She does the labor of painting. She gets to make the art. She is the vessel. She wrestles infinity to the ground and makes it work. Place your body in relation to a Takenaga painting. Delight in catastrophe. Hover. Wrestle yourself to the ground. Feel good about it. On a beautiful Berkshire … Continue reading
It was the last Friday in October and the weather was beautiful, so naturally I decided to take a long walk (rather than an Uber) to center city. While on my way, I stumbled upon Nicholas Lenker’s installation titled Recreation: The First Person on display at Moore College of Art. Seen through large plate glass … Continue reading
As many of our readers know, Proximity Arts was started as a collaborative blog by the first low residency MFA class at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Over the past two plus years we have used the blog as a way to share our thoughts on art and art making, taking some short … Continue reading
I am taking a quick break from our annual summer hiatus to post this work by Proximity Arts’ members Megan Segre, Ilene Spiewak, Beth Cody and Jessica Padilla along with their classmate Hong-BichVernon. These five thoughtful artists collaborated on a collective show titled, “Pre-Judices”. Each artist submitted two works that are displayed on opposing walls. … Continue reading
Our Philadelphia winter was recently interrupted by unseasonably warm weather. Perfect timing to kick off my hunt for public installations associated with the Barnes Foundation’s Person of the Crowd: The Contemporary Art of Flânerie, which opened on February 25th. The “flâneur” references Charles Baudelaire’s 1863 essay “The Painter of Modern Life” in which he describes … Continue reading
At the time of year when we’re looking for light and warmth in New England, artists from the Berkshires and beyond contribute their talents to the Winter Arts Festival in Pittsfield, MA. This year’s sixth annual festival ran from February 16th – 26th, highlighting hundreds of visual artists, actors, playwrights, musicians, poets, and dancers in … Continue reading
15,000 square foot Building 5 at MassMoCA offers a daunting challenge for any artist as an installation space. The gallery is the size of a football field; it’s a seductive, performative space that was originally a factory building complex built between 1870 and 1900. MassMoCA, located in North Adams, MA has 19 large gallery … Continue reading
I have an issue with time. I admit my role. I am the author of my own demise through my need to take part in the over scheduled, over-booked, say “yes” to every opportunity contemporary world. Staying present is a problem for those of us who plan life a year in advance, so slipping into … Continue reading
Philosophy has never been my strong suit. I struggle at synthesizing disparate ideas and apply them to everyday life. As the saying goes, “it is all Greek to me.” That is not to say that I don’t appreciate philosophy. In fact, I do, and as it happens, so does my son who is wading through … Continue reading
The viewer may enter Ms. Brooks’ works through identification with the familiar, everyday objects, figures and people she portrays. The familiarity of her subject matter (a knife, an onion, a young girl) offer an intimacy, comfort, though not a sense of complacency. Each simple object as well as the more complex frontal confrontation in her … Continue reading
