Monday, April 3, 2017

Diamond in the Rough

Harriet Diamond is not an artist who steers away sensitive issues such as war and refugees. When Harriet was in the first Amherst Biennial she created an installation of the war machine in Iraq and gave a talk to veterans. It was not an easy presentation but she wanted to highlight the damage wars rains upon the local population.



This year she presented a stunning exhibit of refugees, which could have been from Mosul or Aleppo. This project took two years to complete and the installation took over the main gallery at Oxbow Gallery in downtown Northampton, Harriet's hometown.

Ms. Diamond's monolithic bombed out buildings hung ominously hung over the wrapped bodies of war's victims while families flee out of the darkness hopefully to a better life.



One of the qualities of her clay figurines is the humanity she brings to her work. The downtrodden masses yearning to be free of this madness.

http://www.sculpturestories.com/

Monday, July 18, 2016

Photo Fellowship Award Holly Lynton

Holly Lynton, local photographer who participated in the first Amherst Biennial, is the recipient of the Aaron Siskind Fellowship Grant on the basis for artistic accomplishment. Holly's work looks for "moments of wonder and spiritual resonance."


Holly Lynton photograph from Bare Hands series


Friday, February 19, 2016

Better Angels, 9/11 Firefighters

I was first introduced to Dawn Siebel's artwork, when she submitted these nostalgic paintings of grade school photographs and track housing from the '50's to the Amherst Biennial curatorial committee. Shortly afterwards, during a studio visit, she shared a selection from her monumental work, Better Angels, the Firefighters who were killed on 9/11. This series really hit home for me personally, since I grew up in NYC and my mother had worked in the World Trade Center in the '80's. 

Dawn's dedication to this work is extraordinary, she  mortgaged her home, so she could focus exclusively on this task at hand. She worked tirelessly, researching each firefighter, working meticulously to capture the essence of each individual firefighter, sometimes reworking some portraits several times.

 The curators were so impressed with this series, that we included a select few of the Better Angels portraits in the Frost Museum Library, Amherst College for the Amherst Biennial. It's so wonderful to finally see this monumental installation locally in the Pioneer Vallery. Better Angels will be on view in it's entirety at the Springfield Museum until July 10, 2016. This is not to be missed.




Thursday, December 3, 2015

Art at the Orchard

Katie Richardson sculpture at Art in the Orchard



There have been many accomplishments and growth by some of the Amherst Biennial artists, but one of the standouts this season has been Katie Richardson's sculpture at the Biennial Art in the Orchard in Easthampton. This mixed media piece was situated on a crest of a hill over looking a pumpkin patch and the Holyoke Range in the background.  Other Biennial artists included in this latest edition of Art in the Orchard were Matt Evald Johnson (Art in the Park, Amherst). This outdoor Biennial has just ended it's extended run.

http://katierayart.com/home.html
http://www.evaldart.com/

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Nancy Milliken Covers Massachusetts

Nancy Winship Milliken, Chesterwood, Lenox
Nancy Winship Milliken sculptures will be on exhibit from Boston to the Berkshires this summer. . Her 3D wool & barn board constructions are installed with the Boston Sculpture Artists at Chesterwood, Lenox  this Summer. These sculptures evoke the church spires of a New England village and the wool honors the farmers of our region. She'll also be presenting new work at Pioneer Women with her earth bound flowers of bird/duck feathers at MAP exhibition space at Eastworks, opening June 6 - 28. Also her sculptures will be DeeDee,
Shuttack Gallery, Westport, MA this summer.

http://nancymilliken.com

http://chesterwood.org/

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Pulp Reality

Olivia Bernard, Spill in Pulp Culture, Morris Museum, NJ
Olivia Bernard has been using paper to make huge paper installations for years. Her latest work has taken this work to a new level, evoking a lyrical airiness. One of her recent artworks is featured in Pulp Culture at the Morris Museum in Morristown, New Jersey, this exhibition will be open to the public until December 7th.

Paperwork we featured prominently during the last biennial including several members of the Zea Mays print studio.One of the studios instructors ,Louise Kohrman, created this intricate 3D construction ...forever in my mind... using prints and pins.

Kohrman's latest work is featured in the Art Gallery at Western New England University, Springfield in a solo exhibition until December 12.

Louise Kohrman,...forever in my mind.... prints and pins


Friday, September 19, 2014

Kendrick Park Sculptors Honored



Lee Hutt whose sculpture was featured in the 2012 Amherst Biennial in Kendrick Park; was honored with a sculpture award at the Salmagundi Club, NYC recently during the Allied Artists of America celebration of it's 100 years anniversary.

Lee Hutt's webpage http://www.figurativelyspeaking.org/

Matt Evald Johnson -  Recent Sculpture at Art in Orchard

Another sculptor from the last Biennial, Matt Johnson whose Portal sculpture is now on permanent installation in Kendrick Park Amherst is having an opening at Park Hill Orchard, Easthampton, MA this weekend. There are 16 new sculptures being featured in this bucolic setting.

Artist's Reception Saturday,           Sept. 20, 1 - 4 PM.

http://www.evaldart.com/