‘Light And Artifice’ at The Schoolhouse Gallery; ‘What Is Big?’ at Brickbottom; ‘Birds Do It’ at Montserrat
By RANDI HOPKINS | July 2, 2008
Andrew Sovjani, Moebius Study 1 |
“Light And Artifice” at Schoolhouse Gallery, 494 Commercial St, Provincetown | July 11–July 23 | 508.487.4800
“What Is Big?” at Brickbottom Gallery, 1 Fitchburg St, Somerville | July 10–August 16 | 617.776.3410
“Birds Do It: An Installation By Tin Can Sally” at Montserrat College of Art’s Schlosberg Alumni Gallery, 23 Essex St, Beverly | July 8-31 | 978.867.9604 |
Pinpricks and irregular streaks of light illuminate a circular orb that might be the moon, or a chambered nautilus, or a partly peeled orange in each of Judith Larsen’s series of photographic works called “Phasing and Solon.” Looking more closely, you can see that these mysterious constellations are projected onto images of human figures who are gently twisted into acrobatic or womblike positions and seem to float in the night sky. Larsen is one of six artists exhibiting in “LIGHT AND ARTIFICE,” which opens at the Schoolhouse Gallery in Provincetown on July 11. Jefferson Hayman conveys nostalgia in a wall installation of miniature photographs of the sea, New York City, and common objects, each uniquely framed. Andrew Sovjani’s interest is in light itself in photographs of precisely folded or arranged paper. Nona Hershey builds up cloud-like forms using graphite powder and rough blue Styrofoam shapes, pairing the ephemeral with the indestructible/toxic. Gina Kamentsky’s playful kinetic sculptures bring movement into the mix; Robena Malicoat’s oil paintings of Provincetown fishing boats are inspired by the light and landscape of the Outer Cape.From the allure of a tiny woven welcome mat for a dollhouse to the visceral thrill of walking into a looming Richard Serra Torqued Ellipse, we respond to scale — to the spatially unexpected — with wonder. Opening July 10, Brickbottom Gallery’s annual summer “WHAT IS BIG?” exhibit offers work that is oversized or challenges the idea of scale by a BIG group of members of the Brickbottom Artist Association: Gabrielle Barzaghi, Amy Cain, Jean Cain, Peter Cutler, Wally Gilbert, Emily Kahn, Charlotte Kaplan, Bill Kipp, Pauline Lim, Debra Olin, Suzanne M. Packer, Felice Regan, Dan Rocha, Alyson Schultz, Obie Simonis, and John Tricomi.
Found, printed tin is the material of choice for sculptor Sally Seamans, slide librarian at Montserrat College of Art and subject of the school’s first staff exhibition of 2008, “BIRDS DO IT: AN INSTALLATION BY TIN CAN SALLY,” which opens at Montserrat’s Schlosberg Alumni Gallery July 8. Seamans — who’s been dubbed “Tin Can Sally” for her skill with containers such as those originally holding useful stuff (olive oil, spice, candy, sardines, biscuits, popcorn) — cuts the tins into many shapes, then assembles them with wire and adhesive into colorful objects and creatures including, in this show, exotic birds. Look closely and you may well recognize some of the familiar commercial materials from whence these creatures sprang.
On the Web
Schoolhouse Gallery: www.schoolhouseprovincetown.com
Brickbottom Gallery: www.brickbottomartists.com
Montserrat College of Art: www.montserrat.edu/galleries
Related:
2009: The year in art, Breakthroughs, When the red, red robin . . ., More 
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Topics:
Museum And Gallery
, Montserrat College of Art, Montserrat College of Art, Richard Serra
