"Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here" exhibit opens Sat., Mar. 1, at Institute Library

The Institute Library
847 Chapel St., New Haven, (203) 562-5045
Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here
Mar. 1—May 3, 2014.
Reception: Sat., Mar. 1, Noon—2 p.m.

Press release from Stephen Vincent Kobasa

On March 5th 2007, a car bomb was exploded on al-Mutanabbi Street, the historic center of Baghdad bookselling. More than 30 people were killed and over 100 were wounded. In response to this attack upon a cultural treasure of the Iraqi people, the poet and bookseller Beau Beausoleil founded the al-Mutanabbi Street Project which to date has assembled 130 broadsides by letterpress artists, 260 artist books, and a literary anthology Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here with contributions by over 125 writers from around the world.

Beau Beausoleil and Andrea Hassiba: "Until It Is In Flame"

Out of this larger collection, Stephen Vincent Kobasa has curated two exhibitions of material which will go on display consecutively for one month periods between March 1 and May 3.

There will be readings from the anthology during the opening reception on Saturday., Mar. 1, and a panel discussion on books in a time of terror on Sat., Apr. 5, at noon.

Lytle, Jacobs exhibits open Fri., Feb. 28, at Giampietro Gallery

Giampietro Gallery—Works of Art
315 Peck St., New Haven, (203) 777-7760
Blinn Jacobs: New Work
Richard Lytle: No Still Life
Feb. 28—Mar. 29, 2014.
Reception: Fri., Feb. 28, 6—8 p.m.
Artists' Talk: Sat., Mar. 15, 2 p.m.
Press release from Giampietro Gallery

Fred Giampietro Gallery is pleased to announce the solo-exhibitions of new works by artists Richard Lytle and Blinn Jacobs. The shows will be on view from Feb. 28—Mar. 29 at the Erector Square location at 315 Peck St., with an opening reception on Fri., Feb. 28, from 6—8 p.m. and an artists' talk on Sat., Mar. 15, at 2 p.m.

No Still Life, is the first solo show by Richard Lytle at the gallery. Discovery is the first thing that comes to mind when experiencing one of Richard Lytle’s virtuosic oils on canvas. Imagine walking deep into the forest and stumbling on a utopian vista. A silent, solitary, awareness comes over you. This is for the moment, if you turn away, it could vanish. The extraordinary grounding power of this work evokes a sense of solitude, mystery and place.

Richard Lytle: "Quartet"

Richard Lytle has been exhibiting his work internationally since the 1950’s. He was a Teaching Assistant for Joseph Albers at Yale University School of Art. His work has been included in many solo and group exhibitions including; the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, CT, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Coral Gables, FL, American Embassies around the world, Harvard University, Boston, MA, the Whitney Museum of American Art, NY, and the Worlds Fair in Seattle. Lytle has been awarded many prestigious awards including the Saint Gaudens Medal and the Citation for Professional Achievement from Cooper Union. His work is included in many public and private collections including Yale University, the Albrecht Gallery Museum of Arts, Columbia University, the DeCordova Museum, Lincoln, MA, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN, the Museum of Modern Art, NY, The National Museum of Art, Washington, DC and the Rockefeller Collection in NY.

Blinn Jacobs describes her work in a recent statement as being, "a dialogue between polygonal shaped canvases and the use of 'painterliness' in regard to the interaction of color. Some of the works retain surface clarity; others become saturated by manipulation of graphic marks and various media. All involve a process-oriented manner that allows for discovery and a freedom to extemporize. I am interested in using a variety of materials. Sometimes a whimsical and playfulness undermines the geometric formality of the work. Whether it is delicate weavings of ribbon or intersecting planes of transparent color where the hard edges are cajoled into an animated rhythm, I hope to merge movement with stability, transparency with opacity, and labor with play."

Blinn Jacobs: "X"

Blinn Jacobs received her BFA from the Yale University School of Art and her MFA in painting from the University of Pennsylvania. Blinn’s work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. Jacobs has been awarded many prestigious awards, grants, and residences including the State of Connecticut General Assembly Citation, The Dr. Thomas Ayoub and Christine Dombrowski Awards, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Residency in Sweet Briar, VA, and the Oberpfalzer Kunstlerhaus Fellowship, International Residency in Schwandorf Germany.

Shows open Sun., Feb. 23, at Silvermine Arts Center

Silvermine Guild Art Center
1037 Silvermine Rd., New Canaan, (203) 966-9700
Jistin Wiest: Dreams Waking
Ashley Andrews and Natasha Karpinskaia: The Art of Mark Making
The Gabor Peterdi International Print Collection
Feb. 23—Apr. 5, 2014.
Opening Reception: Sun., Feb. 23, 2—4 p.m.

Press release from Silvermine Arts Center

Silvermine Arts Center, located in New Canaan, CT will be opening a new set of exhibits February 23rd, including the dreamlike imaginings of Justin Wiest; the collaborative exploration of Abstract Expressionism by Ashley Andrews and Natasha Karpinskaia; and Selections from the Gabor Peterdi International Print Collection. The shows run from Feb. 23—Apr. 5, and there will be an opening reception on Sunday., Feb. 23, from 2—4 p.m.

In Justin Wiest's Dreams Waking, the artist will present paintings which seek to elevate furniture to the role of a primary character. "I’m enjoying the freedom to experiment and search for the limits of painting by scrubbing at the film of familiarity," says Wiest of his current work. While objects are traditionally used as props in portrait painting, here they become an active part of the narrative. People and their environment are involved in a complex story that invites us to look past, as the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote, "The mist of familiarity (which) obscures from us the wonder of our being."

Justin Wiest: "The Doctors"

In The Art of Mark Making, Ashley Andrews and Natasha Karpinskaia collaborate on a series of paintings that revisit Abstract Expressionism. "We intend to show the positive effect of teaming up to make new intriguing marks," the artists said of their partnership. The paintings become a dialogue between the artists, as one begins by making her marks and the other responds. As the process repeats, the marks are changed until they no longer belong to Andrews or Karpinskaia alone, instead becoming something exciting and new.

In 2012, Silvermine Galleries officially named its print collection The Gabor Peterdi International Print Collection, in honor of Silvermine’s print collection founder, Gabor Peterdi. Peterdi started the printmaking department at Yale University and, in 1956, established the National Print Biennial competition at Silvermine. For many years, from the beginning of the competition, the award winning print was purchased forming a permanent print collection. In subsequent years, additional prints were added to the collection via donations and bequests. Recent efforts have enabled the Galleries to conserve the collection, while actively growing its holdings.

Last year, The Gabor Peterdi International Print Collection received several significant works by renowned artists. A Josef Albers piece was purchased with funds honoring the late Guild Member, Tina Rohrer. In addition, we received a Robert Cottingham screened print, and a Gabor Peterdi Print donated by the Gabor Peterdi Estate. This year Silvermine has seen continued growth in the print collection donations and this February's exhibition will be the second show this year highlighting selections from the print collection with recent acquisitions by James Flora, Charles Hinman, and Liliana Porter.

Opening reception at Gallery on the Green in Canton Saturday, Feb. 15

Gallery on the Green
Corner of Dowd and Route 44, Canton, (860) 693-4102
Love and Chocolate
Bob Gingras: …a time ...a place ...a memory
Rozanne Hauser: Sky Light
Feb. 14—Mar. 16, 2014.
Opening Reception: Sat., Feb. 15, 6—9 p.m.

Press release from Gallery on the Green

Love is in the air at the Gallery on the Green in Canton as the gallery presents a special month-long tribute to the spirit of Valentine's Day. Love and Chocolate, a members' themed show, opens on Valentine's Day, Fri., Feb. 14, and runs until Sun., Mar. 16. There will be a gala opening reception on Sat., Feb. 15 from 6—9 pm. with both sweet and savory treats including chocolate from the Bridgewater company. The public is warmly invited to attend this free event.

There are 3 shows running concurrently. The main exhibition in the Founders Gallery—Love and Chocolate—features art work inspired by those subjects we associate with Valentine Day, themes that many famous artists have addressed throughout the ages. Members will interpret the theme in their own unique ways using the medium of their choice.

In addition, Bob Gingras has a show titled …a time ...a place ...a memory in the Upstairs Gallery. He attended the University of Hartford, Hartford Art School and graduated from Paier College of Art, is also a Gemologist and a senior member of the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers. Gingras says, "I am a realistic acrylic painter. I like to focus on subjects or places that I have been that I connect with emotionally. Once I have the composition and color palette mapped out I fastidiously apply layers of color, and details. So the viewer is enticed and invited to walk into the painting and enjoy the scenery. I like to leave the feeling of 'wow' and have the viewer say, 'I thought it was a photograph.'"

Robert Gingras: "Tuscany"

Rozanne Hauser’s show Sky Light is featured in the Spotlight Gallery. She has studied with many fine instructors on both the national and local level. Hauser states, "I am guided by my love of color and the effects of light. The ever-changing cloud patterns and the variations in the colors of the sunset are my muse; they catch my breath and I know I must try and capture that feeling. My work is in pastel with an occasional watercolor underpainting to make it glow."

Clinard and Cook shows open Sunday at Kehler Liddell in Westville

Kehler Liddell Gallery
873 Whalley Ave., New Haven, (203) 389-9555
Threads of Serendipity: Photography by Penrhyn Cook and Sculpturew by Susan Clinard
Feb. 13—Mar. 16, 2014.
Opening Reception: Sun., Feb. 16, 3—6 p.m.

Press release from Kehler Liddell Gallery

Susan Clinard returns to Kehler Liddell Gallery with an engaging new body of sculpture work. Clinard continues to explore new mediums and use of space with a fleet of breathtaking kinetic paper boats float through space, translucent and glowing with purpose and strength. Each boat carries a sculpted passenger that has been cast in layers of fine paper. They evoke an immediate sensory response as the metaphorical boat is steeped with rich cultural histories and symbolism.

Susan Clinard: "Main Boat"

The photographic work represented in Threads of Serendipity is a compilation of two portfolios: "Little People" and "Humanity." As an emerging photographer, Penrhyn Cook watched from afar, taking in the full palette of shapes and light but always with a conscious focus on human figures as part of the image. With experience came a strong desire for more intimacy with her subjects and as a result, her interactions became more meaningful. This shifted the focus to capture the wide breadth of human emotions; wonder, loneliness, or envy. Similar to the transition Cook experienced, the viewer is becomes an active participant rather than a passive observer.

Threads of Serendipity will be on display from Feb. 13 through Mar. 16. The opening reception is this Sunday from 3—6 p.m.