ArtBeat: What To See

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The Workers @ MASS MoCA, North Adams. An exhibition examining the state of labor today with nearly 40 works by 25 emerging and established international artists including Claire Beckett, Osman Bozkurt, Camel Collective, Mircea Cantor, Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar, Susan Collis, Vicky Funari and Sergio De La Torre, Jason Dodge, Sam Durant, Harun Farocki, Yevgeniy Fiks, Anthony Hernandez, Oded Hirsch, Hugo Hopping, Emily Jacir, Laboratorio 060 with York Chang, Mary Lum, Yoshua Okon, Adrian Paci, Jaume Pitarch, Oliver Ressler, Stephanie Rothenberg, Tyler Rowland, Allan Sekula and Santiago Sierra. Opening reception: Saturday, May 28, 5:30pm. (Members free/ $8 not-yet-members) (Through March 15, 2012)

Also at MASS MoCA this summer is Bureau For Open Culture’s I Am Searching For Field Character, an examination of the today’s cultural worker.

Set within a previously unused industrial building on the grounds of MASS MoCA, Bureau for Open Culture presents I Am Searching for Field Character, a series of public conversations, performances, installations, workshops and a beer garden with a slew of artists, writers, designers and thinkers visiting North Adams, Massachusetts, over the course of the summer.

• Beer Garden: Nestled along the Hoosic River the Beer Garden serves local beer and functions as a site for community while providing income to fund the presentation of programming. (Thursdays and Fridays, 5-10pm through September 30)
• Work Site: Work Site is a space where “freelancers” who usually work at home can bring their laptops, sketchpads, and books to work periodically and engage socially. (Through September 30)
• Elegantly Wasted: A Fashion-Forward Ecosystem For The Hoosic River: With this month-long performance, Sarah Cowles asks North Adams to confront its concrete-contained Hoosic River, making it visible where it is largely ignored and appreciating it for what it is now. (Through June 30)
• Bartleby’s Pen & Night Market by Red76: Bartleby’s Pen is a series of slide lectures in the Beer Garden where visiting artists serve up their ideas alongside beverages. Night Market sells goods from culture-makers near and afar, considering small-scale market products as equal forms of production. (June 17 – September 23)
• On Symptoms of Cultural Industry: Through original research interviews with former employees of Sprague Electric, this work manifests as an installation of performance, photography, and video which form and intimate portrait of a city in transition. (July 17 – July 31)

Thread, Pixels, Paper @ Carrie Haddad Photographs, Hudson. Mixed media and photography by Melissa Zexter, Melinda McDaniel and Katharine Kreisher. Also on exhibit will be a series of photographs by Betsy Weis titled Water. Nature and Memory. Opening reception: Saturday, May 28, 6-8pm. (Through July 3)

David Nornung @ John Davis Gallery, Hudson. Works in oil and gouache paintings by painter/author/teacher David Hornung. Opening reception: May 28, 6-8pm. (Through June 19)

A Window Into Edward Hopper @ Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown. A retrospective survey with 45 works, presented in conjunction with Glimmerglass Opera’s production of John Musto’s Later The Same Evening, which is based on Hopper paintings. Opens Saturday, May 28. (Through September 11)

Also on exhibit is Prendergast to Pollock: American Modernism from the Munson-Williams Proctor Arts Institute features 35 drawings and paintings from Edward Wales Root’s personal collection of American art, including works by Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. Opens Saturday, May 28. (Through September 18)

Ruby C. Williams @ Varga Gallery, Woodstock. The gallery celebrates its 8th anniversary with this solo exhibition by outsider artist Ruby C. Williams, known for her farm stand sign paintings. Opening reception: Saturday, May 28, 6-8pm. (Through June 19)

Harry Orlyk and L.F. Tantillo: Habitations @ Clement Art Gallery, Troy. Two celebrated Capital Region landscape painters come together for what should be a highly rewarding exhibit. Opening reception: Friday, May 27, 6-9pm (Troy Night Out) (Through June 23)

The Figure, The Figure, The Figure and The Figure @ Lauren Clark Fine Art, Housatonic. New figurative works by four Berkshire artists: Rebecca Weinman, Kris Galli, Jeanet Ingalls and Richard Britell. Opening reception: Saturday, May 28, 4-7pm. (Through July 4)

Kathryn McDonnell @ Joyce Goldstein Gallery, Chatham. Abstract paintings. Opening reception: Saturday, May 28, 4-6pm. (Through June 25)

“Contemporary Bromoil @ Galerie BMG, Woodstock. An exhibition of photographs by Joy Goldkind curated from two of her recent bodies of work: Adagio, timed exposures of dancing figures, and Distortions, a series dealing with self-image and the mirrored reflection that is a powerful force in the perception of one’s own reality. (Through July 4)

The Pursuit of Porcelain @ Ferrin Gallery. An installation of ceramic sculpture, photography and works on paper presented as a staged version of a European 18th century porcelain room filled with a collection of figurines, plates and objects. The installation, conceived by sculptor Chris Antemann, includes her own sculpture and photography and interpretations of the concept by other invited artists who share her passion for porcelain and its history. Opening reception: Saturday, May 28, 4-6pm. (Through July 24)

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The Visual Dynamic @ @ Saratoga Arts, Saratoga Springs. Jennifer Hunold’s sewn images and Jason Paradis’ installations explore the dichotomy between societal relationships and our perceived environment. (Through May 28)

Meg Birnbaum and Howard Saunders @ Davis Orton Gallery, Hudson. Meg Birnbaum’s “Person/Persona” is a series of diptychs exploring the transformative power of costume-wearing and the creation of alter egos. Howard Saunders’ “Axeman” is comprised of mixed-media pieces based on his faux graphic memoir “Axeman Who Will Be 70 In The Year 2010.” Also on view at the gallery are electronic and hands-on portfolio presentations of photographers Robert Kalman and Gordon Stettinius & Terry Brown. (Through May 28)

To Wax Natural @ Albany Center Gallery, Albany. Works by inspired by nature by Lorrie Freddette, Ali Herrmann and Fawn Potash. (Through May 28)

Arte Natura @ Limner Gallery, Hudson. Twenty three contemporary artists interpret the natural world in a wide ranging show featuring both traditional and eclectic works in a variety of media. (Through May 28)

Drawn Together @ The Marketplace Gallery, Albany. Featuring works by artists Melodie Provenzano and Philippe Simille. Closing reception: Saturday, May 28 featuring live musical performances by Acacia & the Bandit and NYC-based pianist Hans Chew. (Through May 28)

Being Upstate @ The Center for Photography at Woodstock. This solo exhibition of work by Carlos Loret de Mola is an immersive stream-of-consciousness experience of the interior dialogue within the mind of a photographer, a husband, a father, a son, a man finding himself in the mid-stage of his life.

25th Anniversary Exhibition @ Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson. A celebratory group exhibition featuring David Paulson, Allyson Levy, Louise Laplante, John Cross, Vince Pomilio, Darshan Russell and David Halliday. (Through May 29)

Witness: The Art of Jerry Pinkney @ Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge. Opening Saturday, November 13, the first major retrospective exhibition of the award-winning children’s book illustrator and designer will feature more than 140 watercolor illustrations spanning his 50-year career, touching on such personal and cultural themes as the African-American experience, the wonders of classic literature and the wisdom in well-loved folk tales. (Through May 30)

The Gun Show @ Kleinhert/James Arts Center, Woodstock. A group exhibition in a variety of media including painting, sculpture, photography, curated by Katharine Umsted and Portia Munson. (Through May 30)

Photography Now 2011 @ The Center for Photography at Woodstock. A large group exhibition that examines the intersections of photography, drawing, painting, and printmaking featuring work by Rita Barros, Christa Kreeger Bowden, Matthew Dols, Mariah Doren & Johanna Pass, Robin Dru German, Mikhail Gubin, Yo Imae, Chad Kleitsch, Anne Arden McDonald and Bradly Dever Treadaway. Juror Vince Aletti notes what drew him to this year’s image-makers; “At a time when digitally captured and enhanced photographs can achieve new levels of flawlessness, I find myself increasingly drawn to handmade, inherently flawed images.” (Through May 30)

Group Exhibition @ (hi)story labor(atory), Hudson. A group show featuring Tad Flynn, Laura Glazer & Phillip Patterson, Adam Hurwitz, Jack Millard, Alexander Turnquist and Sara E. Worden. (Through May 31)

Landscape paintings and pastels by Takeyce Walter @ The Front Room Gallery, Saratoga Springs.(Through May 31)

History of the World @ The Arts Center of the Capital Region, Troy. Illustrators and artists Owen Sherwood and Andrew DeGraff in an exhibition of drawings, paintings and site-specific wall-based works that incorporate humor, social commentary and personal experience to create connections and rivalries between the microcosms of a creative world. (Through June 3)

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David True & Trevor Winkfield: Paintings @ The Charles B. Benenson Visitors Center Gallery, Art Omi, Ghent. While their sources and techniques are various, and often incongruous, True and Winkfield share certain common characteristics in their painterly pursuits: most significant, the use of recognizable still objects, symbols and figures, which, combined, present an enigmatic, depthless environment of meanings – as well as the free use of color. (Through June 5)

The Decisive Moment @ The Photo Center of the Capital Region, Troy. Excitement, triumph, and tragedy are momentously depicted among the 45 images on exhibit from the work of 15 photojournalists from throughout the Capital Region. Closing reception: Friday, June 3, 5–9pm. (Through June 5)

Jim Boden and Alison Denyer @ Courthouse Gallery, Lake George. Jim Boden’s small oil paintings on mylar examine the horrors of government torture. Alison Denyer’s images are drawn from her interest in mapping, geography, and environmental issues. (Through June 10)

Travels With Norman @ The Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge. Between 1962 and 1975, Norman and Molly Rockwell traveled together to twenty-eight countries, including the U.S.S.R., India, Columbia, and Mexico. Molly’s slides documenting their travels are shared publicly for the first time in this exhibition, displayed alongside the related work of her husband. (Through June 19)

Convergences/Currents @ Schick Art Gallery, Saratoga Springs. Recent work by ceramist and emeritus professor of art Regis Brodie. (Through June 19)

1911 Capitol Fire @ The New York State Museum, Albany. In the early morning hours of March 29, 1911, a fire broke out in the northwest corner of the New York State Capitol. The fast-moving flames claimed the life of an elderly night watchman and destroyed much of the State Library and irreplaceable collections of the State Museum. The 100th anniversary of the Great Fire of 1911 is commemorated through historic photographs, dramatic eyewitness accounts, and important objects that survived the inferno. (Through June 18)

My Lens: 10th Anniversary Exhibition @ Martinez Gallery, Troy. Group photography exhibition featuring Natha Bocco, Allen Bryan, Dan Burkholder, Tim Cahill, Cesar Chelala, Chris DeMarco, Mariana Depetris, Jim Flosdorf, Nancy Noble Gardner, Mercedes Guerric, George Simmons, Jill Skupin and Kathy Vargas. (Through June 27)

Cassandra Sohn: Ko Chang @ Sohn Fine Art Gallery, Stockbridge. Photographer Cassandra Sohn celebrates the opening of her new gallery with a solo show of her work featuring images of Ko Chang, Thailand’s largest island. The gallery will specialize in contemporary photography by emerging and mid-career artists and focus heavily on work created by local artists as well as offering custom printing services. (Through June 19)

Two shows: Batik Weeks is a series of small, mixed media works by Amy Madden, while Impressions of Berlin and Other Works presents Laura Radwell’s abstract photographic collages. Opening reception: Saturday, May 14, 6-8pm. (Through June 19)

Photographs by Ranier Judd and Glynnis McDaris @ Gallery 135, Hudson. Opening reception: Saturday, May 14, 6-8pm. (Through June 25)

David Hinchen: Cityscapes @ The Stockade Inn, Schenectady. David Hinchen’s colorful paintings, mostly of Albany, focus squarely on buildings, skylines and architectural details. (Through June 30)

Bing Bang Boing: Radical Instruments of Sound & Vision @ GCCA Catskill Gallery, Catskill. A festival of handmade musical instruments exploring sound, music, sculpture and performance, featuring Peter Head, Brian and Leon Dewan, Harry Matthews, Matt Bua, Nick Yurman, Bradford Reed and Michael Delia. Also on display: a solo exhibition of paintings by John Karch.(Through July 2)

Environment and Object: Recent African Art @ The Tang, Saratoga Springs. A show of recent African art that examines the impact of the environment on contemporary African life as well as the use of found objects and appropriated materials as a recurring presence in current African art. Artists include El Anatsui, Zwelethu Mthethwa and Yinka Shonibare as well as emerging artists such as Bright Ugochukwu Eke, George Osodi, and Nnenna Okore, among others. (Through July 31)

Sub Mirage Lignum @ MASS MoCA, North Adams. Encompassing an entire floor of MASS MoCA, Nari Ward’s dramatic sculptural installations are composed of material systematically collected from the neighborhoods where he lives and works or is personally connected to, including his birthplace and childhood home of Jamaica and the century-old restored capacitor factory that houses MASS MoCA.

Memery: Imitation, Memory, and Internet Culture @ MASS MoCA, North Adams. Meme + Memory = Memery. Featuring nine artists who extract lasting forms of expression from a seemingly impermanent and ever-evolving online world, this exhibition will debut a new work by Penelope Umbrico and feature new installations in continuing series by Oliver Laric and Martijn Hendriks. Other artists include: AIDS-3D, John Michael Boling, Mark Callahan, Constant Dullaart, Brian Kane, and Rob Matthews. (Through July 31)

Painting the Town: A Downtown Pittsfield Retrospective @ Pittsfield 250, a solo exhibition of Scott Taylor’s acrylic paintings of 44 historic Pittsfield buildings. The works will be displayed alongside historic photos and brief descriptions of the buildings. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these paintings will help to support programming at Hancock Shaker Village. (Through July 31)

Alumni Invitational 3 @ The Tang Teaching Museum, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs. Artwork that spans four decades—from the late 1960s through the late ’90s—and artists that bring a range of approaches and techniques to their work, from large-scale color photography to recycled furniture design. The four featured artists are Bradley Castellanos, Josh Dorman, Johnny Swing, and Shellburne Thurber. (Through August 14)

Céleste Boursier-Mougenot @ EMPAC, Troy. Two sound works: On the mezzanine, the installation untitled (Series #3) unfolds with bowls, dishes, and glasses floating in several pools of water. As these objects touch, the space is filled with their fleeting, floating music.
The second installation, index (v.4), is an interpretation of EMPAC’s communication network activity, played by two-computer controlled pianos at the entrances at each end of the building. Software written in collaboration with EMPAC’s IT team monitors the networks and translates bits and pieces into musical notes for the pianos—using the computers and pianos to connect work and play. (Through September 1)

Frida Kahlo: Through the Lens of Nickolas Muray @ Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown. Photographer Nickolas Muray (1892-1965) came to America in 1913 from Hungary and began a forty-five year career as a photographer. He began photographing Frida Kahlo in color in the winter of 1938, when Muray and Kahlo were at the height of an on-again, off-again ten-year love affair, and continued to do so until 1948. (Through September 5)

Keeping Time @ Albany International Airport, Albany. Artists navigate the collective and individual mythology of nostalgia with an eye for its humorous, deceptive and often bittersweet nature. Featuring Joel Griffith, Stevan Jennis, Matt LaFleur, Leslie Lew, Michael MIllspaugh, Ken Ragsdale and Randy Regier. (Through September 5)

Collectors’ Choice: Selections from the Jane and Jay Braus Collection @ The Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield. More than 25 contemporary and modern artworks hand-picked by the couple from their private collection including work by Sam Francis, Nancy Graves, Red Grooms, David Hockney, Alex Katz, Sol LeWitt, and Graham Nickson. (Through October 11)

Robert S. Duncanson: The Spiritual Striving of the Freedmen’s Sons @ Thomas Cole National Historic Site, Catskill. The first exhibition featuring the work of the nineteenth-century African-American landscape painter Robert S. Duncanson in many years, bringing the work of this ground-breaking artist to the home of Thomas Cole, who was a major influence on Duncanson. The catalogue for this exhibition contain an essay by curator Joseph D. Ketner including new information on the artist and color illustrations of many new paintings discovered over the past fifteen years. (Through October 30)

Katharina Grosse: One Floor Up More Highly @ MASS MoCA, North Adams. Katharina Grosse’s new installation fills with massive Building 5 gallery with her largest commission to date. Cool video here showing the ingenious way the MASS MoCA folks managed to get 700 cubic yards of soil into Building 5. (Through October 30)

Shadow Catcher: Edward Curtis Among the Kwakiutl @ Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown. Edward Curtis (1868-1954) devoted over 20 years to photographing and documenting over 80 American Indian tribes. After receiving a commission from financier J.P. Morgan, he produced a 20 volume series called The North American Indian, with each volume comprising 75 photogravures and 300 pages of text. The exhibition features the complete Portfolio Number 10, entitled The Kwakiutl. Paired with the Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, which includes numerous Kwakiutl artworks, the exhibition allows visitors to see the masterpieces of the Thaw collection be brought to life in the ceremonies and lives of the Kwakiutl people. (Through December 31)