After a year of corresponding with art consultant Beth Kantrowitz, I met her in Provincetown when she did a pop-up gallery the summer before last. I was instantly attracted to her enthusiasm, not to mention her taste in art. She and Kathleen O’Hara of Watertown, Massachusetts gallery Drive-by Projects recently introduced the Drive-by Store where you can by works from emerging and mid-career artists online. Here are some of the offerings which you can also see @drive_by_projects.
Rebecca Doughty
Jon Cowan
Amy Ross
Danica Phelps
James Kennedy
Helena Wurzel
Shannon Rankin
Crystalle LaCouture
Michelle Grabner
Jenny Brown
Drive-by Projects, 81 Spring Street, Watertown, Massachusetts, 617-835-8255, by appointment.
Boston area artists Kathryn Geismar and Alexandra Sheldon delve into curating with a show called Give and Take, up now at the Cambridge Art Association and online. The exhibit features artwork by Geismar and Sheldon, as well as local artists Deborah Baskin, Margaret Scoppa, and Kim Triedman.
Here is an excerpt from Geismar’s thoughts behind the exhibition:
Collage is about sticking things together. It is also about taking things apart. Paint over, tear off, nail on: this is the give and the take.
We are five artists who find a fascination in the poetic energy of things: Colors, old surfaces, blocks of wood, expired books, rusty objects, painted newsprint, discarded ephemera. Stories are suggested and found in the meeting place where objects come together and find a new community and identity. There is a huge respect for the serendipitous and the synergy of meeting the materials in the middle.
Artists are often scavengers but collage artists are even more so. Old newspapers and packaging, tossed out window frames and disparate planks of wood on a curb become our treasures. They speak to us and invite us to collaborate. What is discarded and the overlooked by many is more than a fascination; for us it is rich and evocative source material.
Kathryn Geismar, A Delicate Balance
Deborah Baskin, You and Me
Alexandra Sheldon, Happy Accident 5
Kim Triedman, You Show Me Yours
Kathryn Geismar, Night Forest
Alexandra Sheldon, Happy Accident 7
Margaret Choppa, Chock a Block
Deborah Baskin, An Evening Chat
Like all shows of the Covid era, there will be virtual opening reception on ZOOM; this Friday, April 9, 6:30-7:30 pm. Register here.
There’s also a fun interactive ZOOM workshop, Give and Take In Action: Making Collages from Scratch; this Saturday, April 10, 10-11am. Register here.
Give and Take
April 1 – 30, 2021 Kathryn Schultz Gallery, Cambridge Art Association
25 Lowell Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Also, online.
And again, another online only auction. I’m feeling confident that we will all fundraise for the students at Massachusetts College of Art and Design IRL next year. But in the meantime, consider participating in the MassArt Auction 2021 online at BidSquare.com from March 27 through noon, April 11. The live auction is also online at t BidSquare.com on April 10 at 8 pm.
The silent auction includes 291 pieces from alumni, students, and friends of the MassArt community. There is painting, photography, mixed media, drawings, glass, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, installations, and even the opportunity for commissions. I’ll try to do another post that concentrates on the live auction, just in case you have a big art budget this year.
There are also virtual events surrounding the auction, including “Why Art Matters in Interior Design” on April 1 at noon with the always wonderful Elizabeth Lowrey of Elkus Manfredi, who is also an auction co-chair, and Emily Santangelo of Emily Fine Art. See you there? Be sure to register.
And even if you don’t want to buy, register (it’s free) for the MassArt Silent Auction so you can see more than these 20 artworks.
My very dear friend, artist Lee Essex Doyle is exhibiting her newest work at Childs Gallery in Boston in a solo show called Chimera. Lee is many things—mother, friend, artist, and traveler. Her wanderlust defines her style and her work.
Lee excels at capturing the essence of a place in her delicately and boldly colored and detailed works, which depict architectural impressions of her journeys, from India to Greece to Italy to Havana.
Here is a sampling from the beautiful show:
Chimera by Lee Essex Doyle at Childs Gallery, 169 Newbury Street, Boston through August 30, 2019.
The Montserrat College of ArtSmall Works Sale was this weekend. A friend and I drove up to Beverly to check it out yesterday, and I loved what I saw. I went home with a few pieces, which is no surprise given my inability to resist small artworks.
The money helps fund this small local college, where many of the students receive financial assistance. I was also happy to support Paul Kotakis, who used to run the SMFA Art Sale, and is now Director of Development at Montserrat College of Art. The works were really appealing, and given everything was under $500, it was fun to shop too.
Here’s a sampling of small works from the Montserrat Art Sale 2017. The sale is over, but if you see something you’re interested in, I’m happy to inquire about availability for you.
