Dear 2025…

I have always been one to get lost in words. Read, written, sung or spoken—words are my salvation. What I once thought of as getting “lost” in words was actually being “found.” Finding the right words when you need them is worth the challenge. They are a palette; and a pen or keyboard, the brush. Words make art. I love working with Art New England’s writers as they care so much about “painting the picture” of art and its artists, and of the stories they’re so passionate about conveying. On the masthead page, a few of us have shared our traditional “word of the year” and what we find inspiring about it. What’s yours?

It’s a new year. I’m in for the symbolism. New beginnings and all. Yet, what if calendars didn’t exist and we didn’t have a December 31 to count down? This rite of passage, this almost mandatory surge of optimism and hope would be non-existent. And we need that surge more than ever now. I’m more grateful for this ritual of a new year than I realized. Grateful to (attempt to) articulate in this note that we collectively commit to art, hope and optimism in this moment. Despite the angst and trepidation in the air. It’s the collective hope that I find inherent in art and words that will push me forward. Art is an inexhaustible form of energy.

I am so happy to introduce new voices this issue and am inspired by their ideas and expansive, inclusive thinking. I’m thrilled to re-connect with Frances Jakubek. Her Profile on Lauren Brinkers and Stephan Sagmiller captures the beauty and essence of the artists’ respective mediums—and unique surroundings. Stephanie Beatrice pens her first Preview; and Stacy Grossman returns to Art New England’s pages with a Studio Visit on Ilana Manolson. More new voices will follow.

This issue celebrates Shelburne’s new (and incredible) Perry Center for Native American Art, written by Cynthia Close; highlights art galleries in New England’s preparatory schools by Eve O. Schaub (the first installment of a longer series); and chronicles the fascinating journey of Matthias Alfen’s sculpture Man Rising to its new home in Connecticut. This feature is written by another new voice to the magazine Nona Footz, whose first-hand perspective and first-person narrative elevates her storytelling. It’s an enchanting tale, tinged with magic and synchronicity. Carl Little travels us to Monhegan Island; Jennifer Mancuso delves deeper into her Aerosol series (the exhibition of which is reviewed this issue by Asata Radcliffe); and Paige Farrell, herself a ceramicist, takes us into the studio of Cape Ann potter Cynthia Curtis. This year we’ll visit more pottery studios and learn more about this serious yet serene form of sculpture-making.

I think Jay Critchley makes a particularly riveting piece of sculpture on this, his second Art New England cover. Susan Rand Brown takes us into Critchley’s exhibition at Montserrat College of Art opening later this month addressing what it means to be an American and how control of and access to the “Land” defines our personal and cultural identities. An intense discussion at the most appropriate time. I encourage you to experience the show and learn more about Critchley’s work.

We also share a few pages this issue on residencies and encourage all of you to re-commit to your projects, your dreams. Bottle that carpe diem feeling that the early months of a new year personify.

As I wrote last issue, should democracy start to falter, Art New England would continue to tell this story, through art and words, yet louder than ever before. Help me do that. Share what’s happening in your studio, your poetry groups, your choreography sessions, your sound studios. Make use of your voice.

There is one less voice around us this year, though. I lost a very close friend recently. And Boston lost one of its strongest and tireless arts advocates—Tony Fusco. It’s very hard to write this part. I knew Tony for a good twenty-five years, maybe more. We published a lot of art programs together. He and his wonderful husband and business partner Bob Four produced The Boston International Fine Art Show, Boston Design Week, AD 20/21 and countless other art events and shows. Tony loved art and artists. He was a poet. He loved connecting art with collectors. He was smart and hopeful. Things we need to be right now as this new year, this new era, begins. My words fall short describing him so this issue is dedicated to Tony. And I will always carry his voice in my heart.

In gratitude,

Rita A. Fucillo

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