A really BIG show on tap in Fitchburg
You may feel a bit blue with this week’s fall arrival. But colorful new shows opening this weekend in Fitchburg and Lowell will brighten your outlook and put a lilt in your step — even if you have to don your jacket when you head out to see them.
Fitchburg Art Museum goes big — as in monumentally large — this fall with its first new exhibition since the pandemic hit last March.
“The BIG Picture: Giant Photographs and Powerful Portfolios,” on view Sept. 26-June 6, 2021, is a twopart exhibition that highlights recent photography acquisitions at FAM.
The “Giant Photographs” section features large-scale prints — some measuring over 6-feet-by8-feet — by 20 individual artists.
And the “Powerful Portfolios” part highlights groups of multiple related photos by Andre Kertesz, Steve Locke, Kenji Nakahashi, Ruben Natal-San Miguel and Barbara Norfleet.
“Giant Photographs” explores the tendency of contemporary photographers
to exploit new digital technologies to create extremely large, high-quality prints. Because of their size, these images engage not only with the history of photography but also the history of painting, advertising and cinema.
The exhibition also explores how giant photos change our physical relationship to images as they tower over and envelop us.
Assistant Curator Marjorie Rawls notes: “It’s an immersive experience that centers the viewer as an active participant in the culture of images, making us more aware of their role in our daily lives.”
More than 20 photographers from across the globe are featured in the show.
The “Powerful Portfolios” section considers the potential of sets of multiple images to create narrative, deliver meaning and stir emotion.
They range from haunting, nostalgic black-andwhite images to quirky and colorful street works to pictures depicting historical trauma and violence to quiet home-interior shots.
FAM now holds more than 2,000 photos from the 19th-21st centuries in its collection, and the exhibit is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate that.
Hours are WednesdayFriday, from noon to 4 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and noon to 7 p.m., on the first Thursday of the month. Call 978-345-4207 or visit
www. fitchburgartmuseum.org.
Meanwhile, in Lowell, the Brush Art Gallery’s studio artists present their 38th annual group show, entitled “Chroma.” On view through Nov. 1, the nine artists have brightened things up by creating a variety of exciting works that express perceptions and relationships of tone and hue as elements of color.
It promises to be an uplifting treat for the eyes and soul this fall.
Featured artists, their media and towns include Penelope Cox, handmade jewelry, Lowell; Jenny Day, quilter, Billerica; Lolita Demers, ceramics and mixed media, Methuen; Claire Gagnon, painter, Dracut; Chrissy Theo Hungate, sculptor/painter, Lowell; Paul Richardson, photographer, Lowell; Raksha Soni, painter, Burl
ington; Chummeng Soun, p a i n t e r / p h o t o g ra p h e r, Lowell; and Will Winslow, designer/illustrator, Lowell.
A reception is set for Saturday, Sept. 26, from 2 to 4 p.m., and an artists’ gallery talk is on Sunday, Oct. 18, from 1 to 3 p.m. Gallery hours are TuesdaySaturday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m. Call 978459-7819 or visit www.thebrush.org.
Gallery Notes
SCULPTURAL ART: Sculpture’s the name of the game this fall, it seems, with dramatic showcases of 3-dimensional art on view around the region. More info has come in on “Elements 2020,” on view through Nov. 1 at the Arts League of Lowell’s ALL Gallery, 307 Market St.
The title refers to the
Tao principle of the essential properties of life — wood, earth, water, fire and metal. And the sculptural works in the exhibit are formed of and reflect these elements. Juror Joyce Audy Zarins, an internationally known sculptor and member of the New England Sculptors Association, selected 22 works by 16 artists. Created in ceramics, welded metal, wood constructions, papier mache, mixed media and carved stone, they tell stories of loss, resilience, concern and rebirth,
all apropos of these times. The gallery is open Wednesday-Sunday, 1- 4 p.m.
All visitors must wear masks, and entry to the galleries is limited to avoid crowding. For info, visit www. arts leagueo flowell.org.
FEELING THEIR METAL: More sculpture inhabits “METAL-ITY,” a dynamic open-air exhibition that opened recently and is on view for over a year through Oct. 1, 2021, on the grounds of ArtSpace Maynard, 63 Summer St., Maynard. Organized by ArtSpace Executive Director Jerry Beck (founde and former director of the onetime Lowell-based Revolving Museum), it features more than 100 works of art from across New England, interplaying art and nature and offering opportunities for learning and community celebration. More than two dozen artists are sharing their work, including three abstracts from Patrick Pierce, formerly of Lowell and now based in Saco, Maine. Curated mostly by word of mouth, Beck traveled through the region, engaging with well-established sculptors, self-taught art
ists and high-school welding students.
Beck even invited his neighbors to contribute to the inclusive, eclectic showcase that transforms the campus into a playful experience for the public. Visit www.artspacemaynard.com for details.
TAKE A RAMBLE: “Water Change: Where Spirit, Nature and Civilization Meet” is yet a third sculptural exhibition on display through Nov. 8 in the Hapgood Wright Town Forest in Concord. Presented by the Umbrella Arts & Environment Program and
curated by Susan Israel, it explores three themes — spirit, nature and built form in connection to place and climate. Fifteen artists share their work in the outdoor installations that range from iron sculpture to wooden benches to glass ducks.
Poet Joanne DeSimone Reynolds wrote original poems inspired by each installation. Visit www. The U mb rellaArts.org/Ramble for info.