By Elin Spring and Suzanne Révy
It may not look like spring is coming, but there are fresh new photography exhibits blooming all over. We bring you March’s most engaging exhibits and events around metro Boston and New England, arranged by region for your planning convenience. As always, please feel free to check back throughout the month for timely updates!
SOWA – Boston’s South End Arts District
Gallery Kayafas – Here are three enticing reasons to visit Gallery Kayafas: Emily Belz is showing her ephemeral, poignant photographs from two recent series, Duet (above) and He Hid His Face Amid A Crowd of Stars; Vanessa Leroy builds visual bridges between past & present, myth & experience, with inkjet, gelatin silver and cyanotype prints in as our bodies lift up slowly; and Bill Franson’s spiritual, jewel-like cyanotypes emanate lyrical serenity in Landscape in Blue. On view through March 18th, 2023, there will be a First Friday Reception on March 3rd from 5:50 – 8:00pm.
To read our review, go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/emily-belz-vanessa-leroy-and-bill-franson-at-gallery-kayafas-boston-ma/
NOTE: The gallery is hosting its represented artist Astrid Reischwitz’s book signing for Spin Club Stories on Saturday, March 11th, 2023 from 2:00 – 4:00pm. A limited number of copies will be available for purchase.
Coming up next at Gallery Kayafas – Photography by Lee Wormald and Pat Falco, on view from March 24th – April 29th, 2023. Stay tuned for details.
For more information about the exhibits, go to: https://www.gallerykayafas.com/
Anderson Yezerski Gallery – In his solo exhibit Coney Island Beach Sleepers, 1977, Karl Baden proves that even his earliest street photographs trick the eye and tease the mind in the most clever, delightful ways. In this show, there’s the added attraction of a bit of nostalgia for lazy summer days at what remains one of the most iconic beaches in the United States. On view through March 25th, 2023, there will be an Artist Talk on Saturday, March 11th, 2023 at 2:00pm.
To read our review, go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/coney-island-sleepers-by-karl-baden-at-anderson-yezerski-gallery-boston-ma/
For more information about the exhibit, go to: https://andersonyezerski.com/
Coming up next at Anderson Yezerski Gallery – Photographs from the series and new book Personal History by Sarah Malakoff, on view from March 31st – May 5th, 2023. Stay tuned for details.
BOSTON PROPER
Boston Athenaeum – If you love books and you love photography, this three day Pop-Up Exhibition is irresistible! Organized by the Boston Athenaeum, 10×10 Photobooks, and the MassArt Library, What They Saw: Historical Photobooks by Women, 1843-1999, is a hands-on reading room exhibition showcasing historically significant publications (think Anna Atkins, Diane Arbus) and ethnically diverse treasures from across the globe, dating from photography’s beginnings to the dawn of the 21st century, in a delectable variety of formats. And you can touch them. What’s best, throughout the exhibit from Thursday, March 2nd – Saturday, March 4th, 2023, there is a veritable hit parade of local luminaries giving “Spotlight Talks” about a book of their choice.
For a full schedule, go to: https://bostonathenaeum.org/visit/exhibitions/visit-exhibitions-https-www-bostonathenaeum-org-visit-exhibitions-upcoming-exhibitions-photobooks/
As the Boston Athenaeum‘s 2022 Artist in Residence, photographer Tira Khan solemnized the Library’s historic revitalization and building expansion. In Reading the Room: Reconstructing the Boston Athenaeum, Khan traverses chaotic construction sites and the silent spaces of artwork in storage, examining both personal and institutional memories of this venerable organization. On view through May, 2023, there will be a conversation between the artist and Lauren Graves, the Athenaeum’s Polly Thayer Starr Fellow in American Art and Culture on Thursday, March 16th, 2023 from 6:00 – 7:00pm.
For more information and/or registration, go to: https://community.bostonathenaeum.org/s/events
Robert Klein Gallery – Today’s Life & War speaks to the legacy of political conflict, movingly conveyed through the irony, poignancy and beauty of imagery by contemporary Iranian photographers Gohar Dashti, Shadi Ghadirian (above), and Tahmineh Monzavi. Comprised of work from a variety of their projects spanning the last two decades, this exhibit will be on view through April 22nd, 2023.
For more information, go to: https://www.robertkleingallery.com/exhibitions/
Krakow Witkin Gallery – Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills made in the mid-seventies were a cultural touchstone. Eight prints from work made at the same time are on view in Cindy Sherman: 1975-1980 from March 7th through April 22nd, 2023.
For more information:: https://www.krakowwitkingallery.com
Gallery NAGA – Architectural photographer Peter Vanderwarker brings his eye for spatial relationships to his fine art work in The Language of Landscape. The limited selection of large prints puzzle and delight the eye with playful exploitations of framing and scale. Paired with Louis Rizzoli’s painted landscapes, both exhibits will be on view from March 10th – April 1st, 2023. A public reception with the artists will be held at the gallery on Friday, March 10 from 5 to 7 pm. A walk-through with both artists will be held at the gallery on Saturday, March 25 at 2 pm.
For more information, go to: https://www.gallerynaga.com/
MFA, Boston – Jess T. Dugan’s arresting, nearly life-size photographs from the series, Coupled, feature portraits of LGBTQ couples created using a rare and massive Polaroid camera in the years after the 2004 legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. On view in the Frances Vrachos Gallery /Mary Stamas Gallery (Gallery 148) through June 19th, 2023.
For more information, go to: https://www.mfa.org/exhibition/jess-t-dugan-coupled
Panopticon Gallery– The annual portfolio showcase First Look 2023, juried by Alexa Cushing and Connor Noll of Panopticon Imaging, features a wide variety of imagery by Austin Cullen, Porter Gifford, Owen McCarter, Ann Prochilo and Catherine Panebianco (photo above). On view through March 31st, 2023.
For more information, go to: https://www.panopticongallery.com/first-look-2023-1
Hunnewell Exhibition Space, Arnold Arboretum – The Arnold Arboretum has long been a nourishing repository for native and exotic plants and trees, cherished by the many visitors it welcomes year round. For the past few years, photographer Vaughn Sills has been gifted cuttings from its native and non-native collections. By arranging the flora in studio settings depicting far-off land and seascapes, Sills visually alludes to the emotional displacement and search for belonging experienced by immigrants and refugees. On view from March 17th – June 25th, 2023, there will be an Opening Reception with the artist on Saturday, March 18th from 1:00 – 3:00pm.
For directions and hours, go to: https://arboretum.harvard.edu/art_shows/still-lives-plants-of-the-arnold-arboretum-close-up-and-far-away/
CAMBRIDGE
Gallery 263 – Victoria Crayhorn’s solo exhibit Distant Early Warning Line investigates the exploitation of ice melt to pursue mining possibilities by foreign interests (including the US and China) amidst Greenland’s astounding natural beauty. On view from March 16th – April 15th, there will be an Opening Reception with the artist on Saturday, March 18th from 6:00 – 8:00pm and an Artist Talk on Sunday, April 2nd at 2:00pm.
For information and free registration, go to: https://www.gallery263.com/exhibitions/distantearlywarningline/?mc_cid=457ebb2260&mc_eid=0610b6982a
Bridge Gallery – In his solo show Classic Style, photographer Sean Sullivan expresses the very essence of classic car design with an impeccable union of vibrant color and exquisite detail. On view through March 31st.
For more information, go to: https://www.bridge.photos/shows
THE BURBS
Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester – The Ties that Bind: Threaded Narratives brings together three artists, Carolle Bénitah, Astrid Reischwitz and JP Terlizzi (above) who all employ crafts and embroidery in their photography to explore the myths around family, memory and legacy. The theme of family legacy and identity extends into the museum’s smaller galleries with collage and mixed media work by Marsha Guggenheim in Without a Map, Anne Piessens in Origin Stories and Brianna Dowd in Mother Pearl (below). All exhibits are on view from March 2nd through April 16th, 2023. There will be a free public Opening Reception with artists from most of the exhibits tomorrow evening, Thursday, March 2nd from 6:30 – 8:00pm.
To read our review, go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/astrid-reischwitz-jp-terlizzi-carolle-benitah-anne-piessens-marsha-guggenheim-brianna-dowd-at-griffin-museum-of-photography-winchester-ma/
For more information: https://griffinmuseum.org
Fitchburg Art Museum (FAM), Fitchburg – Rania Matar: Oceans at My Door celebrates the museum’s acquisition of Matar’s She portfolio. The exhibit will also include new work from her more recent series, Where Do I Go? an investigation of Lebanese women navigating the crossroads of a country in crisis. On view from March 11th through August 3rd, 2023. There will be an Artist Talk and Opening Reception on Sunday, March 19th at 2:00pm.
For more information: https://fitchburgartmuseum.org/rania-matar-oceans-at-my-door/
In addition, the museum presents In the Eye of the Beholder, which considers the ways in which photographers have used the “gendered gaze” across the early 20th and 21st centuries. The exhibit highlights the museum’s iconic favorites along with recent acquisitions—including work from Gertrude Kasebier, Cindy Sherman (below), and Yasumasa Morimura. On view through September 10th, 2023.
For more information, go to: https://fitchburgartmuseum.org/moving-objectsstrongemin-the-eye-of-the-beholder-gender-through-the-camera-lens-em-strongmoving-objects/
Munroe Center for the Arts, Lexington – The Fortieth Parallel traces photographer Bruce Myren’s epic journey from coast to coast along the fortieth parallel of latitude along the American map. Sweeping triptychs using an 8″ x 10″ view camera carry both eye and spirit as they move across the United States. On view through April 30th, 2023.
For more information, go to: https://www.munroecenter.org/in-the-gallery.html
DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln – New Formations celebrates the human body in athleticism and performance through painting, video and photography, including work by George Georgiou, Pelle Cass, Heather Rasmusson and Philip Trager. Contemporary photographs are installed along with a collection of vernacular pictures recently donated to the museum from the Peter Cohen Collection. In addition, the museum presents Downstream using photography and video with an element of fluidity to evoke the disparities in living conditions during this age of climate change, featuring photographs by Paul D’Amato (above), Charles “Teeny” Harris, Arno Rafael Minkkinen, and Abelardo Morrell among others. Last Chance! All exhibits will be on view through March 12, 2023. Thereafter, the Museum will close all indoor exhibits for building renovations.
For our review, go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/new-formations-and-downstream-at-decordova-sculpture-park-and-museum-in-lincoln-ma/
For more information: https://thetrustees.org/program/decordova-exhibitions/
Peabody Essex Museum (PEM), Salem – Power and Perspective: Early Photography in China explores how the camera transformed perceptions of 19th-century China through more than 130 extraordinarily rare photographs accompanied by paintings, decorative arts, and prints. Exhibit co-curator Stephanie Hueon Tung, PEM’s Byrne Family Curator of Photography lends perspective on the show: “Photography has never been a neutral technology of documentation; who and what gets captured and the stories that these photographs tell is a function of power.” The show incorporates work from a collaboration with current emerging photographers in China, who responded to images in the exhibit with works that offer their personal insights into China today. On view through April 2nd, 2023.
For more information, go to: https://www.pem.org/exhibitions/power-and-perspective-early-photography-in-china
ROAD TRIP!
Rhode Island
Rhode Island Center for Photographic Art (RICPA), Providence – Every year, RIPCA celebrates Women’s History Month with Behind the Lens, a curated exhibition of women artists. This year, Everything is Different or Six Degrees features works by Emily Belz, Brooke Hammerle, Fruma Markowitz, Shelby Meyerhoff, Laurie Peek and Jean Schnell. On view through March 10th, 2023.
For more information: https://www.riphotocenter.org
Coming next to RICPA – Two exhibits that explore the socioeconomic costs and consequences of abandoned technology, specifically the public payphone: Dead Ringers: Portraits of Abandoned Payphones, made in color on an iPhone by Amy Becker and Felicific Calculus: Technology as a Social Marker of Race, Class & Economics, made on medium format B&W film by Eric Kunsman. On view from March 16th – April 14th, 2023, there will be an Opening Reception with the artists on Thursday, March 16th from 5:00 – 8:00pm.
For more information, go to: https://www.riphotocenter.org/amy-becker-dead-ringers/ AND https://www.riphotocenter.org/eric-kunsman-felicific-calculus-technology-as-a-social-marker-of-race-class-economics/
New Hampshire
Hood Museum, Dartmouth College, Hanover – Known for making the photograph that graced the first cover of Life Magazine, Margaret Bourke White spent her career covering industry, poverty and wars of the 20th century. Margaret Bourke White: World War II and Life Magazine features a selection of prints from a portfolio made near the end of the war. On view through September 30th, 2023.
For more information: https://hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu/explore/exhibitions/margaret-bourke-white-world-war-ii-and-life-magazine
Vermont
Vermont Center for Photography (VCP), Brattleboro, VT – In Frame of Reference, Texas-based artist April M. Frazier weaves collages of family history and imagery that highlight the achievements, celebrations and enduring love of an African American family living and working in Texas since the late 19th century. In conjunction with Frazier’s exhibit, portraits from The Missing Chapter: Black Chronicles (loaned from Autograph ABP, London) emphasizes similarities across the African diaspora. On view from March 3rd through April 30th, 2023, there will be an opening reception on Friday, March 3rd from 5:00 – 8:00pm and an Artist Talk on Saturday, March 4th from 6:00 – 7:30pm.
For more information, go to: https://vcphoto.org/april-frazier-frame-of-reference/
Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, Brattleboro – The artist Cathy Cone modifies collected and found 19th century tintypes with gouache, watercolor, stamping, drawing or collage to create visual connections to the faces of the past. Cathy Cone: Portraits and Portals will be on view from March 11th through June 11th, 2023. A celebration of spring exhibits is planned for Saturday, March 11th at 11am.
For more information: https://www.brattleboromuseum.org/2022/12/15/cathy-cone-uncommon-denominator/
Connecticut
New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT – Forty years worth of industrial landscapes and images that emphasize the impacts of human activity and consumerism on our environment are presented in a large retrospective of the Canadian photographer in Edward Burtynsky: Earth Observed on view through April 16th, 2023.
For more information: https://nbmaa.org/exhibitions/edward-burtynsky-earth-observed