By Elin Spring and Suzanne Révy
The world seems adrift. It’s getting cold. It’s getting darker. Elections are less than a week away. But don’t dismay, there’s lots to see and do. Whether we are seeking serenity, craving community, need a compass or a beacon of light, art works. Here are our November 2018 Best Photo Picks for metro Boston and beyond, featuring exhibits and events that may soothe or enrage, but will surely engage you in the month ahead.
SOWA ARTS DISTRICT
AREA Gallery – Curator Greer Muldowney asks, “Has your perception in the current political climate been altered regarding your fellow Americans?” In work at once political and personal, artists Chase Barnes, Candice Jackson, Silvi Naci and Brian Ulrich “explore identities that are under scrutiny, under privileged or under attack in the United States.” On view through December 2nd, 2018, there will be an Opening Reception TONIGHT, November 1st, 2018 from 7:00 – 9:00pm. For directions and information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/2701810430044438/
BOSTON PROPER
“Vondelpark, Amsterdam, June 19, 2005” © Rineke Dijkstra (courtesy of the artist and Marion Goodman Gallery).
MFA, Boston – Just opened in the Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art, three single-artist galleries featuring Dutch photographer Rineke Dijkstra, American photographer Nan Goldin and American textile artist Sheila Hicks. What relationships do they have with one another, if any? You’ll have to go see! On view through January 21st, 2019. For more information, go to: https://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/rineke-dijkstra-nan-goldin-sheila-hicks
“When the Day Breaks from Night, 2010” by Vaughn Sills (courtesy of the artist).
Trustman Gallery, Simmons College – Vaughn Sills conjures both memory and poetry in True Poems Flee, her photographic memoir created on Prince Edward Island, on view through November 9th, 2018. To read our review, go to: https://whatwillyouremember.com/vaughn-sills-true-poems-flee-at-trustman-gallery-simmons-university-boston/ For information, go to: http://www2.simmons.edu/trustman/?_ga=2.66254125.245146159.1538589215-1608753303.1538589215
If I Ruled the World from Hopes and Dreams: Gestures of Demonstration, 2006–07, pigment ink print, 38 x 27 in.
© Carrie Mae Weems/Courtesy of Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
McMullen Gallery of Art, Boston College – Carrie Mae Weems: Strategies of Engagement examines this eminent American artist’s diverse and innovative career through both celebrated and rarely exhibited projects made during the last thirty years. Through photography, video and installation, Weems stuns, stings, saddens and satirizes as only she can, delivering her ingenious “strategies of engagement” like swift punches, waking us to a fuller comprehension of the American experience. Strategies of Engagement will be on view through December 13th, 2018. For more information, go to: https://www.bc.edu/sites/artmuseum/exhibitions/weems/
“Sunflower, 2018” Tri-color gum bichromate print by Diana H. Bloomfield (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).
Panopticon Gallery (Kenmore Square) – What are memories made of? Diana H. Bloomfield recalls her grandparents’ Southern garden in the sensual, muted hues of her tri-color gum bichromate prints while Sal Taylor Kydd’s richly tonal platinum-palladium prints focus on moments stolen out of time in Maine (Feature Image) in the the exhibit Recollections, on view from November 3rd through January 2nd, 2019, with a Cocktail Reception and Artist Talks on Thursday, November 8th, 2018 from 6:00 – 8:00pm. For information, go to: https://www.panopticongallery.com/recollections/
“Scanno 52 (La Gente del Sud), 1959” by Mario Giacomelli (courtesy fo Robert Klein Gallery, Boston).
Robert Klein Gallery – Inspired by the grim Neo-realist cinematography of Vittorio DeSica and Roberto Rossellini, freelance photographer Mario Giacomelli (1925 – 2000) roamed the Italian countryside after World War II and captured post-war conditions. Over nearly three decades, he produced many memorable series including Paesaggio (Landscapes), La Gente del Sud (People of the South), Pretini(Little Priests) and La Buona Terra (The Good Earth). The gallery will be featuring Giacomelli’s work and hosting an Opening Reception on Saturday, November 3rd, 2018 from 2:00 – 5:00pm. For information, go to: https://www.robertkleingallery.com/
Photograph © Ron St. Jean, courtesy of the artist and Griffin Museum of Photography.
Griffin Museum at Lafayette City Center (Downtown Crossing) – Last few weeks to catch Quién? Qué? Dónde?, featuring 70 photographers who explore identity in the expansive, expressive portrait exhibit curated by Griffin Museum Executive Director Paula Tognarelli. On view through November 17th, 2018. There will be a Closing Reception with some of the artists on Saturday, November 17th, 2018 from 4:00 – 6:00pm. For more information, go to: https://griffinmuseum.org/show/quien-que-donde/
CAMBRIDGE & SOMERVILLE
“Oakland, CA, 1972” silver gelatin print by Joanne Leonard (courtesy of the artist and Harvard Art Museums).
Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts at Harvard University – Time Is Now: Photography and Social Change in James Baldwin’s America presents the work of leading American social documentary photographers who echo the themes and issues addressed by the prolific African American novelist, playwright, poet, and essayist James Baldwin (1924–1987). Drawn from the University’s archives by Curator Makeda Best, work made during one of our nation’s most transformative cultural moments by artists like Roy DeCarava, Dawoud Bey, Robert Frank, Diane Arbus and Joanne Leonard (see above), reflect on Baldwin’s writings regarding the history of racism and the role of race in American history and life, personal transformation and social change, family, sexuality, music, religion, violence, and the function of the artist in society. The exhibit will be on view through December 30th, 2018. For more information, go to: https://carpenter.center/program/time-is-now-photography-and-social-change-in-james-baldwin-s-america
University Hall, Lesley University – Oliver Wasow will be discussing his celebrated new book Friends, Enemies and Strangers, with an introduction by his publisher, Mark Alice Durant of St. Lucy Books. Afterward, a book signing! Co-sponsored by Lesley University, Griffin Museum and PRC, get all the details at: https://www.facebook.com/events/223817207958982
Harvard Book Store – Bostonian photographer Jess Dugan will be in town with co-author sociologist Vanessa Fabbre for a book signing of their moving and historic To Survive On This Shore, a photographic and story-filled chronicle of older transgender people across America. Join them on Tuesday, November 13th, 2018 from 7:00 – 8:15pm. For more information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/690989741268288/
The Curated Fridge Autumn 2018 Show, curated By Kat Kiernan.
The Curated Fridge (Somerville) – Our own Kat Kiernan juried The Curated Fridge Autumn 2018 Show. Join her and some of the selected artists at the Opening Party on Saturday, November 3rd, 2018 from 3:00 – 6:00pm. For directions and info, go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/317039975783197/
BEYOND BOSTON
“Woman with Scarf at Inspiration Point, Yosemite National Park” 1980 by Roger Minick, vintage dye coupler print, courtesy of the Addison Gallery of American Art.
Addison Gallery of American Art (Andover, MA) – If you love photography, don’t miss the four shows featuring a fabulous selection of images, from historic to contemporary and landscapes to portraiture! To read our review of Contemplating the View: American Landscape Photographs and From Starfield to MARS: Paul Manship and His Artistic Legacy, go to: https://whatwillyouremember.com/contemplating-the-view-at-the-addison-gallery-of-american-art/
To read our review of The Body: Concealing and Revealing, to to: https://whatwillyouremember.com/the-body-concealing-and-revealing-at-addison-gallery-of-american-art-andover-ma/
And to meet the talented curator behind these exhibits, read our interview with Allison Kemmerer: https://whatwillyouremember.com/curators-viewpoint-allison-kemmerer/
For more information on all of the Addison Gallery exhibits, go to: https://addison.andover.edu/Exhibitions/Pages/exhibitions.aspx
Kenzi and Hootie, Anoka County Fair, Minnesota, 2016. From the project, “The Unchosen Ones” ©R. J. Kern, courtesy of Burnet Fine Art & Advisory, MN and Klompching Gallery, NY.
Griffin Museum of Photography (Winchester, MA) – If you are captivated by animals and children, there are three wonderful interrelated solo exhibits at the Griffin through December 2nd, 2018: R. J. Kern’s dual show featuring The Unchosen Ones and Out To Pasture; Kate Breakey’s Las Sombras/ The Shadows; and Traer Scott’s Natural History. To read our review of Kern’s exhibit, go to: https://whatwillyouremember.com/rj-kern-the-unchosen-ones-out-to-pasture-griffin-museum-ma/
To read our review of Breakey’s and Scott’s shows, go to: https://whatwillyouremember.com/kate-breakey-las-sombras-traer-scott-natural-history-at-the-griffin-museum-of-photography/
For hours, directions and more information about all of the Griffin Museum shows, go to: https://griffinmuseum.org/exhibitions/
Larry Fink, “First Communion, Bronx, NY, 1961”, from the series “Making Out 1957-1980,” silver gelatin print, 54/75, 15 1/8 x 19 1/4 inches, Gift of Stephen L. Singer and Linda G. Singer, © Larry Fink.
deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum (Lincoln, MA) – Drawn from deCordova’s permanent collection, Larry Fink: Primal Empathy, focuses on the central role of empathy in Fink’s work. Whether photographing members of elite society or rural farmers, empathy fuels his curiosity about our shared humanity and shapes his decisions for lighting, framing, and positioning his subjects. Organized by Sarah Montross, Associate Curator, with Scout Hutchinson, Curatorial Assistant, the exhibit will be on view from October 19th, 2018 to March 10th, 2019. For information, go to: https://decordova.org/art/exhibition/larry-fink-primal-empathy
“Ouroboros #3” ©Jim Nickelson, courtesy of the artist and NESOP.
Garner Center at NESOP (Waltham, MA) – Photographer and Renaissance man Jim Nickelson’s solo exhibit Harmony of the Spheres investigates “the way we as a species grapple with the unknown and our relationship to the Universe, particularly as those inquiries delve into the realms of science and the cosmos.” On view through December 7th, 2018, there will be an Opening Reception with the artist on Tuesday November 6th, 2018 from 6:00 – 7:30pm. For more information, go to: https://www.nesop.edu/events/the-garner-center/harmony-of-the-spheres/
WORTH A ROAD TRIP
Photograph by Annu Palakunnathu Matthew in the group exhibit Moved To Act! (Courtesy of the artist).
Davis Orton Gallery (Hudson, N.Y.) – Bostonian photographers and activists Ellen Feldman and Marky Kauffmann have curated a timely and inspirational group show Moved To Act!, “an exhibition of photographs by outstanding artists across the US that serves as an important statement of our determination and power to fight for justice for ourselves, and all people, in all our differences.” Bringing together photographs from the Women’s March, January 21, 2017, and other recent events in the United States, including Black Lives Matter, Standing Rock Movement and March for Our Lives, the exhibit will be on view through November 25th, 2018. For hours, directions and more information, go to: http://davisortongallery.com/
Danny Lyon solo retrospective in Bell Gallery at Brown University, Providence.
David Winton Bell Gallery, Brown University (Providence, R.I.) – Drawn from the David Winton Bell Gallery collection, Danny Lyon’s solo retrospective exhibit, The Only ThingI Saw Worth Leaving presents photographs from four of Lyon’s most significant series—Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement (1962–1964), The Bikeriders (1963–1966), The Destruction of Lower Manhattan (1966–1967), and Conversations with the Dead (1967–1968)—supplemented by films. Disparate though their subjects are, the photographs engage in dialogue with each other across time, space, and circumstances. On view through December 19th, 2018, for more information, go to: https://www.brown.edu/campus-life/arts/bell-gallery/exhibitions/danny-lyon-only-thing-i-saw-worth-leaving
From the “One Gun Gone” juried group show at RICPA in Providence, R.I.
Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts (RICPA, Providence, R.I.) – One Gun Gone: Thoughts and Prayers are Not Enough is a juried international photography exhibition addressing gun violence in America. Assembled from a national call for entries by juror Boris Bally, the exhibition will be on view through Friday, November 9th, 2018. For more information, go to: https://www.riphotocenter.org/one-gun-gone-thoughts-and-prayers-are-not-enough/
Feature Image: “Mac and the Schooner, 2017” platinum-palladium print by Sal Taylor Kydd (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).
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