4th Biennial Juried Alumni Show • On view June 15 – July 15, 2017 • Free and open to the public
Boston, MA – June 12, 2017 – Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) presents the 4th Biennial Juried Alumni Exhibition, HABITAT/ion, on view June 15 – July 15 in the Sandra and David Bakalar Gallery, the lower level of the Bakalar & Paine Galleries. HABITAT/ion is a multidisciplinary exhibition of alumni work inspired by the themes of habitat and/or habitation. Through a competitive jurying process, 80 artists and 86 works were selected out of 200 artists and 600 submissions; the artists included in the exhibition represent MassArt alumni from 1954-2016. Three leading visual art professionals served on the jury: Dina Deitsch, newly appointed director and chief curator of Tufts University art galleries; Abigail Newbold ’02, Director of Exhibitions, Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; and Sam Toabe ’11, Gallery Curator, University Hall Gallery, University of Massachusetts Boston.
Left: Julie Barrett ’12. Leukocytosis, Number 1, 2017. Digital Print. 24″ x 18″ x 2.” Courtesy the artist.
Right: Sabrina Dorsainvil ’12. Inescapable Ecologies, 2014. Digital Print. 18” x 24”. Courtesy the artist.
Many artists featured in HABITAT/ion respond to social and global issues that threaten our existence and well-being. Leukocytosis, by Julie Barrett ’12 (BFA, Painting), is the result of a five-year research study on the creative achievement and opportunity of Boston citizens as it relates to housing and crime data gathered from 2008-2012. Similar to blood cells, the color-coded grid visually demonstrates the health of the city according to its citizens’ ability to thrive or survive. In drawing Inescapable Ecologies, Sabrina Dorsainvil ’12 (BFA, Industrial Design) was inspired by the contradicting effects of globalization and its constraints on our mental and physical space. Resa Blatman’s ’95 (BFA, Graphic Design) recent work is a response to the uncertain state of the earth due to global warming. In Dispersant, the laser cut forms mimic coral, flora and invasive plants to portray the threatening effects of climate dystopia.
Left: Adam Marchand ’05. Inventory, 2013. Wood, metal, index cards, polaroids. 75” x 24” x 24”. Courtesy the artist.
Right: Sara Casilio ’01. Home is where the art is, 2015. Acrylic gouache and pen on Duralar. 14″ x 11.” Courtesy the artist.
Alumni artists are also showing work inspired by their own homes and the concept of what makes a home. For Inventory, Adam Marchand ’05 (BFA, Film/Video) catalogued his possessions on index cards. Thirty years’ worth of items are represented on 2,500 cards and include a narrative of how he acquired each item. Sarah Casilio ’01 (of the TRIIIBE collective) uses her personal practice of drawing and painting, work she rarely shows publicly, for self-reflection. “Through my art I am able to understand myself and where I am at,” she says. Illustrator Abigail McCoy ’15 (BFA, Illustration) also reflected on her dwelling and state of being when she illustrated Country Mouse and City Mouse. Inspired by the Aesop fable, she drew upon her interactions with her environment while living in Boston and attending MassArt and her life now in rural New Hampshire.
Abigail McCoy ’15. Country Mouse, 2017. Ballpoint pen & digital. 5.5” x 13.5”. Courtesy the artist.
Some artists seek to inspire a new perspective or transport the viewer to another place. As seen in Pacifico, Felipe Ortiz ’09 (BFA, Painting) infuses vibrant colors and dense natural scenery in his paintings to bring the culture of his native Colombia to life. Through her photographs, Susan Cannarella ’81 (BFA, Photography) seeks to help viewers find beauty in scenes not conventionally considered beautiful. For HABITAT/ion Susan shares two photos of the people she met during a 2015 trip to Cuba. Lastly, Ganymede, an experimental film by Youjin Moon (MFA ’13 Painting and ’15 Film/Video) immerses the viewers in an abstracted world, transporting them to another space and time.
The artwork featured in the 4th Biennial Juried Alumni Exhibition, HABITAT/ion, presents a broad interpretation of the terms habitat and habitation as it pertains to the artists’ personal lives and contemporary issues in society. Visitors are invited to explore these themes through the lens of MassArt’s diverse alumni body in a multidisciplinary exhibition of thought-provoking artwork.
Left: Felipe Ortiz ’09. Pacifico, 2017. Acrylic on board. 31” x 32” x 3”. Courtesy the artist.
Right: Susan Cannarella ’81. Barber Shop, 2015. 24” x 16” x 1 ¼”. Courtesy the artist.
Plan Your Visit
Bakalar & Paine Galleries Summer Hours
Monday through Saturday: 12:00pm – 6:00pm
(closed Sundays)
Free and open to the public
Location
MassArt, 621 Huntington Avenue (Avenue of the Arts), Boston
Bakalar & Paine Galleries, Enter through the Design and Media Center
Public Transportation
MBTA Green Line E Train (Longwood Medical Area stop)
Route 39 MBTA bus (Huntington Ave @ Longwood Ave stop)
For more information, please visit massart.edu/galleries. Share and view content from the exhibition with #MassArtHabitation.
The artwork featured in the 4th Biennial Juried Alumni Exhibition, HABITAT/ion, presents a broad interpretation of the terms habitat and habitation as it pertains to the artists’ personal lives and contemporary issues in society. Visitors are invited to explore these themes through the lens of MassArt’s diverse alumni body in a multidisciplinary exhibition of thought-provoking artwork.
###
About Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) is one of the top colleges of its kind in the United States. Founded in 1873, MassArt has a legacy of leadership as the only freestanding public college of art and design in the country and the nation’s first art school to grant a degree. The College offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate degrees in art, design, and art education, all taught by world-class faculty. MassArt is also home to the Bakalar & Paine Galleries, the largest free contemporary art space in New England, professionally curated to enrich the academic curriculum and make contemporary art an accessible experience for all. Among MassArt’s most accomplished alumni are designer Brian Collins, art dealer Arne Glimcher, Oscar-winning set designer Nancy Haigh, visual artist and composer Christian Marclay, 2016 Project Runway winner Erin Robertson, interior and lifestyle designer Kelly Wearstler, and photographer William Wegman. For more information, visit massart.edu. Follow MassArt on social media: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Media Contact
Susie Stockwell, Director of Communications
sstockwell@massart.edu • 617.879.7066
Share
Information for