By Elin Spring and Suzanne Révy
The blossoming of the land has finally, irrevocably, arrived in New England. The palette is sublime and the scents are exhilarating, even though April showers have so far mostly brought May showers. Why not indulge your urge to join nature’s party and break free from your winter routines? We bring you May’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
FEATURE IMAGE “PEM Stairway,” Peabody Essex Museum, 2022 from the series More and more and then some by Greg Heins, courtesy of the artist and Gallery Kayafas, Boston.
Gallery Kayafas – In his solo show More and more and then some (from a Nina Simone song), Greg Heins draws on the cacophony of mundane surroundings to extract visual patterns and relationships within and between photographs. Against the backdrop of a chaotic world, Heins’ gentle repetitions guide viewers toward the solace of order while offering sparks of delight in unexpected discoveries. In the Alcove, Zia Ayub presents his atmospheric photographs of the natural world. On view from May 5th – June 10th, 2023, there will be an Opening Reception with the artists on First Friday, May 5th from 5:30 – 8:00pm.
For more information, go to: https://www.gallerykayafas.com/
“Jackie O” from the series and book Personal History by Sarah Malakoff, courtesy of the artist and Anderson Yezerski Gallery, Boston.
Anderson Yezerski Gallery – Personal History, Sarah Malakoff’s quirky and colorful exploration of home and identity will be on view through May 6th, 2023, with a closing reception on First Friday, May 5th from 5:00 – 8:00pm. Next up is Michael Grecco’s Days of Punk, his dynamic, gritty pictures of the punk music scene’s manic energy and culture-shocking behavior as it hit the ground in Boston & NYC in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. On view from May 12th – June 19th, 2023, there will be an Opening Reception on Friday, May 19th from 5:00 – 8:00pm and an Artist Talk on May 20th.
To read our book review of Personal History, go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/category/book-review/
For more information, go to: https://andersonyezerski.com/
Lead guitarist Poison Ivy (born Kristy Marlana Wallace) of the punk rock band “The Cramps” backstage before performing at a theater in 1980 in Boston, Massachusetts, from the series Days of Punk by Michael Grecco, courtesy of the artist and Anderson Yezerski Gallery, Boston.
“Untitled #33, Jersey City, NJ” 2018, from the series Stranger Fruit by Jon Henry, courtesy of the artist and Abakus Projects, Boston.
Abakus Projects – In his solo show Stranger Fruit, photographer Jon Henry’s arresting portraits address issues of grief, trauma and healing within the African American community. On view from May 5th – May 28th, 2023, there will be an Opening Reception and book signing on First Friday, May 5th from 6:00 – 8:00pm.
For more information, go to: https://www.abakusprojects.com/
BOSTON PROPER
“Erin in Green, Snedens Landing, New York, 2014” by Rodney King, courtesy of Robert Klein Gallery, Boston.
Robert Klein Gallery – The sophisticated, stylish and delightful fashion photography of the late Rodney Smith will be featured in the solo show A Leap of Faith and in a new Getty publication of the same name. The gallery will host an Opening Reception, Book Signing and Curator’s Discussion led by book essay contributor Rebecca Senf, Chief Curator at the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, NM on Saturday, May 6th, 2023 from 2:00 – 5:00pm. The exhibit will be on view through June 30th, 2023.
For more information, go to: https://www.robertkleingallery.com/
From the series Reading the Room: Reconstructing the Boston Athenaeum by Tira Khan, courtesy of the artist.
Boston Athenaeum – As the 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 13th, 2023.
“Devonshire Street Looking Towards Post Office” 1872 Albumen Photograph by James Wallace Black (1825-1896), from the exhibit Revisiting the Ruins: The Great Boston Fire of 1872, reprinted with permission of the Boston Athenaeum.
Also on view at the Boston Athenaeum – Revisiting the Ruins: The Great Boston Fire of 1872, a lively multi-media exhibit featuring exquisite albumen prints and stereographs that make history come alive, on view through July 29th, 2023.
For more information, go to: https://bostonathenaeum.org/visit/exhibitions/https-www-bostonathenaeum-org-visit-exhibitions-upcoming-exhibitions-greatfire/
From the series Duality of Distance by Stephen Vanasco, courtesy of the artist and Leica Gallery, Boston.
Leica Gallery, Boston – In his solo show Duality of Distance, photographer Stephen Vanasco pairs disparate bodies of work – some shot at great distance and others with a macro lens – to “recognize duality within the work” by sparking dialogs in composition, line, color and feeling that are integral to his way of seeing. On view through May 15th, 2023.
For information, go to: http://leicagalleryboston.com/portfolio/duality-of-distance/
“Ashley” (Rainbow), East Village, NYC, 2022, from the series Expanding the Pantheon: Women R Beautiful by Ruben Natal San-Miguel, courtesy of the artist and Griffin Museum of Photography.
Griffin Museum at Lafayette City Center – The dazzling immediacy of Ruben Natal-San Miguel’s arresting street portraits is on display in Expanding the Pantheon: Women R Beautiful, on view through May 29th, 2023. There will be a free, public Reception with the artist on Saturday, May 13th from 4:00 – 6:00pm. Preceding the Reception, Ruben will host a street portrait studio in Downtown Crossing from 2:00 – 4:00pm.
For information, go to: https://griffinmuseum.org/show/expanding-the-pantheon-women-r-beautiful/#more-show-text
Unidentified artist, African American Woman, American, 1860–79. Photograph, tintype. Charles H. Bayley Picture and Painting Fund.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston – Three separate photographic offerings currently on view could hardly be more different. In the Herb Ritts Gallery, Painted Tintypes: Photography for the People gathers a captivating and diverse selection of this affordable, personalized and decoratively framed form of American portraiture, drawn from both private and MFA collections. In the Lubin Family Gallery, Sally Mann and Cy Twombly: Remembered Light creates an unusual conversation by bringing together three sculptures by Twombly, ancient sculptures from the MFA collection and thirteen photographs by Sally Mann of her friend and neighbor Twombly’s studio in Lexington, Virginia. In the Frances Vrachos Gallery / Mary Stamas Gallery, Jess Dugan: Coupled features 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.
For information on Painted Tintypes, go to: https://www.mfa.org/exhibition/painted-tintypes-photography-for-the-people
For information on Sally Mann & Cy Twombly, go to: https://www.mfa.org/gallery/sally-mann-and-cy-twombly-remembered-light
For information on Jess T. Dugan, go to: https://www.mfa.org/exhibition/jess-t-dugan-coupled
Sally Mann, Untitled (Flamingo Profile), from the series Remembered Light, 2012. Gelatin silver print. © Sally Mann. Courtesy the artist and Gagosian.
Jess T. Dugan “Ingrid and Okolo” (detail), 2006-8. Photograph, dye diffusion print (Polaroid). Gift of the artist. ©Jess T. Dugan. Courtesy of MFA, Boston.
“Laceleaf, Japanese Maple” 2022, from the exhibit Still Lives: Plants of the Arnold Arboretum Close Up and Far Away, by Vaughn Sills, courtesy of the artist.
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 through June 25th, 2023.
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
“Villagers wearing a lion dance costume for two performers, Huozhuang Village, Henan Province” 2018, from the series Shehuo: Community Fire by Jhang Xiao, courtesy of the artist and Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology at Harvard University.
Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology at Harvard University – Photographer Zhang Xiao examines the effects of modernization on Chinese culture through the transformation of Shehuo: Community Fire, a traditional spring festival held in rural northern China that coincides with the New Year. Xiao, the 11th recipient of the Peabody Museum’s Robert Gardner Fellowship in Photography, documents the festivities and its commercialization in 2007, and then a decade later in 2017, with vivid and thought-provoking imagery. Accompanied by a book and additional programming, this English/ Chinese bilingual exhibit is on view through April 14th, 2024,
For more information about the exhibit and associated programming, go to: https://peabody.harvard.edu/shehuo-community-fire
2014. A group of boys climb a tree on the Xingu River by the city of Altamira, Brazil. Today, one third of the city has been permanently flooded by the nearby Belo Monte Dam displacing over 20,000 people while impacting numerous indigenous and riverine communities in the region. Aaron Vincent Elkaim/The Alexia Foundation.
Bridge Gallery – Eyes On The World features a selection of documentary photographs from around the globe that have been featured in ZEKE Magazine, presented in conjunction with the Social Documentary Network. LAST CHANCE! On view through May 6th, 2023, there will be a Closing Reception on Saturday, May 6th from 5:00 – 8:00pm.
For more information, go to: https://www.bridge.photos/
or https://www.zekemagazine.com/eyes-on-the-world
“Spring Tendrils” 2016 from the series and book Another Way of Looking at Love by Janelle Lynch, courtesy of the artist and Flowers Gallery, New York, NY and London, UK.
Photographic Resource Center (PRC) at Lesley University – In a long-awaited return to the VanDernoot Gallery on the Lesley University campus, the PRC is hosting Janelle Lynch’s acclaimed Another Way of Looking at Love. This contemplative series combines the stunning sensuality of an 8″x 10″ view camera with Lynch’s inspired vision that our shared “organic and spiritual essence” with the natural world confers an “elemental sameness that unites us and transcends our apparent differences.” On view through June 12th, 2023.
To read our review, go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/janelle-lynch-another-way-of-looking-at-love-exhibit-and-lecture-at-prc-boston-ma/
For more information, go to: https://www.prcboston.org/janelle-lynch-another-way-of-looking-at-love/
THE BURBS
Photograph by Alexa Cushing (Honorable Mention), courtesy of the artist and Griffin Museum of Photography.
Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester –The 29th Annual Juried Member’s Show juried by Lisa Volpe, photography curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston features work made during and in the wake of the pandemic in a themed exhibition called Under the Mask. Also on view, Rohina Hoffman’s Embrace and Jason Reblando’s Field Notes in the museum’s smaller galleries. On view through May 28th, 2023.
To read our interview with Lisa Volpe: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/curators-viewpoint-lisa-volpe-photgraphy-curator-museum-of-fine-arts-houston/
For more information and related programming: https://griffinmuseum.org
From the series Generation 1.75 by Rohina Hoffman, courtesy of the artist and Griffin Museum of Photography.
“National Geographic Bagobo Warriors” 2021, from the Field Notes series by Jason Reblando, courtesy of the artist and Griffin Museum of Photography.
Installation view, Our First and Last Love by Lyle Ashton Harris, photograph courtesy of the Rose Art Museum, Waltham.
Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University, Waltham – In his first solo show in New England in more than two decades, Lyle Ashton Harris’ Our First and Last Love presents both celebrated and lesser known bodies of work in photography and installation to critically probe ideas around self-portraiture. Ashton Harris broadly engages in political dialog while reveling in tenderness toward his own communities and personal struggles or sorrows. On view through July 2nd, 2023, and there will be a conversation between Harris and artist Renée Cox on Tuesday, May 9th at 7pm.
To read our review, go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/lyle-ashton-harris-our-first-and-last-love-at-rose-art-museum-at-brandeis-university/
For more information: https://www.brandeis.edu/rose/exhibitions/2023/lyle-ashton-harris.html
From the series Mythic Nature by Sally Chapman, courtesy of the artist.
The Concord Free Public Library, Concord – The library in Concord boasts a robust art exhibition program in a beautiful space. This month, Sally Chapman presents her layered cyanotypes from the series Mythic Nature on view through May 3oth 2023. An opening reception is planned for this Saturday, May 6th from 2 to 4pm and a hands-on workshop is scheduled for Saturday May 20th.
For more information: https://concordlibrary.org/news-events/exhibits
“Picking Corn” from the series Living Like Grass by Ellen Harasimowicz, courtesy of the artist.
Three Stones Gallery, Concord – Documentary photographer Ellen Harasimowicz’ sensitive narrative of the 350 year-old Willard Farm in Still River, MA examines its current residents and operation in the face of the demise of family farming in America. On view through June 18th, 2023, there will be an opening reception with the artist on Saturday, May 20th from 6:30 – 8:00pm.
For more information, go to: https://www.threestonesgallery.com/
“Mariam, Kfarkila, Lebanon” by Rania Matar, 2022, from the series Where Do I Go? courtesy of the artist, Robert Klein Gallery, Boston and the Fitchburg Art Museum.
Fitchburg Art Museum (FAM), Fitchburg – Rania Matar: Oceans at My Door celebrates the museum’s acquisition of Matar’s She portfolio. The exhibit includes 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 through August 3rd, 2023.
To read our review: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/rania-matar-oceans-at-my-door-at-fitchburg-art-museum-ma/
For more information: https://fitchburgartmuseum.org/rania-matar-oceans-at-my-door/
Cindy Sherman (US American, b. 1954), Untitled (Cosmo cover girl), 1990, chromogenic print, 17” x 11”. Gift of Judy Goldman, 2021.122
Also at FAM – In the Eye of the Beholder considers the ways in which photographers have used the “gendered gaze” across the early 20th and 21st centuries. The group exhibit highlights FAM favorites along with recent acquisitions—including work from Gertrude Kasebier, Cindy Sherman (above), and Yasumasa Morimura. On view through September 10th, 2023.
For more information: https://fitchburgartmuseum.org/moving-objectsstrongemin-the-eye-of-the-beholder-gender-through-the-camera-lens-em-strongmoving-objects/
“Late Noon Sun CScape” from The Dune Shacks of Provincetown (Schiffer Publishing, 2022) by Jane Paradise, courtesy of the artist, Alden Gallery, Provincetown and Galatea Fine Art, Boston.
Cape Cod Museum of Art, Dennis – Photographer Jane Paradise’s solo exhibition accompanies the recent publication of her meditative and inspiring The Dune Shacks of Provincetown (Schiffer Publishing, 2022). On view through July 30th, 2023, the show opens on Thursday, May 4th with Artist Talks at 4:00pm and at 4:30pm, followed by an Opening Reception from 5:00 – 6:30pm.
To read our book review, go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/book-review-sarah-malakoff-personal-history-and-jane-paradise-the-dune-shacks-of-provincetown/
For free, very limited tickets and/or more information, go to: https://www.ccmoa.org/events/opening-reception-gallery-talk-dune-shacks-of-provincetown-exhibition
The Mary Heaton Vorse House, Provincetown – The Provincetown Arts Society is hosting a Book Release and Photography Exhibit celebrating Jane Paradise’s The Dune Shacks of Provincetown (Schiffer Publishing, 2022). On view from May 9th – May 22nd, 2023, there will be a free public reception on Saturday, May 13th from 5:00 – 7:00pm.
Registration for the reception is required at: https://provincetownartssociety.org/provincetown-arts-society
From the series AI is the camera for what isn’t by John Huet, courtesy of the artist and the Workspace Gallery at Bob Korn Imaging.
Workspace Gallery at Bob Korn Imaging, Eastham – Photographer John Huet presents a series of images made utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in his solo exhibit, Photography is the Camera For What Is, AI is the Camera For What Isn’t, on view through June 7th, 2023.
For more information: https://bobkornimaging.com/john-huet-ai-is-the-camera-for-what-isnt/
ROAD TRIP!
Rhode Island
Claude Cahun, Untitled, from Aveux non Avenus (Disavowed Confessions), with Marcel Moore, 1930. Mary B. Jackson Fund, courtesy of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Providence.
RISD Museum, Providence – The Performative Self-Portrait considers the ways artists use self-portraiture to enact the self, question history, and articulate identity. Made between 1930 and the present, works in the exhibition range from new acquisitions to older works on view for the first time, on view May 13th – November 12th, 2023.
For more information, go to: https://risdmuseum.org/exhibitions-events/exhibitions/performative-self-portrait
Courtesy of the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, Providence, RI.
Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, Providence – The Ninth International Juried Exhibition features 71 photographs culled from over 1000 entries by independent curator Paula Tognarelli, former Executive Director of the Griffin Museum of Photography. In other words, a stellar collection. On through May 12th, 2023.
For information, go to: https://www.riphotocenter.org/9th-international-juried-exhibition/
Later in the month, the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, Providence presents Margaret LeJeaune’s Thirteen Hours to Fall in a solo show featuring photography and installation alongside a group exhibition, Landscapes, Great and Small: An update for the 21st Century with works by Richard Alan Cohen, Linda Megathlin, Lisa Redburn and Suzanne Révy. All shows open on May 18th with a reception from 5 to 8pm, and will be on view through June 9th, 2023.
For more information: https://www.riphotocenter.org
Connecticut
“J.P. Ball Studio, 1867 Douglass (Lessons of the Hour)” by Isaac Julien, 2019, framed archival pigment print mounted on aluminum. The Douglas Tracy Smith and Dorothy Potter Smith Fund. Courtesy of the artist, Victoria Miro, and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco and the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT.
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford – I Am Seen… Therefore, I Am features Isaac Julien’s immersive film exploring Frederick Douglas’ reflections on image making. The exhibit co-curated by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Sarah Elizabeth Lewis brings together rare nineteenth century Daguerrotypes to commemorate the African American photographers of Douglass’ day and to understand his relationship to Hartford and his legacy for social justice. On view from May 18th through September 24th, 2023. An opening reception and conversation with the artist is planned for Friday, May 19th at 5pm.
For more information and programming go to: https://www.thewadsworth.org/explore/upcoming-exhibitions/iamseen/
New Hampshire
“North Africa, Bizerte, Loading LST’s for Italy” by Margaret Bourke White, from the portfolio World War II, Army Service Forces, no, 7, 1944, gelatin silver print, Gift of Jane and Raphael Bernstein; 2020.46.1.7. © Getty Images, courtesy of the Hood Museum.
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
Maine
“Untitled (Two women walking on the beach with a dog, Somalia)” by Todd Webb. (American, 1905-2000), 1958. Archival pigment print. 20×20 inches (image). 22×22 inches (sheet). © Todd Webb Archive. L2020.85.81.
Portland Museum of Art, Portland – Commissioned by the United Nations Office of Information to document emerging industries, technology and life in nine African countries, photographer Todd Webb spent five months there in 1958 amassing nearly two-thousand negatives. It was a critical moment when independence and colonialism were intertwined, but the pictures were for the most part, never seen. Outside the Frame: Todd Webb in Africa considers the use of the colonial camera, agency, and the racial and economic privileges of the western world, then and now. What can we learn from the uncomfortable uses of photographic imaging in understanding history? On view through June 18th, 2023.
For information, go to: https://www.portlandmuseum.org/toddwebb
“Portrait of Lotte Lenya, 1930” by Lotte Jacobi, from the Steve and Judy Halpert Collection, courtesy of the Maine Museum of Photographic Arts, Portland, ME.
Maine Museum of Photographic Arts (MMPA), Portland – An assortment of stunning images from The Steve & Judy Halpert Collection has been curated by Jan Pieter vonVoorst vanBeest to reflect its focus on the human condition and also on Maine, home to the collectors. On view through June 10th, 2023. A conversation between collector Steve Halpert and curator Jan Pieter vonVoorst vanBeest is scheduled for Friday, May 12th, 2023.
For more information on the exhibit and associated programming, go to: https://www.mainemuseumofphotographicarts.org/halpertcollection
“Two Queens, One Blonde, One Brunette, COYOTE Hookers Masquerade Ball, CopaCabana, NY, NY, February 14, 1977” from the Nightlife NYC, 1977-2023 series by Meryl Meisler, courtesy of the artist and Clamp, NYC.
Zillman Art Museum at University of Maine, Bangor – Photographer Meryl Meisler rocks two solo shows, Nightlife NYC, 1977-2023 and ’70s Suburban Sensibilities, Friends & Family which share a sensational dramatic vibe. In contrasty B&W documentary photographs, Meisler celebrates both private and public exuberance. On view from May 19th – August 19th, 2023 (Suburban Sensibilities) and May 19th – September 2nd, 2023 (Nightlife NYC).
For information, go to: https://zam.umaine.edu/exhibitions/
Vermont
“Portage” by Vaune Trachtman, from the Roaming series, courtesy of the artist and the Vermont Center for Photography, Brattleboro, VT.
Vermont Center for Photography, Brattleboro – The Art of Handmade Photography juried by Dale Rio features the work of thirty-four photographers including Emily Belz, Sally Chapman, Beverley Conway, Tomiko Jones, Fruma Markowitz and Vaune Trachtman (above) among many others. On view from May 5th through July 2nd, 2023, there will be an Opening Reception on Friday, May 5th from 5:00 – 8:00pm.
For more information: https://vcphoto.org
Cathy Come “Garden Manuscript” from the series A Cappella Crack courtesy of the artist and Big Town Gallery, Rochester, Vermont.
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 through June 11th, 2023. An online artist and curator conversation between Cone and Sarah Freeman is planned for Thursday, May 11th at 7pm.
For more information: https://www.brattleboromuseum.org/2022/12/15/cathy-cone-uncommon-denominator/
To register for the online event: https://www.brattleboromuseum.org/2023/03/20/artist-curator-conversation-cathy-cone-and-sarah-freeman/
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