Elevating Newbury Street

By Elin Spring, Editor and Suzanne Révy, Associate Editor

“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.”  – Socrates

We struck out on Newbury Street in Boston last weekend and took in three very different photography exhibits: American Structures, a small group exhibit at Robert Klein Gallery; Elevated, the first national photography competition in seven years hosted by the Copley Society of Art, juried by Robert Klein; and Dunites, a multi-media solo show by Lana Z. Caplan at Gallery NAGA. Here are our brief impressions of each exhibit, all of which are on view at least through September, 2018.

Installation view of American Structures at Robert Klein Gallery, with images by Stefanie Klavens in the foreground, John Woolf (B&W) and Jeff Brouws to the far right (photo by Elin Spring).

“American Structures” at Robert Klein Gallery features work by Magda Biernat, Jeff Brouws, Jim Dow, Karen Halverson, Henry Horenstein, Stefanie Klavens and John Woolf, each exploring quintessentially American landscapes. From Klavens’ nostalgic motels and theatres, John Woolf’s shuttered “Boston Opera House” and Jeff Brouws’ vibrant typology of “Freshly Painted Houses” (above) to Magda Biernat’s unlikely homesteads (below) or views from American highways seen with poignancy by Jim Dow (below) and irony by Karen Halverson (feature image), this excellent selection celebrates both the fantastical and mundane. American Structures will be on view through October 28th, 2018.  For more information, go to: https://www.robertkleingallery.com/

Installation view of “Fisherman’s Castle, Irish Bayou, Louisiana, 2013 and “Concrete Tipi, Palo DuroDrive, Texas, 2013” by Magda Biernat, courtesy of the artist and Robert Klein Gallery, Boston (photo by Elin Spring).

Installation view of L to R: “Sign for Gas Station, Henry Hines Blvd, US 77, Dallas, Texas, 1979”, “Zak’s Trip Lounge, US 80, Bossier City, Louisiana, 1977” and “Marilyn Motel on the Miracle Mile, Route 77, Tucson, Arizona, 1980” by Jim Dow, courtesy of the artist and Robert Klein Gallery, Boston (photo by Elin Spring).

Entrance to the Copley Society of Art’s Elevated exhibit (photo by Elin Spring).

Copley Society of  Art (CoSo) is hosting “Elevated”, its first national photography group exhibit since 2011, featuring thirty photographs by both CoSo members and non-members. Juried by Robert Klein, this open-themed show is a bit uneven, ranging from First Prize-winner Michael Sterling’s elegantly dilapidated “Period Piece” (above), SecondPrize-winner Doug Adams’ vibrant, high-impact “Tribal Expression” and Juror’s Choice-winner Sally Bousquet’s ethereal, B&W “Deep End” (below) to some more obviously amateur efforts.  It’s worth a look, though, especially considering that Suzanne Révy has two of the outstanding pieces in the show (below). Elevated will be on view through October 3rd, 2018.  For more information, go to: http://www.copleysociety.org/exhibition/elevated

Installation view of 2nd Prize-winner “Tribal Expression” by Doug Adams (far left) and Juror’s Choice-winner “Deep End” by Sally Bousquet (far right), courtesy of the artists and Copley Society of Art (photo by Elin Spring).

Installation view of Suzanne Révy’s “Galaxy in the Bedroom” flanked on the left by Sally Bousquet’s “Setting Sail” (top) and Tony Schwartz’s “L’Embrace” (bottom) and on the right by Andrea Kemler’s “Up For Breath” (top) and Paul Murray’s “Trail’s End”, courtesy of the artists and Copley Society of Art (photo by Elin Spring).

Installation view of photographs from the solo show Dunites by Lana Z. Caplan, courtesy of the artist and Gallery NAGA, Boston (photo by Suzanne Révy).

Gallery NAGA presents an immersive installation called “Dunites” by Lana Z. Caplan, a California based artist/activist whose exploration of the Guadaloupe-Nipomo Dunes in mid-coast California addresses the conflicts between environmental preservation and recreation on public lands. These dunes claim a storied past: iconized in photographs by Edward Weston and Ansel Adams, home to a colony of artists and poets during the Depression, the movie set for Cecil B. DeMille’s epic “Ten Commandments,” and the ancestral land of the Chumash Indians. Through video, virtual reality, sculpture and striking photographs, Caplan gives voice to a clash of wills between the new Dunites who careen across this endangered landscape on ATV’s and the downwind communities who suffer adverse health effects from the airborne sand they kick up. Caplan deftly creates an environment that emphasizes the cultural rifts that have been laid bare in Trump’s America, but she does so without demeaning or denigrating either side. On view through September 29th, 2018, for more information, go to: http://www.gallerynaga.com/exhibition/current/

Installation view of photographs and projected text (click to enlarge) in Dunites solo show by Lana Z. Caplan, courtesy of the artist and Gallery NAGA (photo by Suzanne Révy).

Installation view of projected video of ATV riders in Dunites solo show by Lana Z. Caplan, courtesy of the artist and Gallery NAGA, Boston (photo by Suzanne Révy).

Feature Image: Installation view of L to R: “Marfa, Texas (Untitled 9608), 2017”, “Marfa, Texas (Untitled 9779), 2017” and “Marfa, Texas (Untitled 9967), 2017” by Karen Halverson and “Off Route 66, East of Tulsa, Oklahoma, 2018” (B&W) by Henry Horenstein in American Structures at Robert Klein Gallery, Newbury Street, Boston (photo by Elin Spring).