Congrats to Rich Remsberg who recently snagged an Emmy, and who exhibited at MCLA Gallery 51 not too long ago in his show Terms of Surrender
For an overview article, see the headlining piece at The North Adams Transcript.
The Emmy was for…
Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Research
American Experience / PBS
The Living Weapon
Researchers: Rich Remsberg, John Rubin
OPENING Thursday 25th September, 5-7pm at MCLA Gallery 51:
In celebration of MCLA’s new Art Major, this exhibit features the artwork of professors teaching arts courses. It includes works of art by nationally and internationally recognized artists Michael Birch, Laura Christensen, Howard Cruse, Gillian Jones, Melanie Mowinski, Lauren O’Neal, Gregory Scheckler, Dawn Shamburger, and William Spezeski. An array of media; including painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, book-making, video, and comic art, will show not only the breadth of the artists, but also the diversity of what is offered at MCLA.
Some great opportunities to gain arts experience:
Get involved in the local art community!
Gallery 51 is looking for some artists to help create “The Jarvis Mobile” for the annual Fall Foliage Parade. Bring your imagination and energy to help create an amazing moveable work of art on Saturday, September 27th between 10-4. Location to be announced asap! Contact Jonathan.Secor@mcla.edu if interested.
Can Site-Specific Art Spawn Horror & Fear?
Call for innovative artists to spook the crowds with macabre cemetery installations at the annual ”Haunted Eastlawn Cemetery” event. On October 31st & November 1st, Eastlawn Cemetery in Williamstown, (Route 2, across from Agway) will be alive — or should we say dead? — with spirits and ghoulies. There will be guided tours through the historic graveyard, featuring reenactments around some of the more “troubling” grave sites. The macabre sculptures will be found throughout the cemetery and haunted tour route. Got an evil plan for something you’d like to create? Contact Juliana von Haubrich at the Milne Public Library in Williamstown: [ mailto:jhaubrich@williamstown.net ]jhaubrich@williamstown.net or 458-5369.
Looking for a great work-study job in the local art scene?
Gallery 51 is looking for gallery attendants. Hang-out at the front desk greeting people (and doing your homework) but also learn how to put-up and take down artwork. A great skill for any artist or art management student. Contact Jonathan.Secor@mcla.edu OR Katherine.casey@mcla.edu if interested.
Want to just learn how to install an Art in a gallery?
Contact Professor Melanie Mowinski (melanie.mowinski@mcla.edu) to find out about two upcoming art installation opportunities. Hanging will most likely occur on Tuesday and Thursday mornings in the early part of October.
Box Office Internship at MASSMOCA for the SPRING SEMESTER–start thinking about that now!
Interns assist both the Box Office Manager and Assistant Box Office Manager with promoting performances and exhibitions to the public, acting as a greeter and providing customer service (general information about MASS MoCA, North Adams, Western Massachusetts – often includes giving directions and/or recommendations of other highlights of Berkshire County), as well as maintaining the overall look of the lobby. Interns are responsible for providing phone and administrative support, processing ticket orders, maintaining mailing list database, and for the daily cash draw. Interns will also assist in giving tours of the galleries to the public and VIP’s upon request.
The internship will focus on 3 areas within the box office/arts administration: 1) gaining hands on knowledge and experience in a working professional box office 2) developing and maintaining organizational and customer service skills 3) developing marketing and public relations skills.
Qualifications:
· Have an interest in Visual and Performing Arts and/or Arts Administration.
· Experience in a customer service environment is a plus but not required as well as Box Office experience.
· Ability to take initiative and work independently.
· Excellent listening and verbal communication skills.
3-9 credit internships available. Contact “Alexis Pelletier” <apelletier@massmoca.org> if interested.
3 credits – 9 hours a week = 126 total hours
6 credits – 18 hours a week = 252 total hours
9 credits – 27 hours a week = 378 total hours
Students please note: you can be awarded $$$ for your artmaking and other creative pursuits.
To find out how, contact Psychology professor Dr. Tom Byrne, and/or check
http://www.mcla.edu/Academics/Undergraduate_Research_Program/Student_Grants/
Students at MCLA are encouraged to apply for funds to help cover the costs of a) research or creative projects or b) travel to a conference or other professional meeting. In order to be eligible, the applicant must be an MCLA student who has made or will be making a significant intellectual contribution to the proposed activity.
Examples of fundable activities for research or creative projects include:
Examples of fundable activities for travel destinations include:
To apply for a student grant (maximum of $300), students must complete an application (available at the link above).
September 16, 2008
OCTOBER EVENTS AT THE CLARK
For Immediate Release
Digital images available upon request
General Info:
The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute
225 South Street, Williamstown, MA 01267
413-458-2303, www.clarkart.edu
Hours: Open Tuesday through Sunday, September through June, 10 am to 5 pm
Open Columbus Day, October 13
Open daily, 10 am to 5 pm, in July and August
Admission: $12.50 – June 1 through October 31
Free – November 1 through May 31
Always free for children 18 and under, members, students with valid ID
EXHIBITIONS, PUBLIC PROGRAMS, AND SPECIAL EVENTS IN OCTOBER
Through October 19: Like Breath on Glass: Whistler, Inness, and the Art of Painting Softly features 40 beautiful paintings by James McNeill Whistler, George Inness, and other American artists working around 1900 in an examination of the art of painting softly. As Whistler once stated, “Paint should not be applied thick. It should be like breath on the surface of a pane of glass.” The result of this counsel is a body of contemplative and meditative paintings that, like the mist of breath’s condensation on glass, appear on the canvas without evidence of the artist’s hand. The Clark, 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA. www.clarkart.edu, 413-458-2303
Through October 26: American artists Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent captured sensations ranging from North Atlantic cold to North African heat. Homer and Sargent from the Clark, the inaugural exhibition in Stone Hill Center, features 12 of the Clark’s masterpieces by these two great artists, shown in contemplative gallery spaces that connect art and nature. These bold paintings complement the softly painted works featured in Like Breath on Glass: Whistler, Inness, and the Art of Painting Softly, on view in the Clark’s main galleries. The Clark, 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA. www.clarkart.edu, 413-458-2303
Through November 16: Visions of the Stage: Prints and Drawings, 1600-1800, a focused exhibition, draws on works in the collections of the Clark and the Chapin Library of Rare Books at Williams College, and includes drawings, prints, and books relating to theater and performance, including drawings by Watteau, illustrations by Francois Boucher and many others, as well as costume designs, portraits of actors and designs for theaters. The Clark, 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA. www.clarkart.edu, 413-458-2303
October 2: Roland Kelts, author of Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S., will talk about the incredible popularity of Japanese imports like Pokémon, anime, manga, and Speed Racer and how they translate into a new vision of American culture. Free, held at 7 pm. The Clark, 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA. www.clarkart.edu, 413-458-2303.
October 5: Discover art in nature at the Clark during a free Family Day. Hike up Stone Hill on bird-watching expeditions, be captivated by live bird presentations, get active with creative movement workshops, enjoy art projects, and attend a family gallery talk. Caldecott medalist Mordicai Gerstein will lead a visual imagination presentation based on his book How to Paint a Portrait of a Bird. A book signing will follow. Activities begin at 12 pm. Admission is free on this day. The Clark, 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA. www.clarkart.edu, 413-458-2303.
October 7: Currently under construction in Bentonville, Arkansas, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art founded by Alice Walton, is envisioned as a premier national art institution dedicated to American art and artists. Robert G. Workman, executive director of Crystal Bridges, will discuss the planning, organization, construction, and implementation of the new museum project scheduled to be completed in 2010. His lecture, “Creating a Sense of Place: Art, Architecture, and Nature at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art,” is part of the Clark’s ongoing Directors’ Perspective Series. Free, held at 7 pm. The Clark, 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA. www.clarkart.edu, 413-458-2303.
October 9: Spend a half-hour with a Clark curator and feed your hunger for art. These focused talks will whet your appetite for more. Talks are free with gallery admission. Mark Ledbury, Associate Director, Research and Academic Program, will look at works from the Clark’s collection on display in Visions of the Stage: Prints, Drawings, and Illustrations. Held at 12:30 pm. The Clark, 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA. www.clarkart.edu, 413-458-2303
October 9, November 13, December 11: During “The Art of Politics” series of lectures, Michael Cassin, Director of the Clark’s Center for Education in the Visual Arts, will look at how artists through the centuries have engaged with, reflected upon and sometimes influenced the world of politics. To register (not required) call 413-458-0489. Cost is $6 per class ($4 for members). Held 5:30 to 6:30 pm. The Clark, 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA. www.clarkart.edu, 413-458-2303.
October 11: The exhibition Drawn to Drama: Italian Works on Paper, 1500-1800 explores how Italian artists of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries sought and found imaginative solutions to the problems involved in depicting miraculous, visionary, often obscure and frequently highly dramatic narratives. In the opening lecture, Michael Cassin, Director of the Clark’s Center for Education in the Visual Arts, will look at how artists of the period learned to draw the human figure, and how the body was used as a vehicle for dramatic expression. Free, held at 3 pm. The Clark, 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA. www.clarkart.edu, 413-458-2303.
October 11: Clark Fellows, scholars from the Getty Research Institute, and invited experts will discuss the relationship between art history and environments during the Clark-Getty Workshop Public Conversation: “Art History and Environment.” The group will discuss art and the natural environment relating to the rise of land art in recent years and the ways in which landscape painters work in and with particular environments. Held in the Hunter Studio at Stone Hill Center. Free, held at 5:30 pm. The Clark, 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA. www.clarkart.edu, 413-458-2303.
October 12 through January 4: Drawn to Drama: Italian Works on Paper 1500-1800 features Italian Old Master drawings by a wide range of artists including Giorgio Vasari, Guercino, Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Salvator Rosa, Luca Giordano, and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. Through telling juxtapositions focusing on such concepts as expression, gesture, and motion, the exhibition reveals the ways in which these artists used the human body for visual storytelling. Explore the creative solutions that artists devised to meet the narrative challenges of depicting miraculous, visionary, heavenly, and obscure imagery. The Clark, 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA. www.clarkart.edu, 413-458-2303
October 14: Clark fellow Mitchell Merback, associate professor of art history at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, will present the lecture “‘Impossible!’ From Dissent to Disenchantment in German Renaissance.” Free, held at 5:30 pm. The Clark, 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA. www.clarkart.edu, 413-458-2303.
October 14, 21, 28, November 4, 11, 18, 25, December 2: During the eight session course “Hands-on Art History: Light, Color, and Nature,” explore the Clark’s Impressionist painting collection to discover the importance of light, color, and everyday subjects for Monet, Renoir, and others. Students will create works of art through painting, drawing, collage, and printmaking, and will visit the Clark’s galleries. Nova Rockwell, of Northern Berkshire Creative Arts, will lead this course for ages 7 to 9. All materials included. Held in the Hunter Studio at the Clark’s Stone Hill Center at 3:30 pm. Cost is $105; $85 for Clark and NBCA members. Scholarships available on a financial-need basis. For more info. or to register, call NBCA at 413-663-8338 or visit www.nbcreativearts.org.
October 16: Catch a free screening of The Gates at 7 pm. In 1979, artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude proposed one of the largest public art installations in history: a “golden river” of 7,503 fabric-paneled gates in Central Park. Transcending controversy, The Gates was finally completed in 2005. This documentary called simply The Gates (2007, 98 min., not rated) debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival and broadcast on HBO. With context and commentary provided Lisa Green, the Clark’s director of communications and design. The Clark, 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA. www.clarkart.edu, 413-458-2303.
October 17: The Cat’s Pajamas makes very cool music for kids, bringing a musical comedy twist to high-octane kid rock. With dance, puppets, props, costumes, and a great band backing their signature three-part harmony, The Cat’s Pajamas not only capture the imagination of children but also thoroughly engage the adults. This performance, held at 7 pm, is in collaboration with the “Words are Wonderful” reading initiative program. The Clark, 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA. www.clarkart.edu, 413-458-2303.
October 18: American and European scholars, prompted by the Clark’s exhibition Like Breath on Glass: Whistler, Inness, and the Art of Painting Softly, delve into the notion of “painting softly” to investigate how evocation, memory, and touch work together in these paintings. The talks mark the conclusion of the exhibition. A reception follows. Free, begins at 9 am. The Clark, 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA. www.clarkart.edu, 413-458-2303.
October 18, 25, November 1, 8, 15, 22: During “Basics of Painting Realistic Art,” a six-class series, instructor John MacDonald will cover the basics of painting representational art. Each week the class will study and work with one of the basic elements using exercises, discussion, and the study of paintings in the Clark’s permanent collection. Students will complete one painting during the series. This class, held in the Hunter Studio at the Clark’s Stone Hill Center, is for beginners and intermediate painters using oils or acrylics. Basic supplies provided. Held at 10 am. Cost is $120; $95 for NBCA and Clark members. Scholarships available on a financial-need basis. For more information or to register, call Northern Berkshire Creative Arts at 413-663-8338 or visit www.nbcreativearts.org.
October 21: Clark fellow W.J.T. Mitchell, professor of English and art history at the University of Chicago, will present the lecture “Cloning Terror.” Free, held at 5:30 pm. The Clark, 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA. www.clarkart.edu, 413-458-2303.
October 23: Catch a free screening of Goya’s Ghosts (2006, 114 min., rated R) at 7 pm. Director Milos Forman tries to recapture the Hapsburg magic of Amadeus, turning his attention to Spain in the same era, and portraying Goya as eyewitness to the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition and the Napoleonic occupation. Stars Stellan Skarsgaard, Javier Bardem, and Natalie Portman. Michael Cassin, director of the Center for Education in the Visual Arts at the Clark, will elaborate and debunk the portrait of the artist presented in Goya’s Ghosts. Part of the “The Many Faces of Goya” Film and Lecture Series. Free. The Clark, 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA. www.clarkart.edu, 413-458-2303.
October 26: The Clark will host a public conversation for the Clark-Pulitzer Workshop: “Old Masters, New Priorities” at 5:30 pm. Directors of museums, curators involved in state-of-the-art projects, and scholars will gather to discuss how museums and collections of Old Masters are going to maintain the interest and attention of the new public of the 21st century, in an era when contemporary art so dominates the media and where so many new forms of spectacle are available. Free. The Clark, 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA. www.clarkart.edu, 413-458-2303.
October 28: Alan Wallach, Robert Sterling Clark Visiting Professor, Williams College; Ralph H. Wark Professor of Art and Art History and Professor of American Studies, College of William and Mary, will present the lecture “Rethinking Luminism.” Wallach will give a historical account of luminism by examining the social, cultural, and institutional contexts in which it arose. Sponsored by the Clark/Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art. Free, held at 5:30 pm. The Clark, 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA. www.clarkart.edu, 413-458-2303.
October 30: Robert Storr, dean of the Yale School of Art, will present the lecture “Caught Between The Two Art Histories: What Art Students Know/Don’t Know About their Discipline and How They Learn/Don’t Learn It.” Free, held at 7 pm. The Clark, 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA. www.clarkart.edu, 413-458-2303.
I had the chance to catch up with Aaron Andrews and Sylvia Birns-Swindlehurst, two recent graduates of art programs at MCLA who worked all summer on the Sol Lewitt project at MASS MoCA. Both reported having an outstanding experience, along with their MCLA colleague Caitlin Healy who recorded numerous photos of the art fabrication teams’ work.
Sylvia started in February, Aaron in June – what a fantastic opportunity. Welcome to the A-list of the art world! We discussed how work at the top is just like work anywhere: great successes are frequent, elbow-grease and intelligent problem-solving at all levels, revisions and repairs sometimes necessary, and of course teamwork always an essential. Sol Lewitt was widely regarded as one of the most generous contemporary artists who went to great lengths to warrant that those who worked for him got a good deal, including decent pay and sometimes new art opportunities. His studio and assistants are widely regarded as some of the best in the world, profoundly conscientious of their craft. Sylvia worked on numerous artworks on the second floor, involving hundreds of layers of precisely calibrated ink washes, whereas Aaron worked on inking and painting artworks throughout the exhibit. On Friday when I visited, which was also both Aaron’s and Sylvia’s last day on the job, everyone was performing some basic grunt work such as removing protective mats from the floor and finishing repairs here and there. A few people are staying on to complete the remaining murals in the third floor gallery. Some photos from my cell phone:
Two dynamic murals near the entry.
Two of the more complex gridworks that Aaron and Sylvia worked on.
A work table and hangout during breaks
A minor repair taped and in progress = a careful finishing touch.
Sylvia and Aaron explaining how to measure, prep, sand, layout, and paint a Sol LeWitt.
Indeed one of the truly great things about MASS MoCA is the way that the museum allows the entire creative process of artmaking to be laid bare for all to see – doing so helps explain and demystify the complex machinations of the contemporary. Where else in the country can students attend a public college, study art, and gain access to how creativity really works in the modern museum setting? Indeed the entire community is waiting anxiously for the Sol LeWitt retrospective to open around Thanksgiving.
Both Sylvia and Aaron are also talented artists in their own right. Currently they are exhibiting in downtown North Adams in the show Primary Secondary volume III, at the annex. After making more money on an art job in New York, Sylvia plans to move to Oregon where she hopes to apply for graduate school. Aaron is working on other upcoming exhibits, and also has a speaking engagement and part-time teaching gig at Mt. Greylock Regional High School. Congratulations to everyone involved in the project, and to Sylvia and Aaron. – G. Scheckler
The semester has just begun and art classes are already in full swing. This autumn seven stalwart explorers brave the elements every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, joining Prof. Scheckler for landscape sketching and painting. To get a sense of where we’re going, check out the Landscape Painting Google Map.
Students are Katelyn Malloy, Merritt Fletcher, Mary Weissbrodt, Nick Corbello, Gregory Sacchetti, Annee Reinhardt and Chris Billy. So far the class has visited Clarksburg State Park and Natural Bridge State Park. Upcoming sites include the hairpin turn, Field Farm, Mountain Meadow, Bee Hill and many other locations – about 20 sites by the time the semester’s done. Once the weather becomes too cold for field studies, the class will choose from among their studies and use them as source material to create original studio paintings.
Here’s Merritt Fletcher working out the shadow shapes, and Gregory Sacchetti perched on a fabled overlook at Natural Bridge:
Who could forget the views? Here’s a look from the across the quarry to the mountains:
And a spectacular peek at the marble gorge winding through the woods:
More updates coming soon – photos and artworks will be posted in this blog.
Well-known arts writer Charles Giuliano wrote praise of Andrew Klass’s artworks, which are currently on display at Cup-n-Saucer in downtown North Adams. Congratulations to Andrew, who’s studying in MCLA’s new Art Major. Here is an example of Andrew’s scratchboard craftwork:
You can find more of Andrew’s recent work at http://www.middlemanart.com
