Five Years of Aspect Initiative

By Elin Spring

Some things cannot be Zoomed. Despite fervent and frequent endeavors throughout the pandemic lockdown, our sense of community has taken a serious beating. But recently, a lively and joyous opening reception for “Five Years of Aspect Initiative” at Danforth Art Museum in Framingham, MA has paved the way to restoring that kinship for New England photographers. Left in the event’s wake is an inspiring photographic conversation on the museum walls, co-curated by the online forum’s founder, fine art photographer Steven Duede and Jessica Roscio, Director & Curator of the Danforth Art Museum, and regular contributor to Aspect Initiative. Bringing these images into a shared physical space introduces a dialog that is spurring a new wave of community engagement, on view through June 5^th, 2022.

L to R: “Profile Dress, 2020” by Marky Kauffmann; “Microplastic Study, 2020” by Elizabeth Ellenwood; “Home Is Where” by exhibit co-curator Steven Duede, courtesy of the artists. Installation view by Elin Spring.

When Steven Duede founded Aspect Initiative in 2016, he kindled a dynamic online forum for New England photographers (along with a few remarkable artists from outside the region). Several times each year, Aspect highlights images by an individual photographer, accompanied by a brief curatorial commentary (a few of which I have written). Over the past five years, Aspect has created a platform for thirty-three image-makers whose diversity of subjects and methods exemplify the vivacity of New England’s photographic community.

Landscapes with hidden messages, L to R: “Sign 2, 2021” by Dineke Versluis; “37.266302-112.949485 (Angel’s Landing), 2019” by Nick Schietromo; “Concrete Pour, Tule Springs Fossil Beds, North Las Vegas, NV, 2021” by Scott Alberg, courtesy of the artists. Installation view by Elin Spring.

This exhibit has precipitated two fresh achievements for Aspect Initiative. First, it brings the work of each artist offline and onto the walls of the Danforth Art Museum, inviting us to physically interact and viscerally respond to the artwork. Yet another casualty of the pandemic, I relish this restored opportunity. Secondly, in many cases, newer work by each photographer is being exhibited, giving viewers an appreciation for the artistic progression from Aspect’s original online feature to their more recent work.

L to R: “Indian Spring” by Tira Khan; “Two Yellow Peonies, 2017” from the Botanica series by Mary Kocol (Gallery NAGA, Boston); “1492: La Niña, la Pinta y la Santa María”, 2022 by Claudia Ruiz-Gustafson. Installation view by Elin Spring.

One of my favorite things about the exhibit is the way it has brought thirty-three very different pieces of work into conversation. Visual threads and thematic dialogs are bantering all over the walls, affording a sense of depth and cohesion to the exhibit. The ebullient yellow sunbursts in Tira Khan’s “Indian Spring” are mirrored in Mary Kocol’s “Two Yellow Peonies” and sail across the curved back of Claudia Ruiz-Gustafson’s “1492: La Niña, la Pinta y la Santa María.” Interrelated themes of immigration, colonization and rebirth wind through the grouping.

Home Run, L to R: “Home, 2020” by Jean Schnell; “Heredity, 2021” from the Spin Club Tapestry series by Astrid Reischwitz (Gallery Kayafas, Boston); “The Eclipse, 2017” from the series Before the Trees by Molly Lamb (Rick Wester Fine Art, NYC); “Feed: Pewter Nursing Bottle, c. 1700’s France, from the Gartner Pediatric History Center, 2018-2021” by Lindsey Beal. Installation view by Elin Spring.

Themes of domesticity and nurturing echo along the wall featuring a home with fanciful overlaid drawings, hands with embroidery, a porcelain teacup’s floral design, and an archaic nursing bottle. Diptychs dominate another wall, unifying nature, abstraction and alternative processes in a mellifluous palette of earth and sky. Vivid shots of color spark interacting patterns in one assemblage, while others feature landscapes or portraits with visual and thematic harmonies.

Heaven & Earth, L to R: “Untitled Chemical Painting” from the series Infra Certum by Amy Theiss Giese; “Driftwood, 2019” by Gail Samuelson; “Here We Stand, 2017” Image transfer with encaustic on found wood by Jessica Burko; “Pond Light Enchantment, 2021” by Emily Belz (Gallery Kayafas, Boston); “Untitled, 2019” Tintype by Granville Carroll. Installation view by Elin Spring.

Color Pops, L to R: “Untitled from the series Raising Goosebumps, 2016″ by Cate Wnek; “Blackstone River Overlook, 2021” by Greg Jundanian; “No Artificial Flavors, 2020” by JP Terlizzi; “Untitled Snap, 2021” digital collage by Dana Smith, courtesy of the artists. Installation view by Elin Spring.

Coming of Age, L to R: “Leah at age 11 on her Primary 7 Prom Night” from the series In This Place, 2016-17, Scotland, by Margaret Mitchell; “Kayla, age 14, 2018” by Susan Lapides; “Raskull, 2018” from the series Lost & Found by Michael Joseph, courtesy of the artists. Installation view by Elin Spring.

In delightful and inventive ensembles, Steven Duede and Jessica Roscio have crafted a superb installation that lets each piece shine. Participating artists include Scott Alberg, Liz Albert, Lindsey Beal, Emily Belz, Jessica Burko, Granville Carroll, Marie Craig, Steven Duede, Yorgos Efthymiadis, Elizabeth Ellenwood, Bill Franson, Amy Giese, Claudia Ruiz-Gustafson, Michael Joseph, Greg Jundanian, Tira Khan, Marky Kauffmann, Mary Kocol, Molly Lamb, Susan Lapides, Alyssa Minahan, Margaret Mitchell, Camillo Ramirez, Astrid Reischwitz, Suzanne Révy, Gail Samuelson, Nick Schietromo, Jean Schnell, Dana Smith, Sean Sullivan, JP Terlizzi, Remi Thornton, Dineke Versluis, and Cate Wnek.

Lissome Landscapes, L to R: “Concord River at October Farm, 2021” by Suzanne Révy; “After the Fire, 2019” Cyanotype on linen over stretched canvas by Marie Craig (Fountain Street Gallery, Boston). Installation view by Elin Spring.

For more information about the exhibit, go to: https://danforth.framingham.edu/exhibition/5-years-of-aspect-initiative/

To explore Aspect Initiative, go to: https://www.aspectinitiative.com/about

Feature Image: “Microplastic Study” 2020 by Elizabeth Ellenwood, courtesy of the artist.