Nov 28 Tuesday
Norman Rockwell was a renowned illustrator and chronicler of American life for more than half a century, documenting the pulse of his times during pivotal moments in twentieth century history. During his career, he navigated many complex business relationships with publishers and advertisers, taking direction from his clients while solving visual problems and asserting his artistry and individualistic perceptions.
Amalia FourHawks: Always Evolving - Native American Art. Cheri Cross: Luminous: Scratchboard animal portraits. Ellen Koteen: Photography
Celebrate the holidays with beloved Norman Rockwell images depicting Christmas, New Years, and the winter season. A special installation of the iconic Stockbridge Main Street panoramic painting together with archival photos of the actual buildings, and a color oil study offer insight into Rockwell’s methodical process in creating a final painting. The modern portrayal of the holidays has been defined and shaped over the last two centuries through the artistry of illustrators like Thomas Nast, J.C. Leyendecker, Norman Rockwell, and Haddon Sundblom, among others. Through drawings and paintings printed on newspapers, magazines, Christmas cards, and memorabilia over time, illustrators have firmly implanted a vision of the season within the American psyche.
This installation includes multi-panel photographs, prints, and collages from the SCMA collection made between the 17th and 21st centuries. This selection highlights the long history and many approaches to making modular works of art.Artists choose to make artworks in multiple parts for a variety of reasons: to convey an expansive sense of space, to tell a story, or put images in conversation with one another. In some cases, materials are a factor: the size of available paper or printing plates can challenge an artist’s ability to make more complex images. Being able to construct an image from individual panels gives artists flexibility.While many of SCMA’s 24,000 works on paper are accessible for viewing by appointment in the Cunningham Center for the Study of Prints, Drawings and Photographs, multi-panel works present some challenges. Some are large, or have specific display requirements. These conditions make them difficult to be viewed when they are not installed as they were intended: in their totality and in relation to the viewer’s body.
Artist Charles Malzenski is a painter of representational landscapes, non-representational work including color field and minimalist studies, and conceptual work including dowsing, drawing on the ground, and altering and arranging landscape elements. On the Land features those representational landscapes and Malzenski’s mastery of the medium- timeless, sweeping landscapes where one gets lost in clouds and trees, and where sunlight and shadow become active elements in still images. Rather than commenting on his own intentions, Malzenski prefers that the audience observe the work in silence and arrive at their own conclusions. His only comment is that “Paint should look like paint. Brushwork shows the intuitive connection between hand and heart.” A lifetime of living with a direct connection to his land- experiencing deeply the seasons, the sunlight, the daily cycle of light and dark affords Malzenski insight he translates to paint on canvas, resulting in images that express love, respect, and appreciation of the land.Malzenski earned a BFA from Hartford Art School in 1970 and divides his time between an off grid stone cottage in western Massachusetts and Enfield, Connecticut. His work is recognized locally as well as abroad in a number of visual and conceptual art forums as well as in private, museum, and corporate collections. He has participated in many group shows and his work has been in national and international publications.
LOOT found + made hosts Paintings + Prints by Turners Falls artist Amy Chilton, November 3rd to February 29th.
Amy Chilton will be showing her colorful geometric paintings and a selection of fine art prints.
Meet the artist at the opening reception: Friday, November 3rd, 5-8pm.Light refreshments will be served, part of the LOOT annual art + apples series celebrating Franklin County CiderDays.
Nov 29 Wednesday
The acclaimed Argentinean duo, Lerner and Moguilevsky, will be performing and leading workshops across the region November 29-December 2. Performances at Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity, Williams College, and Next Stage Arts. Workshops at The Parlor Room, Northampton High School, Springfield Conservatory of the Arts, Springfield JCC, and Williams College.