Saturday, April 16, was the closing day for three exhibitions in South Boston. It has become a custom in local galleries to mark these closings with what might be termed “retrospective celebrations.” Medicine Wheel’s Spoke Gallery closed out its most recent show, expertly curated by South Boston’s Kathy Bitetti. The exhibition was named “On the Line.” (It was reviewed by South Boston Online in our Feb. 11 issue.)
There are two galleries in The Distillery, which has really become a thriving artists’ colony on 516 East Second St. The closed shows in Proof Gallery and the main Distillery Gallery were entitled respectively “worlds within worlds” (Philip Fryer, Faith Johnson, Trevor Powers) and “Post Gay?” (The Boston LGTBQIA Artists Alliance – BLAA). Both of these exhibitions also had closing celebrations.
A new exhibition with a very powerful impact opened that same Saturday in Susan Nalband’s 555 Gallery (555 East Second St.). It is a solo show entitled “Grey Eagle.” Its creator is Mary Ellen Strom, who is originally from Butte, Mont., and is a veteran of countless exhibitions and award ceremonies. She is perhaps best known in Boston as the director of the Master of Fine Arts Program at the Museum School.
Strom’s “Grey Eagle” exhibition comprises 10 3D works, five of which are metaphors for the personae of various women, who were actually underground miners in Butte. Some of them “struck it rich.” The show is a hands-on, dirty finger nailed, feminist statement, constructed out of the awkwardly graceful forms from a single, large, fallen tree, along with metal mining hardware, fittings and tools. Strom has also put together a Grey Eagle video that is part mining, part fable, part woman’s statement. Be sure to visit “Grey Eagle” – it is visually most striking.
A new exhibition popped up on Wednesday evening, April 20, in The Distillery Gallery’s lower level exhibition area. It is entitled “There is a Garden, and It Exists” and is curated by Victoria Marie Barquin and Pauli Mia. It consists of 18 eclectic works – many of them mixed media creations of various kinds. As its name implies, the show possesses an imaginative, contemplative vibe, and it is small and intimate despite the varied works. Make this your destination exhibition, prior to or during an evening out in South Boston. And be sure to read the curatorial notes.
If you are pleasantly surprised by the number of galleries and exhibitions in the residential areas of South Boston, we share your feelings. Start anticipating South Boston’s Spring Open Studios, a truly creative splash that takes place only a few weeks from now – Saturday and Sunday, May 21 and 22. All of the above studios will be taking part.
“If You Think You’re Gonna Lost It” by Kelly Donahue at The Distillery. (Photo by Rick Winterson)
“Obstructed View” by Debra K. Jayne at The Distillery’s newly opened exhibition. (Photo by Rick Winterson)
“Black Iris” by Yael Ben-Zion at the Distillery’s newly opened exhibition. (Photo by Rick Winterson)
Franklin Marval starts to dismantle his installation, “The Cumand Road,” in Spoke Gallery at 110 K St. (Photo by Rick Winterson)
Flying fish, cloud spectrum, or the human imagination? “Thought Pattern” by John Crowley, on display at the Spoke Gallery at 110 K St. (Photo by Rick Winterson)
Proof Gallery’s eye-catching cloth tent installation. Note the golden teacup to the left. The gallery is at 516 East Second St. (Photo by Rick Winterson)
Simple, n’est-ce pas? Three hanging cloths – black, gray, white – form a work of art in Proof Gallery at 516 East Second St. (Photo by Rick Winterson)
An expression of rage or despair? “Dead Art Star,” papier mache at The Distillery. (Photo by Rick Winterson)
“Jamezie, Your Rainbow Doesn’t Reach That Far,” a sewn creation at The Distillery. (Photo by Rick Winterson)
“Julia” by Mary Ellen Strom, a remarkable sculptural creation at 555 Gallery, gracefully shaped from the awkward branches of a fallen tree and underground mining hardware. (Photo by Rick Winterson)
A quick overview of Mary Ellen Strom’s strongly challenging solo exhibition at 555 Gallery. “Gabrielle” (wood, feathers, metal) stands at front. (Photo by Rick Winterson)
