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Égalité!
Paper plates at the Zeitgeist; storefront art in Somerville
BY RANDI HOPKINS

Zeitgeist Gallery has been championing art at (or over) the edge for almost a decade now, presenting experimental music, visual art, poetry, film, theater, and other, barely categorizable performances under the aegis of Alan Nidle, always with a predilection for events that embrace the communal, the spontaneous, the inclusive, and the temporary — not to mention the crowded and the noisy! In this spirit, the forever-young art space is introducing its latest happening, a series of one-night thematic art exhibitions called "Studio Z: First Thursday at the Zeitgeist." It’ll kick off September 4 with "Affirming the Mundane: A Written and Visual Essay on Two Hundred Paper Plates," a nine-artist show organized and curated by Robert Moeller.

The concept of inviting everyone in one night each month for a cozy evening of art evokes that most romantic of art experiences, the art salon, where serious-minded bohemians wearing berets and smoking Gauloises came together to discuss the finer points of what they were seeing, thinking, and feeling. Nidle and Moeller put a contemporary spin on their beat scene by starting out with a theme that everyone can relate to: the paper plate. The disposability of the material combined with the short-lived nature of the event gives "Affirming the Mundane" the appeal of a live performance; as gallery publicist Mary Curtin explains, "It’s like a rock concert. You show up, you’re part of the whole thing; if you snooze, you lose."

The nine artists participating in this first First Thursday run the gamut in terms of medium and message, from the political to the pastoral and beyond. Famously lefty professor, radical historian, political theorist, and social activist (not to mention playwright and author) Howard Zinn contributes 25 plates with heated messages to George W. Bush. Swiss-born, Cambridge-based artist Catherine Burkhard paints colorful scenes that evoke the Garden of Eden, with Adam and Eve seen through a paper porthole and that distinctive stripe of little ridges running around the curved outer border. The humble paper plate, known and loved for its supporting role at picnics and birthday parties, comes into its own as a fitting focal point in this eminently egalitarian social and cultural event.

Art takes to the streets again in Somerville this fall as the ninth annual "Windows Art Project" comes to a store or café window near you in Union Square starting September 7. Determined to show that it is possible to integrate art and daily life, the well-organized folks at the Somerville Arts Council have been presenting this good-spirited juried exhibition in Davis Square every year since 1995; this is the first time they’re bringing the project to Union Square. Over the years, art installations have been presented everywhere from in the trees to on the sidewalk, but the majority of works are always found in storefront windows, where they create a beneficial interaction between local artists and local businesses. This year’s theme is "Spaces/Places," and the work will be juried by members of the Arts Council’s board and staff, as well as by guest curator Meg Rotzel, director of the experimental Berwick Research Institute and a strong proponent of art in our communities. Plan to take a mind-altering stroll through this eclectic neighborhood next month, while the art is at its peak.

"Affirming the Mundane" will be shown at Zeitgeist Gallery, 1353 Cambridge Street in Inman Square, on September 4 from 7 to 11 p.m. There’s no admission fee, and light refreshments will be served; call (617) 876-6060 or visit www.zeitgeist-gallery.org. The "Windows Art Project" will take place at locations throughout Union Square in Somerville from September 7 through October 3; visit www.somervilleartscouncil.org.


Issue Date: August 29 - September 4, 2003
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