Eclipse Mill Gallery Small Works and Sale
North Adams Artists Offer Affordable Art
By: Charles Giuliano - Nov 22, 2008
November 21 through December 21
Friday and Saturday, noon to 5 PM
Eclipse Mill Gallery
243 Union Street
North Adams, Mass. 01247
As an alternative approach to Holiday gift giving, the Eclipse Mill Gallery is presenting the special exhibition "Small Works and Sale." The exhibition and seasonal store at the Eclipse Mill, 243 Union Street in North Adams, Mass. is open on weekends, through December 21, from noon to 5 PM.
This is the last show of the season for the Eclipse Mill Gallery which will resume its program in the spring of 2009. In significant ways this show is a summary of the past season and highlights participating Eclipse artists and invited guests.
The gallery is a common space operated by the owners of the 40 lofts of the Eclipse Mill. It is a showcase for their work as well as a sustained effort to reach out and include artists in the surrounding community. This started with the first show of the season, the eclectic, dense and successful Berkshire Salon. It represented an open invitation to artists to pay a small fee to participate. Since there was no jury or selection process involved there was a concern that the resultant exhibition would be a hodge podge. While there was a broad range of work the exhibition was remarkably lively and cohesive. There is every indication that, next season, there will be many more participants as the word spreads.
Most importantly, The Berkshire Salon brought to our attention many interesting artists. Some of them were virtually discoveries and have been included in subsequent exhibitions and are a part of the development process for future projects. An outstanding example of this is the 20-year-old artist, and MCLA student, Andrew Klass. For reasons of liability an age limit of 21 had been established for the Salon. Because of his intense desire to be involved an exception was made for Andy. Since the Salon, in May, this is now his fourth exhibition of the season. Klass had a one man show at Cup and Saucer in North Adams and also participated in the North Adams Open Studios. We are delighted that Andy is showing with us again and it has been exciting to follow his development as an artist including the most recent work in this show, a stunning portrait of President Elect, Barack Obama.
This past summer there was an important and successful project, Downstreet, initiated by MCLA and the City of North Adams. Several empty storefronts were offered with attractive summer leases as seasonal galleries. Overall, the project drew some 15.000 people to the downtown area. During the peak of the season there were reports of traffic and sales in the North Adams Cooperative Gallery. It was also an opportunity to drop in and become acquainted with artists and crafts persons. Through this process, we invited Martha Flood, a fabric and textile artist, and the painters, Jaye Fox, Andrew Davis and Thor Wickstrom to participate in the current exhibition.
For the current show of Small Works Astrid Hiemer reduced some 1,000 images to 50, then 30, until settling on printing the dozen images in this project. The series entails serendipitous encounters with people through travel experiences. Hiemer has grouped and separated the installation into works shot in Italy and images created during travel in the United States. What is compelling is the commonality and humanity of the images.
Recently Bill and Dawn Guild purchased a loft in the Eclipse Mill. Although still unpacking and settling in they participated in the Eclipse Annual. On that occasion, and a dense installation, Bill only had space for a single work. Now he has participated in a more expansive installation, with groupings of several aspects of his photography, including evocative pin hole, black and white landscapes. It provides a comprehensive view of his work.
Through a couple of studio visits we came to know the work of the sculptor, Len Poliandro, who resides in Williamstown. He has been experimenting for a number of years in the difficult process of getting poured glass to fuse with welded steel constructions. One of the challenges is to allow the materials to cool at such a rate that they bond and do not break or become detached. The result is remarkable with the interaction of disparate materials, forms, and colors. There is the deliberate aspect of welding the steel and then the elements of chance and accident in pouring the liquid glass which has a will of its own. This is his first exhibition in the Eclipse Mill Gallery.
Several Eclipse artists are participating in this exhibition. There is a strong presence of still life painting. Susan Graber, who was featured this summer at the Storefront Artists in Pittsfield, in a project curated by Keith Shaw, is showing two small paintings of cherries on a tree. David Lane is also a still life painter and is presenting a grid of small renderings of fruit from apples and pears to an arrangement of plums. Jaye Fox and Thor Wickstrom are also showing still life paintings so there are a lot of enticing works to choose from.
Several artists are showing crafts. Beth Davis started showing with the Eclipse Mill this season and is exhibiting examples of fabric and sewing in various forms from vessels and balls to pendants. Cynthia Lewis works with hand made paper. She is offering packets of varying sizes of her papers as well as collages and weavings. This summer she showed in the North Adams Cooperative Gallery. Rena Gray assembles beaded jewelry and operates out of her studio as Sundance Moods. She will maintain open studio hours on December 6-7 and 13-14 from 10 AM to 4 PM.
The theme of small works for the Holidays is hardly unique. In Pittsfield, be sure to visit Ferrin Gallery at 437 North Street. On Saturday, November 29, they will open "Small Works: Art & Object." The Storefront Artist Project is offering a special Holiday event "12x12 12.12." The gallery at 124 Fenn Street in Pittsfield will hold a raffle, tickets at $25 each, on December 12. A selection of works, all 12 x 12," has been donated in a benefit for the mentoring program with local students.
Works of art and handmade crafts make wonderfully personal gifts for the Holiday season. It has the added incentive of supporting artists. That's a win win.
Participating Artists
Andrew Davis: Has been active this season with the North Adams Cooperative Gallery. He makes expressionist portraits from life. The artist uses thick paint and a broad, painterly touch.
Beth Davis: Makes, small, exquisite objects that take the form of elaborate balls and vessels stitched from patterns of fabric.
Martha Flood: Is a fabric and paper designer. She will be showing wall hangings with complex patterns derived from nature. As well as a line of craft items including small pillows, purses, and book marks.
Jaye Fox: Is a representational painter of landscapes and still life subjects. For this project she is presenting a display of small works.
Charles Giuliano: Has been photographing artists, musicians and actors as part of his work as a journalist. He is presenting a grid of 15 images of Yoko Ono, John Cage, David Byrne, Keith Haring, James Brown, Ted Williams, Leonard Bernstein and others.
Rena Gray: Creates beaded jewelry and operates as Sundance Moods. Her studio is open on December 6-7, and 13-14, from 10-4 PM.
Susan Graber: Is showing two small paintings representing fruit growing on a tree.
Bill Guild: Recently moved into the Eclipse Mill. He is showing a series of small pin hole and zone photographs.
Astrid Hiemer: Is showing two series of digital images of groups people photographed in Italy and the United States. The twelve prints offer a study in contrast and similarity.
Andrew Klass: Caused a sensation when this MCLA student participated in the Berkshire Salon which opened the season for the Eclipse Gallery. He is showing a grid of his scratch board portraits of Hunter Thompson, Heath Ledger and Barack Obama. He had a recent one man show at Cup and Saucer in North Adams.
David Lane: Creates small, exquisite still life paintings of fruit and other objects. He will offer a dense selection of recent works.
Cynthia Lewis: Is a handmade paper artist. She is displaying small collage works as well as a selection of paper items and weavings.
Len Poliandro: Has been working for the past several years to develop a process to pour glass over his welded steel sculptures. He is displaying three of his recent works.
Thor Wickstrom: Is showing a selection of small still life and landscape paintings. He has a loose, painterly, expressionist style.