May/June Artscope: 10th Biennial State of Clay

Molding Their Visions: State of Clay in Lexington

May/June 2018

REVIEW

10TH BIENNIAL STATE OF CLAY
LEXINGTON ARTS & CRAFTS SOCIETY
130 WALTHAM STREET
LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS
MAY 5 THROUGH JUNE 3

By Taryn Plumb

There are forlorn figures of bare-foot young women wearing insects as accessories.

“Wooden” Trojan horses with functional wheels.

A modern-day interpretation of Cerberus, the (typically three-headed) Greek hound of Hades bearing an inscription from Virgil,

“And his triple jaws forgot to bark.”

Varying in scope, size and subject matter, the unifying element of these pieces is one of the oldest artistic mediums known to humans: clay.

“What does clay say and where is it going?” asked Alice Abrams, exhibit co-chair and co-founder. “It keeps expanding in its creative reach and its ability to say different things.”

It’s a question that the Lexington Arts and Crafts Society has posed for more than 20 years.

The answer — resulting in 10 exhibits over the past two decades — has varied and evolved with the times, politics, popular culture and fashion. This year is no exception, with the 10th Biennial State of Clay representing everything from women’s role in society, to family values, to ancient archetypes; as well as the inherent beauty, versatility and classic function of the age-old medium.

One of the region’s foremost shows dedicated to clay, the Biennial features the work of 70 Massachusetts artists. It will be on display at the Society’s space in Lexington, Mass. through June 3; the exhibit will also feature an artist reception and talk with juror Emily Zilber on May 6 from 2 to 5 p.m.

To read more, pick up a copy of our latest issue! Find a pick-up location near you or Subscribe Here.

Check out Artscope Magazine's 12th anniversary issue!

Barbara Peacock: Behind Closed Doors

12 FOR OUR 12TH
BARBARA PEACOCK
BARBARA PEACOCK: SELECTIONS FROM AMERICAN BEDROOM AND HOMETOWN
MAINE MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS. USM GLICKMAN LIBRARY 314 FOREST AVENUE PORTLAND, MAINE THROUGH MAY 19
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
BARBARAPEACOCK.COM

by Taryn Plumb

She is the very image of a gypsy goddess: Spiraling dirty blonde hair, bra top and short shorts, draped atop a heap of blankets in the back of a pop-up camper, exhaling a willowy puff from a cigarette.

Scattered around her: an ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts, empty travel mugs and juice cans, an errant flip-flop, chili pepper string lights, drug paraphernalia.

Her name is Jessica, and an accompanying statement to her portrait reflects the Milford, N.H. 18-year-old’s carefree spirit: “Sometimes life throws you in all sorts of directions, the most important part about life is to remember you are exactly where you need to be.”

Barbara Peacock wants to know: What’s in your bedroom? This question has prompted her to travel across the country to photograph people in one of their most intimate of spaces for a project she’s aptly titled “American Bedroom.”

“It’s the raw honesty of people in America: A depiction of them in their dwelling,” said the Portland-based artist. “We really get a peek into the lives of common, everyday people. It can reveal things to us.”

To read more, pick up a copy of our latest issue! Find a pick-up location near you or Subscribe Here.

Check out more of Peacock's unique and thought-provoking work here. (She is also seeking out grants and looking for more photo subjects; contact her for more info!) 

Transcendentalism in the 21st Century

Living Deliberately in Maine: Celebrating the Idea of Thoreau

Artscope Magazine, Jan/Feb 2018
by Taryn Plumb

FEATURED MUSEUM
MAINE MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS
USM GLICKMAN FAMILY LIBRARY
314 FOREST AVENUE
PORTLAND, MAINE
THROUGH JANUARY 27

At first, it appears to be a touching image of mourning: A man lies on his belly in a pastoral cemetery, leaning in so close to a gravestone that his head nearly grazes it.

But take a closer look and you see that, well — he’s taking a closer look.

Not at the headstone engraved with the surname “HUNT” but, rather, at a small patch of white flowers that have sprung up out of the ground at its base. He is a botanist at work; the grave is purely incidental.

Captured by photographer S.B. Walker, the black-and-white image is part of a series taken in and around Walden Pond in Concord, Mass.

It is among a variety of works in an exhibit honoring the 200th anniversary of the birth of the celebrated transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau, “We might Climb a Tree, at Least.” The show is on display through January 27 at the Maine Museum of Photographic Arts (MMPA) in Portland.

“We wanted to cover Thoreau and celebrate the bicentennial of his birth, but we wanted to do it in an updated way,” said Denise Froehlich, director of the nonprofit art association formed in 2010. “Who are the people today who are interested in transcendentalism?”

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