Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Little White House Project

The Amherst Public Arts Commission is collaborating with Emily Dickinson Museum producing a major art installation of 40 "Little White Houses" up and down the Dickinson Corridor opening May 12, by the young artist, Peter Krasznekewicz. Peter was inspired by Christo (who created "The Gates" at Central Park), to build a large outdoor installation, but he took it a step further by creating a public art installation with no waste. The sustainable "FSC" plywood used to build the "Little White Houses" will be donated to Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity at the end of this project.

Peter K is donating another 500 panels (one-foot square scraps from the "Little White House" construction) to local artists and students to paint a visual response to one of Emily Dickinson's poems of their own choosing. The installation of panels will be called "Emily's Rhapsody." A few selected pieces will appear this spring at the Dickinson Museum. The majority of these panels will be installed in the Amherst Biennial. All participating artists will have an option to keep their piece or donate it to a  future "green art" project.

The "Little White House" project will launch on May Day with two colorful houses by two Boston Graffiti artists at the Jones Library Atrium, 43 Amity Street. The balance of the white houses will appear for the grand opening reception and Poetry Walk at the Emily Dickinson Museum on May 12. Visit the Emily Dickinson Museum website for more details.



Monday, April 23, 2012

Public Arts Competition



UMass Museum Without Walls will be participating in the Amherst Biennial with a banner project created by local artists for installation on the Fine Arts Center during the Amherst Biennial. To apply for this project click here

Update on Amherst Biennial

Many new host sites for art are developing for the next Amherst Biennial (Oct/Nov '12). So far we have host sites inside and outside at the following locations:  Emily Dickinson Museum, Eric Carle Museum, UMass and Amherst College. We have been working with UMass staff and video professionals to project images on the Fine Arts Center (FAC) on the pond side. Also the Amherst Public Arts Commission has received a tentative offer of the Chapel by the FAC for a sound installation. We also have been offered an empty storefront in downtown Amherst if it's not rented by the Fall. We will have the majority of the host sites from the last Biennial. At this time, the East St. School site is up in the air, but we should know by May whether we will have this site for the Fall Biennial.

So many new options are coming forth and many artists are getting excited. That's great! However, some artists have requested certain locations to install their work. The curators cannot approve such requests. But be assured that we will do our best to locate all works in the best light, considering what works will relate to each other best.

The Amherst Biennial will have an several outdoor sites for sculpture, including Kendrick Park, where Matt Evald Johnson's "Portal" is installed. We are in the process of raising funds to keep it there as a permanent installation as the beginning of an Amherst sculpture garden. We'd like to encourage Western MA sculptors to apply to the next Biennial.