Welcome to the newest episode of Studio Sessions with guest Stacy Scibelli. Stacy earned her BFA as the Massachusetts College of Art in 2004, and her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in 2009. Working in fabrics, Stacy’s work…
El Anatsui’s works are constructed from reclaimed liquor bottle caps and bands that are flattened and joined with copper wire. The stitched aluminum creates massive sheets that bend and fold over the gallery walls, hovering between painting and sculpture. The…
In Arlene Shechet’s Meissen Recast at the RISD Museum, strips of clay lie in slag heaps atop intricately painted ceramic vessels. A delicate foot protrudes from the frilly underside of a petticoat. A figure lies trapped beneath a white kiln…
Welcome to Studio Sessions with our latest guest, Letha Wilson. Letha earned her BFA in Painting from Syracuse University in 1998, and her MFA in combined media from Hunter College in New York in 2003. She incorporates images…
Orly Genger’s Red, Yellow and Blue, a monumental installation of hand-knotted rope, was recently moved from its summer home at Madison Square Park in New York City and reinstalled at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, where it will remain until…
Welcome to Studio Sessions with our guest this episode, Caitlin Masley. Caitlin earned a BFA from West Virginia University, an MFA from the University of Arizona, and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Design and Urban ecologies from Parsons in…
Welcome to Studio Sessions with guest this episode, Ryan Turley. Ryan earned his BFA from Parsons, The New School for Design in 2009, and his MFA from the Pratt Institute in 2011. Ryan creates pieces using a range of methods,…
Xu Bing: Phoenix, currently on exhibit at MassMoCA, is poetic and political. The artist’s beautiful installations make a traditional artistic statement at first glance. However, an unexpected use of materials gives these works deeper meaning, with insight into Xu’s…
It is curious that Mark Cooper’s work, which is the most visually and spatially boisterous, the most materially lustful (though not the most fetishistic) of the four finalists’, is that which directly references Buddhist cultures, concepts and practices of…
Welcome back to Studio Sessions and the interview with my next guest, Nikki Romanello. Nikki earned a BFA in sculpture from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2008, and an MFA in sculpture from the Pratt Institute in 2011.…
The Peabody Essex Museum has continued its dynamic contemporary art series, FreePort, now in its sixth iteration, with an installation of Nick Cave’s famed soundsuits. This exhibition goes beyond merely placing the suits themselves in the galleries as sculpture, and…
This is the story of how one student’s year long effort brought solace and joy to a community when it was most needed. In spite of the crystalline air and brilliant sunshine, Tuesday morning was dark for Bostonians near and…
When we talk about ‘occupying’ these days, we might be talking about a number of things—taking up a few seats on a bus, or how long we’ve lived in an apartment—but since Fall 2011, we’ve come to know the verb…
The lines are made of yarn, carefully and precisely establishing invisible walls. The planes cut through our space. They prepare an odd, triangular room for us. Navigate me, they say. Come, question me. Respect my negative space, even as you…
Felix Gonzalez-Torres American (Guaimaru, Cuba 1957 – 1996) “Untitled” (Last Light), 1993 Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John Cowles, by exchange, 2010.472 If you’ve traveled to or lived in Boston during the past two years, you’ve…
There’s a neighborhood near Omaha’s Old Market known locally as “the Kaneko zipcode.” If you’ve never heard the name Jun Kaneko—as was the case for me until last week—pay closer attention to the wall tiles in Boston’s Aquarium T…
As some upcoming (and more considered) articles will attest, I spent the holidays in Omaha, Nebraska. This, however, is the meatiest post of all: entering and leaving Johnny’s Cafe, a fixture since the 20s on the Omahan steak house circuit,…
Art openings in December are difficult to attend and hold for a simple reason, “other obligations.” In the face of the additional responsibilities put on many around this time of year, there are still a few who trudge on, decide…
In this installment of Studio Sessions I interview Matt Hinçman about his work. Matt Hinçman is an associate professor at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. Primarily creating work that exists in the public sphere, he typically…
Tony Smith was born Sept 23, 1912; this year he would have been 100 years old. Before he became known for making large, abstract geometric sculptures, he had owned a bookstore, had a career in architecture, studied with the art…