Get : Art

Saturday And Sunday, September 27 & 28: Walk Into The Sea

Liza Weisstuch — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 01:06:00 GMT

The Factory is dead. Long live the Factory! Many have tried to replicate Andy Warhol’s über-eccentric party haunt Campbell-Soup-can-style, but it remains unrivaled. More successful in bearing the torch are those who captured it on celluloid for posterity. Warhol chum and lover Danny Smith often kept his film rolling after hours. Then he disappeared. His films remained unseen until his niece, Esther Robinson, used them to create Walk Into the Sea, a rare peek inside the Factory. It screens at the Institute of Contemporary Art (100 Northern Avenue, Boston, 617.478.3100) on Saturday at 2 and 5 p.m. and on Sunday at 4 p.m. Robinson will answer questions after the movie on Sunday, and stick around to catch three of Williams’s shorts at 7:30 p.m. There’s live music accompaniment. Get tickets ($9/$7 for Walk Into the Sea, $10/$8 for Danny Williams’s Factory Films; $18/$13 for both) at www.icaboston.org or 617.478.3103.

Friday, July 25 - Friday, August 22

Liza Weisstuch — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:18:00 GMT

Artist/überdoodler Chi-Yun Lau, a senior designer for an online gaming company, lives in Somerville and likes Batman and Werner Herzog flicks. Illustrator and graphic designer Dave McMahon likes guitars, comics, and girls (in no particular order) and has done work for PBS and Nickelodeon. Both of these great visual minds traffic in Technicolor-caliber hues and mix graffiti styles with surrealism and hyperapocalyptic imagery with an assured hand and a winking sense of humor, but they hardly think alike. See what a difference a pen or brushstroke makes when their work is mounted together at Space 242 (242 East Berkeley Street, Boston). The show is called “Secret Prize Inside” — and yes, it’s as fun as a box of Cracker Jacks.

Amanda Means: "Looking at Leaves"

Liza Weisstuch — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:43:00 GMT

THROUGH MARCH, 2009
Spoiler alert: autumn is coming. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it’ll be here soon enough, stunning foliage in tow. Admit it: even when you’re lounging on the beach, you get a little twinge of excitement when you think about nature’s annual chromatic spectacle. But how often do you stop and think about each little leaf, a complex specimen of nature? Probably not as much as photographer Amanda Means, whose fascination with plant life has led her to meld art, science, and technology in the photographic images she creates, many of which involve using the leaf itself as a negative to reveal its intricate network of veins. A show of her work, “Looking at Leaves: Photographs by Amanda Means,” is at the Harvard Museum of Natural History (26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, 617.495.3045). Admission to the museum is $9 and $7 for students.

Through Friday, July 11: Matthew Barney

Liza Weisstuch — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:43:00 GMT

He’s a master at composing Vaseline sculptures, and you’d be hard-pressed to find another human being who can make a mind-bending fivepart movie featuring tap-dancing Masonic Girl Scouts, a double-amputee Olympian, cowboys, and the Goodyear blimps half as well as Matthew Barney did. We suspect it’s the symbolism in those movies that captured Björk’s heart. Now she and Barney are life partners and artistic collaborators. She wrote the soundtrack to Drawing Restraint 9, a movie based on a concept that Barney’s been involved with since his days at Yale: creating a drawing while physically restraining himself in some way. The movie centers around a trip Barney and Björk took to a whaling ship in Japan. The eight signed prints in “Matthew Barney: Photogravure Prints from Drawing Restraint 9” at the Dean’s Gallery at MIT (50 Memorial Drive, Building E52, Room 466, Cambridge, 617.253.9458) were taken from stills from the movie. Admission to the exhibit is free. Barney’s thinking? Even freer.

Kir royale

Heather Bouzan — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:29:00 GMT

Ever found yourself wishing that the owner of your favorite housewares shop would come over and outfit your entire place for you? We've often entertained such fantasies about Beacon Hill gem Koo de Kir (65 Chestnut Street, Boston, 617.723.8111). Lucky for us, founder and creative director Kristine Irving is making that dream a little bit more realistic. Though she's operated a design business out of the shop for years by referral only, Irving recently acquired a space around the corner and is launching a design studio, Koo de Kir Design (45 River Street, Boston, 617.723.8117). Focusing on high-end residential, boutique, and restaurant design, the studio, at its inception, already had 13 projects in the works, including a revamp of North End eatery Pomodoro and several home-design projects. Anyone who's browsed through Koo de Kir has a sense of Irving's aesthetic; she describes it as "elegant, modern, and carefully considered" in a warm, unfussy way.

[Photo by Joel Veak]

“Wedded Bliss, The Marriage of Art and Ceremony” at the Peabody Essex Museum

Heather Bouzan — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:45:00 GMT

SATURDAY, APRIL 26 - SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
Even if the word "marriage" tends to inspire in you little more than a cold sweat, it's impossible to deny the cultural and emotional significance of the ceremony. (Relax, Mom: you're gonna have to wait a few more years for those grandkids.) The Peabody Essex Museum (161 Essex Street, Salem, 978.745.9500) explores those concepts and more with "Wedded Bliss, The Marriage of Art and Ceremony." The collection of more than 130 objects from around the world, all produced between the 18th century and the present, ranges from a traditional gown by Priscilla of Boston to the diamond nuptial crown of Russian Empress Alexandra to a Tiffany & Co. bracelet commissioned for a Civil War general's wife. Works by Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, and Winslow Homer are also on display. General museum admission is $15 for adults; stop by on opening day for special events including cake-designing demonstrations and a screening of Monsoon Wedding. @

"El Greco to Velázquez" and "Antonio López García" at the Museum of Fine Arts

Heather Bouzan — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:48:00 GMT

SUNDAY, APRIL 13 - SUNDAY, JULY 27
It's "Spanish Spring" at the Museum of Fine Arts (465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, 617.267.9300), and we're excited for the chance to revisit our high-school foreign-language roots. The season is headlined by two major exhibitions: "El Greco to Velázquez: Art During the Reign of Philip III," which opens April 20, and "Antonio López García," which opens April 13. The former explores the work of the two artists and some of their lesser-known contemporaries during the little-studied period. The latter, contemporary artist López García's first retrospective at an American museum, features more than 55 paintings, drawings, and sculptures that span the artist's career, from1955 to the present. Admission to "El Greco to Velázquez" is by reserved dated-and-timed ticket ($23 for adults), which includes general admission to the museum and a return visit within 10 days; get them at www.mfa.org or 800.440.6975. Entry to "Antonio López García" is included with general museum admission ($17 for adults). The MFA is also offering courses, lectures, dramatic readings, and musical presentations with a Spanish flair - plus tapas at Galleria and Spanish wines at Bravo - to augment the art. Get info at www.mfa.org.

“Body Politics: Maori Tattoo Today” at the Peabody Essex Museum

Heather Bouzan — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:19:00 GMT

THROUGH FEBRUARY 1, 2009
Committing to a tiny star on our ankle is one thing - but facial tattooing? We're not so sure we'd be willing. For New Zealand's Maori population, however, the swirls, loops, and whirls of ta moko are a point of tribal identity, personal history, and pride. The art form, which was forbidden in New Zealand from 1907 to 1962, is now on display at the Peabody Essex Museum (161 Essex Street, Salem, 978.745.9500), with 30 large-format images by award-winning photographer Hans Neleman. "Body Politics: Maori Tattoo Today" also includes an exhibition of 19th-century and contemporary Maori woodcarvings created in the same tradition. Museum admission is $15 for adults, $11 for students, and free for Salem residents.

“Long Life Cool White: Photographs by Moyra Davey” at the Fogg Art Museum

Heather Bouzan — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 17:18:00 GMT

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28 - MONDAY, JUNE 30
For type-A neat freaks, Moyra Davey's photographs might induce a bit of angst, as clutter and dust often take center stage. But many find beauty in the images, along with a heightened awareness of what are often considered mundane aspects of our day-to-day world. A 40-photograph survey of Davey's work - the first of its kind, and her first major museum exhibition - is at the Fogg Art Museum (32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, 617.495.9400). "Long Life Cool White: Photographs by Moyra Davey" spans Davey's 20-year career and features shots of stacks of records, bursting-at-the-seams bookshelves, and New York's disappearing newspaper vendors. General admission to the museum is $9.

Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company at the Institute for Contemporary Art

Heather Bouzan — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 21:30:00 GMT

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13 - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16
Unless we're talking The Nutcracker, it isn't easy to describe an upcoming dance performance without delving into too-technical boringness or dry observations about costuming and musical selections. Throw in the contemporary-dance factor and we're completely at a loss for words. So suffice it to say that you'll be entertained by the Boston premiere of Chapel/Chapter, being staged by the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company at the Institute for Contemporary Art (100 Northern Avenue, Boston, 617.478.3100). Critics use words like "riveting" and "visceral" to describe the show; in short, it's simply worth watching. Performances are on February 13 and 14 at 7 p.m., and on February 15 and 16 at 8 p.m. For tickets ($50; $40/seniors and students), visit www.icaboston.org or call 617.478.3103.

“SMFA Traveling Scholars” at the Museum of Fine Arts

Heather Bouzan — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:28:00 GMT

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2 - SUNDAY, MARCH 2
We can see how, as an artist, one might benefit from a change of scenery. Luckily for six talented up-and-comers, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) provides the requisite cash with its annual Traveling Scholarships, totaling $80,000 to $100,000 each year. (The SMFA has been handing out the scholarships since 1899 in one of the largest art-school grant programs in the US.) An exhibition of work from the 2006 recipients, "SMFA Traveling Scholars," is on display at the Foster Gallery at the Museum of Fine Arts (465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, 617.267.9300). A varied collection that includes photography, video, and painting, the exhibit features work from three SMFA alumni winners and three artists chosen from the school's Fifth Year Certificate program.

[Written by Heather Bouzan and Melissa Cronin]

Ain't life Grand

Heather Bouzan — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:10:00 GMT

It's an LA lifestyle boutique, only more approachable. It's New York City exclusive, but down home and neighborhood-friendly. Grand (374 Somerville Avenue, Somerville, 617.623.2429), the new retail addition to eclectic, up-and-coming Union Square, is the brainchild of long-time friends (and retail virgins) Jonathan O'Toole, Wendy Friedman, and Adam Larson. The store features a mishmash of products - clothing, shoes, accessories, housewares, and furniture - including hard-to-find brands that rotate on a regular basis. The large space also has room for a community table that the trio will offer up for book clubs, knitting groups, and other neighborhood events - anything to keep locals social and stylish.

[Photo by Melissa Ostrow]

DJ Spooky at the Institute of Contemporary Art

Heather Bouzan — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:36:00 GMT

THURSDAY, JANUARY 24 - SATURDAY, JANUARY 26
An experimental musician/composer/DJ who's also a conceptual artist and has an intellectual's way with words? Sounds like the ideal guest for the ingenious Institute of Contemporary Art (100 Northern Avenue, Boston, 617.478.3100). DJ Spooky, a/k/a Paul Miller, is giving Boston residents three chances to absorb some of his innovative ideas. On January 24 at 6:30 p.m., Miller discusses interactions between art and digital media, among other topics, in "Rhythm Science," a talk based on his collection of essays of the same name. On January 25, from 8 p.m. to midnight, he mans the tables along with other local DJs as part of the ICA's second "Experiment" event. (Think music, food, dancing, and art in a lounge-like atmosphere.) And finally, at 8 p.m. on January 26, Spooky performs his pièce de résistance: Subliminal Strings fuses hip-hop, electronic, and classical music into an auditory collage that includes a string ensemble that Miller samples live. Get tickets ($12 for the talk; $20 for "Experiment" and Subliminal Strings) at www.icaboston.org or 617.478.3103.

"Ad | Agency" at the Photographic Resource Center

Heather Bouzan — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:51:00 GMT

THROUGH JANUARY 27, 2008
Ads as art? We'll buy that. But the Photographic Resource Center (832 Comm Ave, Boston, 617.975.0600) goes one step further with "Ad | Agency," a collection of photo-based work that investigates consumerism by playing on the language of advertising and manipulating images of products, stores, print ads, and more. Kate Bingaman-Burt photographed two years of her personal purchases as part of her "Obsessive Consumption" project, while Dean Kessmann scanned images of plastic shopping bags for his series "Plastic on Paper." Hank Willis Thomas explores generalizations made by ads targeting African-Americans in "Unbranded: Reflections in Black by Corporate America 1968-2008," while Penelope Umbrico's work features catalog images of mirrors and books. Admission to the PRC is $3 for the general public; it's free on Thursdays and on the last weekend of every month. The PRC and the Ad Club also present a panel discussion, "Finding the New Creative: Convergences in Fine Art and Commercial Photography," on January 17. Visit www.prcboston.org for details.

[Written by Heather Bouzan and Melissa Cronin]

Fiddle me this

Heather Bouzan — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:40:00 GMT

We love that the days of itchy hemp sack dresses and drab recycled goods are far behind us - that "going green" no longer means forgoing style. The aesthetic potential of eco-friendly housewares, accessories, and other knickknacks is realized at Fiddlehead (292 Newbury Street, Boston, 617.247.1120), a new "green emporium" in Back Bay. Proprietor Carol Smith Miller is an investment banker turned stay-at-home mom who moved to Boston eight years ago looking for a new challenge. Her shop stocks recycled glassware and dinnerware, organic bath products, cufflinks crafted from T tokens, and blankets made from discarded sweaters, denim, and factory-waste cotton. Shaw hopes, over time, to expand her range of environmentally responsible merchandise and to grow the store into a source of practical greening info, like where to recycle your light bulbs and how to finally get your name off those obnoxious (and wasteful) junk-mail lists.

[Photo by Melissa Ostrow]