Beth Rundquist, Looking at Seurat – MoMA, NY, oil on linen, 18 x 24".

Patrons’ Choice is one of the Copley Society of art’s most anticipated annual exhibitions, featuring the never-before-seen works of some of our most celebrated members. This year, artists were asked to consider the theme “On the Horizon,” resulting in works that reflect their personal interpretations and showcase their artistic strengths. The jury for this show comprises Copley Society patrons who voted to honor a select group of artists with an invitation to exhibit in this distinctive event. Their choices range from our de-corated masters to some of our recent inductees. The participating artist members provide an extraordinary range of styles and mediums.

Danforth Museum of Art

Works by Faith Ringgold

Faith Ringgold, Jazz Stories: Mama Can Sing, Papa Can Blow #4: Nobody Will Ever Love You Like I Do, acrylic on canvas with pieced border, 2004.

Works by Faith Ringgold appear in two exhibitions at the Museum. Story Quilts, which includes Le Café Des Artistes, depicts Ringgold amongst prominent artists and writers, including Bearden, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Jacob Lawrence, and Harlem Renaissance artist Meta Warrick Fuller. Two works from Ring-gold’s Coming to Jones Road series, alluding to the Underground Railroad story, and two large Jazz series quilts are also on view. See original illustrations for her children’s book Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railway in the Sky in the Children’s Gallery. The artist appears for a booksigning on February 17, 3–5 p.m. A lecture held at Framingham State College takes place that evening at 7 p.m.

Mary Curtis Ratcliff, Spanish Café, digital inkjet print, 18 x 26", 2001.

Mary Curtis Ratcliff presents mixed-media works on archival paper and canvas. The original photographic images were taken in the continental United States, Hawaii, Europe, Hong Kong, and New Zealand. After removing the color from the original images in Photoshop, each image is hand colored with acrylic watercolor and colored pencil. Other techniques used are drawing, collage, and transfer. However, the underlining structures of tree branches, stones, swirls of foam, fish, water, birds, shadows, and reflections are not lost in this process and create a strong visual statement.

Hosted by the AIGA Student Chapter of Mount Ida College

This traveling exhibition of communication design first opened to the public in December 2008, at the American Institute of Graphic Art’s National Design Center, NY. The AIGA competition began over ninety years ago and is recognized as the most important statement on current design.

This show celebrates the designer and the design process. The judges consider form, aesthetics, and the effectiveness of design communication. This year’s show has over 200 works from a variety of categories: Brand Identity Systems Design, Design For Film and Television, Promotional Design and Advertising, and Typographic Design, among others. Visit the AIGA Archives: designarchives.aiga.org

Lorna Williams, Olaniyi-Variations of a Bloodline, mixed media, 48 x 48 x 4", 1996.

Inspired by the body as a revealer of life’s mysteries, Lorna Williams, in her current exhibition, Redefining Womb Space, continues her voyage and reflection on human figure and place. In her words, “my body is central to my understanding of self and the way I communicate myself through my art to others… it is an instrument that produces the music of my birth place, New Orleans.” Through a variety of innovative techniques using collage with paper and fabric and carving on wood, Ms. Williams creates figures that are sculptural in their presentation and emotional in their impact. These disparate elements, combined with music, send out a powerful release from the creative core of the artist to the viewer.

Photo by Jonathan Torgovnik.

Intended Consequences is a portrait series of Rwandan women who were raped during the 1994 genocide and have a child as a result. Torgovnik’s work gives a voice to these victims, who are isolated by circumstance and struggling to restart their lives. With these stunning images, Torgovnik aims to create an international response to aid these women, the survivors of the Rwandan genocide.

Aperture, a not-for-profit organization devoted to photography and the visual arts, has organized this traveling exhibition and produced the accompanying publication. This exhibition was made possible by generous support from The Open Society Institute, Amnesty International, and Foundation Rwanda.  Additional support to Intended Consequences was provided by Henry Buhl, SanDisk, Kodak, and the Consulate General of Israel, Office of Cultural Affairs, in New York.

Jonas Ohlsson, Head 727, pen on paper with gouache, 8 x 11", 2005.

Everybody Here Comes From Somewhere reflects upon the inner workings of communities to deconstruct prejudices, to discover hidden heroes, and to set records straight. The exhibit temporarily joins together the separate, drifting islands that compose a community, but the connections will hopefully extend beyond the duration of the exhibition. Artists Saskia Janssen, Jonas Ohlsson, and Sarah Slifer will create site-specific projects in reaction to and in collaboration with members of the local Beverly community, Montserrat College of Art, and each other. The artists work in a wide variety of media, such as video, installation, music, graphic design, performance, and dance. This exhibit will challenge the boundaries of traditional art disciplines while simultaneously breaking down community stereotypes and social barriers.

Nadya Volicer, Revolving Museum Logo, puzzle constructed of found wood. Photo: Bob Paré Photography

Depicting the essentials of a story, narrative art represents accounts from everyday life, mythology, fantasy, famed historical events, and more. Narrative art in its many forms has transcended all eras of human existence. It teaches, enlightens, entertains, and inspires. Cave paintings have given us a peek into the past. Performance tells a story through dance and music. Paintings have enchanted us with images of the human experience and multi-media will bring our stories to future generations.

The Revolving Museum gallery will feature narrative art for 2009. Throughout the year the Show and Tell exhibit will change and display work from local artists and youth groups. Frequent performances and events will also mark the calendar all year long.