FROM THE PRINT EDITION
Artists Add Art to Mall
In another example of how Vermonters think beyond the white cube when displaying art, the Berlin Mall presents “Big Art-Bold Vision”, which places work by 16 Vermont fine artists in the mall’s large windows, to create “an arresting indoor/outdoor art gallery experience” to shoppers and visitors. The show, which has been up since July 8, closes on November 1, 2016.
This article originally appeared in Vermont Art Guide #2. To get more news about art in Vermont, purchase Vermont Art Guide #2 or subscribe.
Janet Van Fleet, the exhibit’s curator and one of the founders of Studio Place Arts in Barre, said, “The big idea of using the mall’s sizable windows to exhibit great art was a challenge I couldn’t resist.” In her curator’s statement, Van Fleet said, “Although most of the works are oil or acrylic paintings, there are also two pastels, a collage, and a cotton fabric quilt. I believe diversity of approach is good, and provides something for everybody. The works were photographed at high resolution, printed on a material called Lightbox Vinyl, then placed on the outside of the windows with an adhesive. The material allows you to see the images both inside and outside. It’s really quite magical!…I arranged the work for each of the window segments in what I call ‘conversational groupings’, meaning that each piece is relating in some way to the piece(s) near it.”
For one of the groupings, Van Fleet placed Wendy James’ painting, Underpass, the inside of a car from the point of view of the driver, next to Frank Woods’ road up to the Barn at the Top of Hill Street. “These pieces can transport you to new places, on journeys of discovery,” said Van Fleet. Near the tall windows by JC Penney, Van Fleet grouped pieces playfully to riff on Vermont’s color, green, and the forms of lines, in different combinations and materials. On either side of the main entrance, the placement of Jane Shoup’s Waterfall on one side and David Smith’s Poplars on the other create a diagonal that welcomes visitors indoors from the outdoors.
Participating artists are Rosalind Daniels, Anna Dibble, Janet Fredericks, Jessa Gilbert, Steven P. Goodman, Wendy James, Mark Lorah, Mickey Myers, Maggie Neale, Elizabeth Nelson, Adelaide Murphy Tyrol, Arthur Schaller, Jayne Shoup, David Smith, Kathy Stark, and Frank Woods.
This article originally appeared in Vermont Art Guide #2. To get more news about art in Vermont, purchase Vermont Art Guide #2 or subscribe.