Four New Exhibits Open November 1 at Brattleboro Museum & Art Center
Opening reception with the exhibiting artists at 5:30 p.m., free and open to the general public.
Online, October 25, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Fantastical creatures fashioned out of glass, a huge and growing map of an imaginary world, a suite of prints by one of Vermont's best loved artists, and artwork inspired by astronauts' impressions of the earth from space — all this and more will be on view at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) when four new exhibits open during Brattleboro's monthly Gallery Walk on Friday, November 1 at 5:30 p.m. Many of the exhibiting artists will be in attendance at the opening, which is free and open to the general public. http://www.brattleboromuseum.org
"VT Kids Design Glass II" is the sequel to a wildly successful exhibit/community outreach program undertaken by BMAC two years ago, whereby professional glass artists created one-of-a-kind sculptures based on kids' drawings of imaginary creatures. The new exhibit features 24 glass sculptures by 21 artists, as well as all 812 drawings submitted by kids from around the world and the kids' descriptions of their imaginary creatures. For example, there is "Ballo" (conceived and designed by Alan Krauthammer and created by Jen Violette), who "was made when a scientist mixed an apple and a bouncy ball together" and "Fred the Frog" (conceived by Andrew Cushman and created by Chris Sherwin), who "eats flies, worms, spiders, and corn dogs." Each sculpture is available for sale at BMAC, with all proceeds supporting the museum's education programs.
Opening alongside "VT Kids Design Glass II" is "Jerry's Map," a room-sized installation of hand-drawn panels comprising a highly-detailed map of an imaginary world sprung from the mind of artist Jerry Gretzinger. Gretzinger started the map as a doodle in 1963 and has been working on it ever since. What he adds to the map each day and what happens to the sections he has already created are determined in part by cards drawn at random from a customized deck. Gretzinger's ongoing interest in the project, he claims, is in seeing how the map will evolve, since that is not totally within his control. BMAC Director Danny Lichtenfeld sees "Jerry's Map" as "an artisanal, lo-fi, analog precursor to Minecraft, SimCity, and the like."
Rounding out the new exhibits are "Cosmic Geometry: Sabra Field," a suite of 16 prints by the much-admired Vermont artist, revealing reflectafors in the world around us, from the microscopic to cosmic scale, and "Our Fragile Home: Pat Musick," a multimedia installation inspired by impressions of the earth from space, as conveyed by astronauts and cosmonauts, including Musick's husband and collaborator, Jerry Carr.
Full schedule of related events includes Sabra Field gallery talk, film screenings, and more.
The new exhibits will remain on view until March 8, 2014, with the exception of "Our Fragile Home: Pat Musick," which closes February 9, 2014. During that time, BMAC will present a number of related events, including an artist talk by Sabra Field, a documentary film on composer John Cage and the use of chance operations in art, and much more. For information on these and other events planned for the coming months, visit www.brattleboromuseum.org/calendar.
High-resolution images and captions available at: http://bit.ly/17O3Xcs
About Brattleboro Museum & Art Center
Founded in 1972, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents rotating exhibits of contemporary art, complemented by lectures, artist talks, film screenings, and other public programs. The museum's exhibits and gift shop are open Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 11-5; Friday: 11-7; Saturday: 10-5. Regular admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $4 for students. Members and children under 6 are admitted free of charge. Located in historic Union Station in downtown Brattleboro, at the intersection of Main Street and Routes 119 and 142, the museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information call 802-257-0124 or visit www.brattleboromuseum.org.
Major support for BMAC is provided by its members and Entergy Vermont Yankee, Foard Panel, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Sam's Outdoor Outfitters, People's United Bank, Brattleboro Ford Subaru, Whetstone Station Restaurant & Brewery, and Allen Brothers Oil.