BRATTLEBORO-Five new exhibitions open at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) on Saturday, July 12, at 10 a.m. Later that day, at 5:30 p.m., all are welcome to an opening party with the exhibiting artists and curators, featuring DJ Okyn, free food by The Porch Cafe and Catering, and a cash bar by Stone Church. Doors open to BMAC members at 5 p.m.
Among the new exhibitions is "Making Space," featuring paintings, drawings, ceramics, sculpture, and installation work by seven artists - Beverly Acha, Emily Noelle Lambert, Mika Obayashi, Howardena Pindell, Michelle Samour, Deborra Stewart-Pettengill, and Lauren Watrous.
Each artist explores the concept of "space" in a variety of contexts, from physical surroundings - water, the botanical world, the museum building itself - to metaphorical spaces, such as domestic life, a quiet moment of meditation, imagination, or the memory of a space where one was not welcome.
"It is a privilege to showcase outstanding local and regional artists alongside Howardena Pindell, a towering figure in 20th- and 21st-century American art, whose work has never been exhibited at BMAC before," said Director of Exhibitions Sarah Freeman in a news release.
While "Making Space" is on view, BMAC will offer several related events, including a collage-making workshop led by Lambert (Saturday, Aug. 2), a walking tour with Freeman and several of the exhibiting artists (Saturday, Aug. 16), and a dance performance developed by Samour (Friday, Sept. 12).
In "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow," on view in the museum's Ticket Gallery, Laura Chasman captures fleeting moments observed at art fairs, painted on FedEx shipping boxes. Chasman depicts art dealers at work, visitors with glazed expressions, the endless waiting and watching, and, of course, the art - each scene a snapshot in time. Chasman and Freeman will discuss the exhibition on Thursday, Aug. 14.
"Founded on Artists' Books: Franklin Furnace 50th Anniversary Tribute," curated by Mark Waskow, showcases artists' books created in the 1970s. "An artist's book is not simply a book containing art; rather, the book itself is the artwork," wrote organizers in a news release.
When Franklin Furnace was founded in 1976, its purpose was to champion a new and somewhat controversial art form. Over time, the Brooklyn-based organization built one of the largest collections of artists' books in the world, a selection of which are featured in the BMAC exhibition. Franklin Furnace Founding Director Martha Wilson will discuss the exhibition with Waskow on Thursday, Aug. 7.
The two other exhibitions opening July 12 have been visible to those passing by the museum since early May.
"Time Was a River, Too" consists of seven large compositions by Brattleboro's Jonathan Ryan Storm, on view in the museum's window bays. Mark Barry's "Petals to Metal and Other Stories" is on the museum's front lawn and in the Spotlight Gallery, featuring painted steel sculptures of everyday objects and scenes, including giant flower bouquets, a cow, and a dog chasing a stick.
Remaining on view alongside the five new exhibitions are "Glasstastic 2025," in which glass artists have turned children's imaginary creatures into sparkling glass sculptures, and "Dream Homes," featuring John Kenn Mortensen's drawings of fantastical monsters.
"Making Space," "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow," "Founded on Artists' Books," "Glasstastic," and "Dream Homes" are scheduled to close Nov. 2. The two outdoor exhibitions will remain through next April.
BMAC is open Wednesday–Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is "pay as you wish." Located in historic Union Station in downtown Brattleboro, at the intersection of Main Street and Routes 119 and 142, the museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information and accessibility requests, visit brattleboromuseum.org, call 802-257-0124, or email [email protected].
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.