2018 EXHIBITIONS
WILD AT HEART:
Portraits of Endangered SpeciesDawn Siebel
December 6-31
"I paint portraits of endangered species because I believe their right to exist is equal to ours. We are all in this together; yet the threat to their existence is entirely my species’ fault. I am arguing for their rights with these portraits.
The more time I spend with the species I paint, the deeper my understanding of their physiology, temperament, social rules and habits. On extended zoo visits I spend hours with these animals over days, shooting images for reference, but often just sitting with them, watching. Keepers share quirks and stories with me about their wards. Back in my studio, all this research finds its way into my portraits, both practically and magically, as I bring that emotional memory to the canvas. I have met my subjects; we have regarded one another. I carry a sense of their presence. We have looked eye-to-eye.
Each animal I paint is a specific equal Being looking back at the viewer. It’s that Beingness I want the viewer to grok, a recognition of an equal Other, of sentience. I do not paint the generic. These animals have posed for their portraits. I love them all." Dawn Howkinson Siebel
LOST AND FOUND
Judith Inglese and Bernice RosenthalNovember 8- December 2
A.P.E. Gallery will display ceramic murals by Judith Inglese and assemblages by Bernice Rosenthal for the month of November. The exhibit, entitled “Lost and Found,” speaks to the process of re-incarnation and transformation.
Bernice uses found objects that were discarded or forgotten and gives them new meaning and form. Judith’s ceramic murals explore themes of childhood, the time for play, imagination and lost innocence.
Both art forms engage the viewer, using whimsy, detail and storytelling in the murals, and juxtaposition and abstraction of forms in the assemblages. Both artists work with natural materials such as clay and wood, and use bas-reliefs and three-dimensional forms.
THE SPACE IN BETWEEN 2:
Zea Mays Printmaking BiennialOctober 5- November 4
There is a quality of interest in “two” of anything. Cells duplicate, twins are born, mirror images speak a universal language, people marry each other, birds mate, lovers meet, we have two hands, two feet, binary code, and on, on, on... And there’s a special interest in what lies in the space between – what connects, integrates, repels. Both the fusion and tension that occurs in those spaces is fertile ground for artistic interpretation.
This exhibition explores the Space between Two through the medium of printmaking and takes many forms: prints, books, sculpture, textiles and video. Several pieces are large and hang from the ceiling—or are built as boats and the prints are the “skin” of the boat. Other prints are long and sculptural, presented in book form or in video. All of the prints are hand-pulled and created using non-toxic approaches to printmaking.
UNDER THE VOLCANO
William Hosie & Christin CoutureSeptember 7-29
As youngsters Christin Couture and William Hosie were fascinated by volcanoes (eruptions, smoke, lava!). Later on they became personally familiar with the daily activities of an actual volcano, the Popocatepetl in Mexico, believed to possess human qualities (sleeping, hiding, exhaling, temper tantrums). In Malcom Lowry’s great tragic novel, Under the Volcano, it is an ominous presence. As a universal symbol (destruction, upheaval, sexuality, hidden emotions, creativity) the volcano image appears in 19th Century literature and art, from Emily Dickinson’s poetry, to the paintings of Frederick Edwin Church.
For Couture and Hosie the volcano remains a powerful form both symbolic and actual, which they, as visual artists, have been exploring through 2 Dimensional and 3 Dimensional mediums, and observing through a 24 hour web camera over the past several years. In their collaboration selected images of the volcano, along with other related works, are merged whole or in part with sculptural elements and symbolic passages of color into a fully considered environment that expands upon their previous work in Mexico City. MORE
UNCERTAIN DISTANCES
Residency with Meredith Bove and Lailye WeidmanMay 20- June 2
From May 20–June 2, dance artists Lailye Weidman and Meredith Bove will be in residence at A.P.E. Ltd. Gallery for Uncertain Distances, a collaborative project combining solo dance-making and dramaturgical practices. The residency focuses on the artists’ interests and histories as solo dance-makers, and their desire to choose companionship over isolation during processes of creation. The artists will oscillate between roles of performer, dramaturg, witness, researcher, archivist and caregiver for two solos: “Cathedral” (Bove, 2017) and “Showman” (Weidman, 2016), asking, “How does sharing our experiences and perceptions of one another's work impact the creative process?” These solos will be presented in public performances on June 1 and 2, 8pm.
DARK TO LIGHT:
Journey to Syria and the Coffeelands: Conflict, Healing and HopePhotographs by Stephen Petegorsky
Artwork by Syrian Refugee Youth
May 15-19
An Exhibition Benefit
The Polus Center invites you to a multimedia exhibition and week-long series of events highlighting 20 years of international humanitarian efforts helping victims of conflict around the world. Join us as we share our work with Syrian refugee youth and landmine affected Coffee farmers through art, conversation, food and film.
FOUR WAYS IN:
New work by Sally Clegg, Claire Crews, Kevin Pomerleau, and Esther S WhiteApril 4-29
Esther S White, Kevin Pomerleau, Claire Crews and Sally Clegg present new work in conversation. The four artists have been meeting since September 2017, building a routine of collaborative thought and curation. Working independently, they have each created work that in a variety of ways addresses the subjects of touch, permeability, barriers, visualization, and proximity. Their work spans across the mediums of printmaking, textiles, book arts and sculpture and is concerned with these common themes: recognition of touch as a destructive force, textiles as a stand-in for intimacy or the domestic sphere, and documentation of time through printmaking. The artists work alongside one another at Zea Mays Printmaking and in this exhibition operate as a collaborative curatorial/studio art team, developing both existing personal projects and new collaborative artwork specifically for the gallery space at A.P.E.
6'1"
New Works by Luke Cavagnac, Jil Crary-Ross, Maclyn Milsark, and Kevin PomerleauMarch 6-31
LUKE CAVAGNAC has a well-known presence in Easthampton, where his colorful, pop-art style can be seen on a big mural at 123 Cottage Street. Working out of his “Invisible Fountain” studio in Eastworks, Cavagnac has concentrated on producing affordable and accessible works that also have a sense of humor.
JIL CRARY-ROSS is an NYC based painter. Jil explores the relationship between identity, the built environment, and form to create an account of new Americana.
MACLYN MILSARK currently lives in Brooklyn and finds himself regularly noticing different patterns; in different spaces, in ways of speech, in earning and spending, and interactions between objects, living or inanimate.
KEVIN POMERLEAU’s work focuses on telling stories through contemporary textiles that have inhabited spaces during relevant periods in his life. Ranging from topics such as isolation, relationships, and the plights of the queer community Pomerleau’s work hopes to convey a narrative that entices the viewer to look into his world without ever actually allowing them to enter.
PROVERBS N PORTRAITS
Ken GagneFebruary
What do you get when you cross a proverb with a portrait? A.P.E. Gallery shines a spotlight on new work by local artist Ken Gagne that examines how, together, they can create a humorous situation, which nowadays isn’t so much a joke but a basic survival tool – a lifeboat we can use on life’s river.
“Ever since I was a kid I’ve been fascinated by the power of the proverb and how it can offer wisdom to the heart, be practiced and passed along to others,” states Gagne. “Proverbs are short sentences drawn from long experience. Portraits are of a similar nature. Nothing in a portrait is a matter of indifference. Expression, gesture, dress, ink even – all must combine to realize a character.”
There is a contemporary pop culture sensibility to Gagne’s images, using vibrant color to depict signs of our time. For example, in Gagne’s “Never trouble trouble until trouble troubles you,” a tattooed steam punker sees his nose fly off his face and replaced by the seat of his pants. And in “Happiness is seeing your mother smile” the piece depicts a loving embrace of mother and child, all the while as the mother is preoccupied with all the concerns associated with raising a child in our current technological culture.
NEW WORK
Gordon ThorneJanuary