary artist based in the Boston area; and the mixed-media assemblages of Stephen Martin, whose witty work incorporates found objects and old photos. Across from Fountain Street, Kingston Gallery has been a SoWa favorite for more than 20 years. Incorporated in 1982, Kingston is Boston’s second-oldest artist-run gallery, named for its original location on Kingston Street in Chinatown. This spring Elif Soyer meditates on routine—particularly the endless, snail-mail cycle of bills and junk mail—in Balance Due, while Jamal Thorne’s mixed-media works in Bootleg DeLorean take on layers of history in the digital era. Both shows run through April 1. From April 4–29,
collage artist Conny Goelz-Schmitt deconstructs vintage books in More Questions than Answers, which joins Displacement by On-Kyeong Seong, who combines paintings and stitchery in abstract explorations of scientific method. Just a few doors down Harrison Avenue is the Beacon Gallery, featuring original art by Boston artists as well as artists from Europe and Asia. Owner and gallery manager Christine O’Donnell has lived in Hong Kong, Paris and Singapore, and brings an international sensibility to the contemporary gallery. The gallery hosts its first international juried art show from March 16–April 29. “We opened the show up to artists from Boston and beyond,” says O’Donnell. “I’ve heard from artists in Columbia, Brazil and elsewhere.” O’Donnell is one of the exhibi-
tion’s three jurors; others are award-winning photographer Peter Vanderwarker and Boston abstract artist Thaddeus Beal. The Beacon’s May exhibition is Layers & Light: The Artwork of Aja Johnson and Lori Mehta, spotlighting the paintings of Mehta and Johnson, Boston artists whose works explore layering with color and light. “Aja creates more abstract work and Lori’s is more figurative but they complement each other beautifully,” says O’Donnell. Close by, also on Harrison Avenue, is the Adelson Galleries Boston. Founded in Boston by Warren Adelson in 1964, the gallery is distinguished for its expertise in American Impressionism, Realism and Modernism. From March 2–April 29, the gallery presents Mardi Gras Indians, featuring the paintings of Boston
OF
Stonybrook Fine Arts Classes and
commissions 24 Porter St., Jamaica Plain MA Stonybrookfinearts.com 617-522-3331
BOSTON ARTISTS
Founded in 1914
Exhibitions, Artist Talks, Lectures, Children’s Classes, Adult Forums, Paint-outs, Demonstrations The Guild of Boston Artists is a non-profit art gallery promoting representational painting and sculpture of enduring beauty by leading New England artists.
THE ELIOT SCHOOL Craft classes for all ages Fiber | Fashion | Wood | Printmaking
A D V E R T I S I N G
Gallery Hours: 10:30am-5:30pm Tuesday - Saturday or by appointment
bostonguild@gmail.com
eliotschool.org S P E C I A L
162 Newbury Street Boston, MA 02116 617-536-7660 | guildofbostonartists.org
S E C T I O N
Find us on
March/April 2018
Art New England 46
BOSTON
Robert Freeman, Abundant Life, 2017, oil on canvas with gold leaf, 58 x 44”. Courtesy of artist and Adelson Galleries.
artist Robert Freeman. “Bob is a painter we’ve represented for over a year,” says Adam Adelson, manager of the Boston gallery. “He used to paint his heritage as an African American man. This new series about the Mardi Gras Indians, a subculture in New Orleans, is a departure for him.” The large, colorful paintings, embellished with feathers and gold leaf, are juxtaposed with photography by Max Stern. “We love the idea of doing this show in March because we want to
47 Art New England M a r c h / A p r i l
2018
bring the warmth and excitement of New Orleans up north,” says Adelson. There’s plenty of art and culture available just outside Boston as well. Hop on the T or in your car, Uber or Lyft, and head to Jamaica Plain, home to Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum, the Franklin Park Zoo, Jamaica Pond and a lively arts scene. Here you’ll find Stonybrook Fine Arts, a creative space where talented artisans and craftspeople teach teen and adult classes in welding,
bronze casting, jewelry, small metal casting, mold making, live figure sculpting and stone carving. “We offer a unique opportunity to play with fire and tools in a safe environment,” says director Anne Sasser. “In a one-day workshop, students can try welding, jewelry making or metal casting or a workshop custom-designed for them.” As part of ArtWeek Boston, visitors can enjoy three unique workshops on April 28: Weld a Critter, aluminum sand casting or, if you’re engaged, learn basic jewelry fabrication, then create your own wedding bands during Make Your Own Wedding Rings. A mile from Stonybrook Fine Arts, a stone’s throw from Jamaica Pond, in a historic schoolhouse, is the 342-year-old Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts. Founded in 1676 as a grammar school, it now offers lifelong learning in craftsmanship and creativity with classes and workshops in woodworking, sewing and fiber arts, painting, drawing, photography, bookbinding and paper making, and much more. The school partners with Boston schools and community centers to bring woodworking and visual arts into the community. In May, it spotlights the work of three faculty members—Maggie Carberry, Sean Dunstan-Halliday and Vicki Paret—in Attention to Detail, an exhibition at Galatea Fine Art in Boston’s South End. “We have an amazing core of 100 artists and artisans that teach for us, in every discipline from painting to woodworking,” says director Abigail Norman. “These occasional exhibitions let us show them off.” Head west to the tree-lined suburb of Newton, where the New Art Center, a community arts education center, features the work of a dozen artists in the exhibition Stitch: Syntax/Action/Reaction, on view through March 24. Curated by Jessica Burko and Samantha Fields, it features work by area artists that relies on the powerful language of technique and material to convey meaning and demonstrate that a stitch is never just about surface. A Curatorial Opportunity Exhibition (COP), the show “enables independent curators to design, propose and exhibit work here,” says Allie Heimos, New Art Center’s marketing and communications director. “It’s a good way to get experience as a curator if you’re not tied to a museum or gallery.” Venture a little further west to Hopkinton, best known as the starting line for the famed Boston Marathon, taking place this year on April 16. The town’s cultural heart is the Hopkinton Center for
S P E C I A L
A D V E R T I S I N G
S E C T I O N
BOSTON the Arts, a visual and performing arts center. In addition to classes for young people up to adults in fine art, music, dance, theater, photography, ceramics and more, the Center hosts exhibitions year-round. Through March 15 is Joan Baldwin: What is Really Going On, featuring the evocative, surrealistic work of Boston area artist Joan Baldwin (a reception is March 2 from 6–7:30 p.m.). “What intrigues me is that her work is very accessible to viewers but explores issues like malefemale tensions that are really fascinating,” says director Kris Waldman. Artwork by Hopkinton High School honors students is on view from March 21–April 10, with a reception on March 22, 6–7 p.m. “The level of talent is astounding,” says Waldman. You should also experience Boston’s culi-
nary arts scene during your visit. Head back to Boston’s Beacon Hill, with its stately Federal-style homes, brick sidewalks and winding streets. Not far from the gold-domed Massachusetts State House is Lala Rokh, a family-owned Eastern Mediterranean restaurant that combines Persian cuisine and warm hospitality with an opportunity to see some of the world’s finest Persian art and photography. Each dining room in the restaurant features an artist or theme, all from the Bina family’s personal collections (many of the Iranian photographers featured have works for sale at Boston’s Robert Klein Gallery). At various times, the restaurant walls have been hung with 6th-7th century Persian calligraphy, 15th-17th century miniatures and rarely-seen Qajar photography from the 18th century. Currently on
display are photographs by world-class Iranian photographers including Gohar Dashti, Ghazaleh Hedayat, Samira Abbassy, and Mohamad Mehdi Tabatabaie. “Visitors are taken aback by the quality of these works of art because they’re magnificent,” says Babak Bina, owner of Lala Rokh. “Many of the photographers have exhibited in major museums around the world.” Whether strolling along sophisticated Newbury Street, browsing a gallery in trendy SoWa, or exploring Boston’s leafy suburbs, there is a wealth of opportunity to experience art in the Boston area. It’s no wonder that the city, nicknamed “The Hub,” is at the center of all that’s artistic in New England. —Debbie Kane
MATTHIAS LUPRI @ IL DÉCOR
A contemporary art gallery in Boston’s South End
UPCOMING SHOWS March 16 International Juried Show Elle Camilia, 60 x 48”
May 4 Layers & Light: The Artwork of Aja Johnson & Lori Mehta 524B Harrison Ave | Boston MA 02118 857. 227. 1700 | beacongallery.com Lori Mehta
S P E C I A L
A D V E R T I S I N G
S E C T I O N
Daemons, 72 x 48”
OIL PAINTINGS ON CANVAS 10 St. James Ave. Boston, MA 02116 Daily 10am-6pm, Sun 12-5pm 617-767-8557 | matthias.lupri2@gmail.com
LUPRI.com
March/April 2018
Art New England 48