Open Call for Joy!
It’s a Summer of Joy Arts Intensive Across New England
DATMA
New Bedford, MA
datma.org
One of the most inspiring, fun and fas-cinating things you can do this summer is to visit New Bedford, MA. An hour south of Boston and just 40 minutes east of Providence, RI, New Bedford has evolved into an arts and cultural destination due in part to the non-collecting contemporary art institute known as DATMA (Design, Art, Technology, Massachusetts) which has just launched its fourth year of programming entitled SHELTER. “This year for SHELTER, DATMA is highlighting artists who create using modern design tools and technologies, while preserving the heartfelt significance of a home. Each artist in our 2022 lineup investigates the future of what shelter can be while asking the question of what shelter has meant to each of them. With that, they have reflected on the practical aspects of shelter, through speculative architecture, memory, and place-making, “explains Lindsay Mis, executive director of DATMA. Through September 12, 2022, visitors will experience art exhibitions, student workshops, walking tours, concerts, and Family Design Days. Everything is centered in downtown New Bedford, within walking distance of each other and is free and accessible to everyone.
Mis also stresses DATMA’s commitment to offering art that is “thought-provoking, relevant, and urgent.” Exhibitions this summer include: SHELTER: Flexible Fibers + Sustainable Solutions, presenting modern approaches to the concept of shelter showcasing artists from South Korea; California, and Jordan; Safe Station: New Bedford’s Underground Railroad, which explores New Bedford’s opposition to slavery through the lens of local artists; Safe Harbor: Building the New Bedford Hurricane Protection Barrier, an in-depth look into the importance of “sheltering” a city from rough seas and devastating storms and the extraordinary effort involved in creating it.
DATMA’s last three years of exhibitions and community programming have proven that presenting art in public spaces creates a positive impact in the community. Their success stands in testament to their ability to connect the past and the present in order to inform the future; to help us realize our individual role and responsibility to each other and the planet and to draw voices and talent from around the world to remind us how we all share the same goals, challenges and dreams. All this is found against the canvas of a beautiful New England waterfront setting where fresh, salt air and glorious sunsets await.
The Lakes Gallery at Chi-lin
Laconia, NH
thelakesgallery.com
Summer adventures often involve simple peace and quiet. We travel in search of solitude or serenity found in mountain hikes or lazy afternoons by the lake. If you’re craving spiritual rest and refortification in either lakes or mountains you may find yourself in the vicinity of Laconia, NH, nestled between lakes Winnisquam and Winnepeusakee. You will also find the lakes gallery at chi-lin, a restorative destination in and of itself. Established in 1981 by artist/calligrapher Suzanne Lee, the gallery exhibits fine contemporary and Asian art in a 1780 farmhouse setting. Lee offers a multi-tiered arts experience, taking the gallery concept several steps forward. Summer highlights include poetry readings with tea, wine or sherry either indoors or outside in her phenomenal gardens. Visitors are welcome to rest, read or write at their leisure. In addition to the gallery’s summer exhibition schedule beginning July 2 with A Summer Song, lakes gallery continues its “Process” series where two artists from both its July and August exhibitions share their creative process. This season highlights stories from Alec Richardson (oil on paper), Laurinda O’Connor (soft pastels), Gay Freeborn (metal leaf with oil whose work is pictured here, inspired by Wendell Berry’s poem) and Christina Pitsch (porcelain with gold). Small workshops in calligraphy and nature studies are offered in the gallery’s onsite studio and Lee’s gardens will once again be part of the Opechee Garden Club Tour on July 16. Lee’s work creates serenity through artistic discovery by creating a special place where art, poetry and, perhaps at times, life itself is demystified. — Rita A. Fucillo
Be the Change
Boston, MA
jartsboston.org/event/be-the-change
On August 6, Jewish Arts Collaborative, or JArts, will launch a public art project called Be the Change as a walking tour in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood. In addition to Boston, Be the Change will also open in Cincinnati, LA, and online. This “artivism” movement will feature six artists in each city creating pieces based on different issues of social justice. Each display will be inspired by the Jewish tzedakah box, a vessel for collecting loose change for charity. While Tzedakah and Tzedek, translates to charity and justice, the Be the Change initiative acts on the idea of a donation box and plays on the word ‘change’ as a call to action to create change in the world.
The idea was influenced by American Jewish World Service former executive director Ruth Messinger who had dreamed of a tzedakah box in front of the Met that read ‘Be the Change.’ In Boston, there will be kiosks created by a diverse collection of artists: Jason Talbot is addressing racial profiling and the effects on families in Black neighborhoods, Caron Tabb will speak to hate crime and antisemitism, Nayana Lafond is confronting domestic violence, Tran Vu defines mental health and healing, Carolyn Lewenberg manages environmentalism, while Samuel Mendoza deals with equity for BIPOC trans youth.
“Each of those themes are incredibly personal to each of them and they have chosen pieces where they can show of themselves but also where they can bring in their own communities, broader communities etc.,” says Laura Conrad Mandel, Jarts’ executive director. The artists will work with other community partners to enhance the project with other components such as music; each piece having a call to action to make acts of social activism less overwhelming. “It’s about making great art as a vehicle that can bring in community,” says Mandel. — Jennifer Mancuso
Taking a Ride with SAFT
Vermont and beyond
saft.rodeo.com
Checking in on cover artist from Art New England’s 2020’s Emerging Artist Issue Jackson Tupper, part of a new triumvirate. SAFT (Swedish for juice), was named in the joyful spirit of freeform fun. SAFT brought a band of three close friends together: Ellen Voorheis (Brooklyn), Mikey Lavi (Montreal) and Jackson Tupper (Burlington). The artists met working in Vermont at the design firm Solidarity of Unbridled Labour, as well as ISKRA Print Collective.
SAFT’s quiet momentum now emerges into an exciting multimedia movement grounded in their shared love of doing what excites them most—working in music.“Music is one of the few spaces left where creative expressions can still be authentic and hopeful. It’s a space we believe in deeply and urgently needs more crossovers between visual and musical artists.”
The team is led by Voorheis’ humor and charm, honed by Tupper’s need to sweat the details, and grounded by Lavi’s structure and perspective. “It’s this silent ethos we share of not being so serious. Art and design can quickly get stuffy and academic when it needs to be more approachable and just plain delightful!”
Recently, SAFT artists completed the dynamite stage set design and of painted wooden cutouts and merchandise for May 2022’s Waking Windows music festival in Winooski, VT. “It’s simply about challenging people’s expectations and perspectives. Art in unexpected places OR making unexpected art for expected places.”
SAFT prepares for the Otis Mountain Get Down music festival in the Adirondacks, September 9-11, creating pieces onsite to set an upbeat mood for the crowd.
“The idea of being at the right place, right time, is something we want to explore with our approach to public art. The same way that live music is fleeting and that one performance can leave a lasting impression on you.” — Kelly Holt
TurnPark Art Space
West Stockbridge, MA
turnpark.com
Nestled in the Berkshire Mountains and situated on 16 acres of former quarry land in West Stockbridge, MA, TurnPark Art Space is a place of peace, art and joy. The space includes a lake, meadows and sculpture installations throughout. TurnPark seamlessly blends the natural beauty of the land with thought-provoking sculptures. There are also two galleries on site, an outdoor amphitheater and a children’s area. This season features work from world-renowned Estonian-American ceramicist Sergei Isupov in Proximal Duality: Sculptures and Drawings. Isupov, who was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, was also featured in the annual Summer Festival on June 11. The Summer Festival theme was Healing Flames and was designed to draw attention to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. In addition, TurnPark will host several performances through the summer season, including David Rothenberg performing alongside birdsong and natural sounds on July 16, Fern Katz Dance on August 27 and a poetry reading with Geoff Young and other writers on August 19. — Autumn Duke
Hopeful
Maine and beyond
charliehewittstudio.com
When you’re a prolific artist who self-proclaims to be a “crusty, old, Irish poet” many might allow some leeway as to your opinions and perspective. You’ve earned it. However, Charlie Hewitt, 75, will be the first to tell you that one piece he created to give light—and joy—to the Maine night skies, has changed everything.
Hewitt received a call in 2019 to place an installment atop the Speedwell Building in Portland, ME, that might inspire the locals. “I went big, a 24-foot neon sign spelled out in colorful letters, Hopeful. Much to my surprise it just blew up and everyone came to it with their own feelings. I was no longer the artist. Hopeful became the celebrity and I became the guy who changes the lightbulbs.”
Hewitt’s recent show in New York City produced a distinctly different exhibit filled with paintings, sculptures, doodles and skits. “I found myself in a very interesting position of being a positive man who has a sense of humor, coming to my art from that perspective. The New York show was a change for me. It was very positive and uplifting.”
The change in the breadth and scope of his art is rooted in Hopeful, as more pieces were commissioned and people began to discuss how his art had changed them during the pandemic. Hewitt’s wife told him to take this seriously. As he stepped away from his cynicism, he found that requests for more Hopeful pieces moved him to action.
“As an artist rarely do you get a chance to participate in a positive and a good humored way. I love this idea that I can approach things from that perspective. It’s become my highway and I don’t have to leverage my opinions, my intellect or my narrative. I can just walk it.”
Walk it he shall with a show at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art (through October 31) and new installations going up in front of a State Police barrack, a recovery center and a church.
“Hopeful is hitting a cord for everyone from every corner. The message is ‘I will come out into the middle to meet you.’ Hopeful starts our talking to each other everywhere.” — Maureen Canney
North Bennington Sculpture Show
North Bennington, VT
benningtonmuseum.org
The North Bennington Sculpture Show has been exhibiting art for 25 years! From late July to October, dozens of sculpture grace the village of North Bennington, VT. Art fills almost every inhabitable green and is accessible all day for free. You may even catch an artist maintaining their work. The art ranges from abstract, figurative, surreal, and performative. Fred Brownstein usually contributes a marble nude, which may be next to a Dadaist exercise of wrapped metal scraps, positioned by a kinetic sound work. Artist materials includes bronze, steel, clay, brick, wood, terra cotta, sticks, and even mud. Previous pieces include gargantuan vegetables, strange cabinets a la Tanguy, whimsical furniture, organically-shaped stone, human figures, and steel calligraphy. Past shows have included Jon Isherwood, Kristen Blaker, Daniel Richmond, Mary Admasian, Matthew Perry, Zac Ward, and John Umphlett.
Begun by local mason Joe McGovern as a dream to share art on his property, today this sprawling, informal, and interactive art experience has spread to the Bennington Museum. The grounds will feature 22 artists, including Amy Anselmo, Willard Boepple, Teru Simon, Bill Botzow, Rhonda Ratray, and BOUNDS collective. Curators will also install work along George Aiken Wildflower Trail.
And making it even more appealing to literature lovers, the show is right by author Shirley Jackson’s house not to mention a gorgeous Victorian era train station, and stunning woods, filled with trails and views. It is a summer—and town—infused with art. — Bret Chenkin
Manchester Music Festival
Manchester, VT
mmfvt.org
Inaugurated in 1974 by violinist Carroll Glenn and pianist Eugene List, this summer chamber series brings world-class classical music to the bucolic hills of Manchester, VT. More than 50 years later the concerts are still playing, with the same level of topnotch talent. Director Adam Neiman has quite a line up for this 2022 season. One of the mainstays is the Young Players Concert Series; these budding musicians, ages 18-26, receive training on the premises and perform strings and piano works every Sunday beginning July 4 and ending in August. There’s also a Night at the Opera on September 15, which invites the singers from the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.
The Chamber Series opens July 4th, at 7:30 at the Arkell Pavilion, and runs for four successive Thursdays. The trio consists of Nieman on piano, Edward Aaron, resident cellist at the Clark, and Yura Lee, on violin, a recipient of the Leopold Mozart Award. Their program includes Beethoven, Ravel, Faure, Schumann, and more. It’s exciting just gazing over the program notes on their website. It will be amazing to see those gorgeous pieces live in Vermont nestled under the shadows of Mount Equinox.
In addition, a cool event to look forward to is the Aaron Diehl Trio. Diehl is a virtuoso jazz pianist who is classically trained, having studied under Kenny Baron at Julliard. He has a lilting and limpid style which is not to be missed. The trio is performing Mirror, which interprets Bach’s “The Well Tempered Clavier” in a jazz idiom. — Bret Chenkin
Centerbury Shaker Village
Canterbury, NH
shakers.org
Aliving history museum, Canterbury Shaker Village offers a view to a past way of life yet each summer, contemporary artists move in to create new work. This year, the village hosts seven artists. Walking from the herb garden to the schoolhouse, you might encounter a painter, handweaver, or sculptor—and learn how they draw inspiration from the landscape, architecture, and culture of the Shakers who established the community in 1792.
Multi-disciplinary artist and Shaker researcher Maria Molteni (July 11–18) will be researching the embodied spiritual practices of the Shakers, particularly their dancing and daily labor. Having produced artwork and writing comparing Shaker societies to honeybee societies, she will work in the Bee House on these ideas.
Maine artist Hilary Irons (July 18–25) expects her work to reflect the rich, compelling spiritual and historical atmosphere of Shaker Village in unexpected ways. “The architecture and landscape of that space pinpoint that which is transcendent about the lives the Shakers led,” she says. Massachusetts sculptor and printmaker Anna Hepler (July 24–31) will study the Shaker bonnet as a sculptural form and construct a larger version from cardboard or plaster. North Carolina artists Kreh Mellick and Andrew Hayes are in residence August 8–21, overlapping with Brooklyn, N.Y., artist David Whelan (August 5–19). Experiencing the historic village for the first time, Whelan says he’ll try to “keep things open and unexpected so I can experience some kind of revelation during the process. I plan to make at least two paintings a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, channeling a bit of the Shaker work ethic.”
From August 20–30, Vermont handweaver and craft theory writer Anastatia Spicer explores the Shakers’ approach to design and craftsmanship. Raised as a Quaker, she says her craft with threads and words is her form of worship—”to the material, the tradition, and the abounding possibilities that emerge from focusing our attention and slowing down.”— Laurie D. Morrissey
FirstWorks Summer Beats Concert Series
Providence, RI
firstworks.org
Arts non-profit FirstWorks is spreading joy with its Summer Beats Concert Series. The July 24 and August 14 concerts are presented in partnership with the Roger Williams Park Conservancy and Providence Parks Department. Concerts take place at Roger Williams Park.
The August 7 concert is presented in partnership with Providence’s Department of Art, Culture & Tourism, a location TBD.
The July 24th concert features rap and hip-hop phenom Alberto Martinez, known professionally as Flawless. Born and raised in Providence, Flawless has opened for rap and hip-hop legends like Ludacris and the Wu-Tang Clan and appeared on the Netflix reality competition series “Rhythm N’ Flow” in 2019, which sparked international acclaim. Now the prodigal son returns to give a free concert in the place that gave him his start—and a key to the city.
August 7 will see Kyiv, Ukraine-based quartet DakhaBrakha take the stage. DakhaBrakha, whose name means “Give/Take” in old Ukrainian, has been entrancing audiences around the world for years. Since the war in Ukraine began earlier this year, this innovative quartet has become a cultural ambassador for the vibrant and beautiful country they hail from, mixing ancient Ukrainian melodies with musical influences from indie-pop and hip-hop to international music in a style they refer to as “ethno-chaos.” DakhaBrakha challenges musical conventions with their experimental vocalizations and theatricality, interweaving stunning visuals and costuming to create a powerful experience.
The series wraps up on August 14 with William Cepeda and his seven-piece Afro-Rican jazz band. Puerto Rican cultural icon and four-time Grammy nominee, Cepeda was a student of jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie and uses a mix of traditional jazz and Puerto Rican musical stylings to create his sound. This concert will be opened by award-winning Afro-Taino artist Lydia Perez, leading dancers from the Puerto Rican Institute for Arts and Advocacy in an exhilarating, joyous performance. — Autumn Duke
Healing at the Haus of Glitter
Providence, RI
hausofglitter.org
Following up on last summer’s issue, Art New England continues to explore the joyous work of the Haus of Glitter. Combining performance and protest art, Haus of Glitter sits as the supreme Kween in reimagining historical intervention, community wellness, and spacekeeping through interdisciplinary practices. The dazzling collective utilizes movement and energy to embody Queer Feminist BIPOC Liberation. As you recall, the Haus works overtime running a dance company, record label, art house, community garden, and historical intervention at the Esek Hopkins home in Providence, RI.
Hopkins was the commander of the slave ship “Sally” and profited off of the prolific slave trade in Rhode Island, which was responsible for 60-90% of the American slave trade. The Haus has been in residence at the site of The Esek Hopkins Home through the PARKIST Artist Residency since December 2019. Their Heal Esek Hopkins Initiative is a multifaceted project guided by the Haus to transform commemorative spaces named for Hopkins into spaces of healing, wellness, justice, and community.
The Haus continues its dedication to community healing through the 2022 Breath Fellowship at the School of Embodied Praxis. During this eight-week fellowship, 36 international participants are exploring frameworks of rest, care, and self-healing through multimedia talks, guided practice, and discussions in affinity groups. Anthony Andrade, co-founder of Haus of Glitter, remarks “[The fellowship] is a safe space for radical thinking and feeling. It has already shifted my relationship to rest and my body.”
And on Thursday, July 21 from 6:30-7:30 p.m., the Haus is hosting a Walkabout with the National Parks Service. Meet at 97 Admiral Street to learn about the Heal Esek Hopkins Initiative and the historical implications of his legacy. On Friday, July 22 the Haus will be at Troop PVD for the Afro Haus Dance Party, celebrating, dancing, and strutting the runway from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Both events are completely free.
All of this is leading up to the Creative Liberation Conference and Festival Extravaganza MLK Weekend where Haus of Glitter will perform their original activist dance opera, The Historical Fantasy of Esek Hopkins. This fabulous re-imagining of life without slavery or colonialism is told through the story of one Black woman lost on the trans-Atlantic voyage. Mark your calendars for January 13-15, 2023, and be transformed by the creative restorational vision of the Haus of Glitter. — Eleanor Q. C. Olson