If you’re expecting that a visit to the current exhibit at Featherstone, titled “The Fall,” will reveal walls of images of landscapes in autumn colors, you’d be only partially right. Curator Tanya Augoustinos selected the theme as one that would be open to multiple interpretations. “The word fall is such an open-ended word,” says A Gallery’s owner and veteran art curator. “It could be referencing climate change, political issues, women’s issues, or any of a number of other topics. I wanted to leave it up to the artists.”
So, while the show does include a number of seasonally influenced images, there’s a lot to take in as you walk through the Francine Kelly Gallery. The exhibit features the work of 20-plus artists working in a variety of media. “The selection of artworks encompasses the spirit of transformation and observation in our literal to emotional landscapes,” says Augoustinos.
“In addition to somewhat predictable fall-like art, the show includes a site-specific installation dealing with the ongoing opioid crisis, a (not so) subtle reference to recent civil unrest in Iran, hints at the sentiments in line with the ongoing critique of Donald Trump’s former presidency, and other ‘fall’ references,” she says.
As always, Augoustinos has gathered together a diverse group of local artists whose work is unique, mostly contemporary and, in some cases, somewhat controversial.
The installation that the curator refers to, a series by James Langlois, is based on the artist’s struggles with opioid dependency following a medical misdiagnosis. Other pieces by Langlois comment on the plight of migrants and immigrants, and other topical issues.
Architect turned artist Bruce MacNelly has contributed a series of paintings described in the press release as “connected thematically in tone, arrangement of the elements, and his overt concern for the disposition of women and children in a troubled Middle East.”
Sculptor Heather Sommers is presenting a number of pieces from her series “The Centaur Chronicles,” in which she lampoons former President Donald Trump. Wendy Weldon chose to use the colors of the Ukrainian flag to create a series of abstract paintings. Jay Gardner’s ink-transfer prints of contemporary American scenes and Island landscapes reference stories and recollections told to him by his grandparents about what life was like, and their coming of age in the U.S.
A couple of the participating artists took the words “the fall” quite literally. Carol Brown Goldberg fell and broke her right wrist in 2020, and could not paint for the first time in 40 years. Inspired by the short-lived CoBrA movement — a European avant-garde movement active from 1948 to 1951 — Goldberg made a series of small paintings by squeezing paint directly out of the tubes with her left hand, creating works in vivid primary colors done in a primitive style.
The show includes work by a handful of highly successful artists, including Kara Taylor and Rez Williams. Augoustinos is also showing a few pastel works by the late Irving Petlin, the world-renowned artist who was the focus of an open studio exhibit this past summer.
And, of course, there are many examples of nature in all of her fall glory. Contributing landscape artists include Leslie Baker, Liz Taft, Whitney Cleary, and Marston Clough. Abstraction is represented in work by Marie-Louise Rouff, Betty Eubanks, and Marjorie Mason, who in a departure from her representational work, chose to use the colors of the Vineyard landscape distilled down to the basics.
For this show, Augoustinos drew together a number of artists that she has represented for years — both at A Gallery and at various curated shows — and added some others to make for a well-rounded collection.
“I’ve focused on brilliant artists representing a wide spectrum,” Augoustinos says. “Many have their own representation, but some are lesser known. It’s a broad range of subject matter, themes, and mediums.”
“The Fall” exhibit will hang at the Francine Kelly Gallery at Featherstone Center for the Arts in Oak Bluffs until Friday, Nov. 4. The gallery is open from 11 am to 4 pm daily.
If you’re expecting that a visit to the current exhibit at Featherstone, titled “The Fall,” will reveal walls of images of landscapes in autumn colors, you’d be only partially right. Curator Tanya Augoustinos selected the theme as one that would be open to multiple interpretations. “The word fall is such an open-ended word,” says A Gallery’s owner and veteran art curator. “It could be referencing climate change, political issues, women’s issues, or any of a number of other topics. I wanted to leave it up to the artists.”
So, while the show does include a number of seasonally influenced images, there’s a lot to take in as you walk through the Francine Kelly Gallery. The exhibit features the work of 20-plus artists working in a variety of media. “The selection of artworks encompasses the spirit of transformation and observation in our literal to emotional landscapes,” says Augoustinos.
“In addition to somewhat predictable fall-like art, the show includes a site-specific installation dealing with the ongoing opioid crisis, a (not so) subtle reference to recent civil unrest in Iran, hints at the sentiments in line with the ongoing critique of Donald Trump’s former presidency, and other ‘fall’ references,” she says.
As always, Augoustinos has gathered together a diverse group of local artists whose work is unique, mostly contemporary and, in some cases, somewhat controversial.
The installation that the curator refers to, a series by James Langlois, is based on the artist’s struggles with opioid dependency following a medical misdiagnosis. Other pieces by Langlois comment on the plight of migrants and immigrants, and other topical issues.
Architect turned artist Bruce MacNelly has contributed a series of paintings described in the press release as “connected thematically in tone, arrangement of the elements, and his overt concern for the disposition of women and children in a troubled Middle East.”
Sculptor Heather Sommers is presenting a number of pieces from her series “The Centaur Chronicles,” in which she lampoons former President Donald Trump. Wendy Weldon chose to use the colors of the Ukrainian flag to create a series of abstract paintings. Jay Gardner’s ink-transfer prints of contemporary American scenes and Island landscapes reference stories and recollections told to him by his grandparents about what life was like, and their coming of age in the U.S.
A couple of the participating artists took the words “the fall” quite literally. Carol Brown Goldberg fell and broke her right wrist in 2020, and could not paint for the first time in 40 years. Inspired by the short-lived CoBrA movement — a European avant-garde movement active from 1948 to 1951 — Goldberg made a series of small paintings by squeezing paint directly out of the tubes with her left hand, creating works in vivid primary colors done in a primitive style.
The show includes work by a handful of highly successful artists, including Kara Taylor and Rez Williams. Augoustinos is also showing a few pastel works by the late Irving Petlin, the world-renowned artist who was the focus of an open studio exhibit this past summer.
And, of course, there are many examples of nature in all of her fall glory. Contributing landscape artists include Leslie Baker, Liz Taft, Whitney Cleary, and Marston Clough. Abstraction is represented in work by Marie-Louise Rouff, Betty Eubanks, and Marjorie Mason, who in a departure from her representational work, chose to use the colors of the Vineyard landscape distilled down to the basics.
For this show, Augoustinos drew together a number of artists that she has represented for years — both at A Gallery and at various curated shows — and added some others to make for a well-rounded collection.
“I’ve focused on brilliant artists representing a wide spectrum,” Augoustinos says. “Many have their own representation, but some are lesser known. It’s a broad range of subject matter, themes, and mediums.”
“The Fall” exhibit will hang at the Francine Kelly Gallery at Featherstone Center for the Arts in Oak Bluffs until Friday, Nov. 4. The gallery is open from 11 am to 4 pm daily.
