New England/New York/New Talent 2008 Notification

SEPTEMBER 2008 GREETINGS FROM THE GALLERY DIRECTOR

Welcome to Hampden Gallery!

There's a palpable vibe in the air that echoes a hunger for change. On the global front it takes the form of summits on sustainability, on the national front we hear it in the stump speeches of our presidential candidates, on the local front we feel it in the weather patterns. In Hampden Gallery we see change based on the impact of time and how the artists work in the studio, over the years, changes on the paper, and the canvas, and in sculptural form.

This fall, we open the season with three New England artists who return to the University's Amherst campus to showcase dramatic changes in their works.

Seven years ago, I first encountered the works of artist, Petula Bloomfield, when I casually entered a gallery and found myself engulfed by floor to ceiling paintings of waxy, saturated all-over color on homemade-paper. There was no image, no text, just color that spoke its own language, loudly and clearly.

Four years ago, Hampden Gallery hosted Sean Greene's MFA Thesis exhibition of nuanced, subtle and hypnotic colorfield paintings - all composed of what appeared to be shades of an infinite range of yellows that infused the gallery with warmth and created a meditative atmosphere.

Three years ago, Stephen Foley had his first solo exhibition of sculptures that twist and writhe and take the viewer's eye traversing a serpentine course of inward grooves and outer projections. Foley's signature process at that time was his work's ability to, literally , glow in the dark.

The changes you will see in these artists work at Hampden Gallery this fall are as striking as they are rewarding.

Petula Bloomfield's color fields have changed to figuration - with color appearing in lines and ellipses, and in greens next to reds next to pinks next to ochres. There is no one field of color, rather there is a synchronization of exuberant color-saturated marks that resonates the vitality of being human.

Sean Greene's once subdued color fields have changed to compositions of bold, looped forms that link to script, graffiti, and glyphs and that suggest to the viewer that color can be read as language - and in the hands of Greene, perhaps it can be. Who knew these meandering bands of violet, pinks, orange, and reds could be traced back to the artist's fifteen-year-old-self skateboarding on the Brooklyn Bridge ?! The body retains memory -and from hand to canvas Greene's experience is transferred through his unique expertise with color.

In Stephen Foley's exhibition, this time around the lights are on, and now, the glow in the dark that wowed us in the past has changed to a mesmerizing, graphite-like surface treatment that appears simultaneously dark and illuminated. The mystery remains the same.

The works in all three exhibitions are masterful in dealing with formal concerns. To get a glimpse into the conceptual concerns of the artists, their own words - their artist statements- are posted on the calendar listings page.

To get the full experience, to be one-on-one with the original work, come in to Hampden Gallery, walk around, or pull up a chair if you prefer, stay 10 minutes or stay an hour. Admittance is free! If you are on campus come during your lunch break, or on your way home. If you are off-campus and can't make it during the week, come on Sunday between 2 and 5 p.m. If you'd like to meet the artists, come to the opening receptions. If you know someone who has never been to an art gallery bring them along. The change will be good!

Here's to looking, and to color, and to change!

See you in the galleries,
Anne LaPrade Seuthe

HAMPDEN GALLERY

Hampden Gallery is one of two Fine Arts Center Galleries located in Residential Areas at the University of Massachusetts Amherst .
(The other is Central Gallery) (http://www.umass.edu/fac/central)

Hampden Gallery has a reputation as a launching pad for emerging artists working in all disciplines. Its active programming schedule runs throughout the academic year and features solo, group, and thesis exhibitions which are enhanced through opening receptions, artist talks, and workshops.

Hampden Gallery, located in the heart of the Southwest Residential Area, sports 14-foot high ceilings and a 32-foot running wall of glass that looks out to the pedestrian thoroughfare of the most populated residential area on campus. This unique architectural feature allows students and visitors a 24-hour view into an ongoing roster of intriguing new works by up and coming artists.

The Hampden Gallery Lobby houses Hampden Gallery's Incubator Project Space - an intimately-scaled venue well suited to showing electronic media works and site specific installations. This venue brings new works even further into the public arena and underscores the laboratory aspects of the galleries.

HAMPDEN AND CENTRAL GALLERIES

CORE PROGRAM

Hampden and Central Galleries mission is to facilitate understanding and participation in the ongoing cultural dialogue through the presentation of visual art exhibitions and through the implementation of in-depth adjunct programming. The main focus of this programming is on new work by emerging artists in the fields of painting, sculpture, printmaking, mixed media, video and new media. Hampden and Central Galleries recognizes the importance of its viewing audience and is continually attracting new viewers to its audience base through vibrant programming which includes artists in residence events, lectures, slide presentations, life drawing, workshops, gallery talks and receptions.

Located in the nexus of two campus residential areas Hampden & Central Galleries often are students' first point of contact with the visual arts on campus. With this in mind, the galleries program an active roster of exhibitions throughout the academic year that reflect current practices in contemporary art across all genres in order to engage students, as well as the University and surrounding communities, with challenging and diverse contemporary visual art exhibitions that speak to issues being discussed in the arts community and throughout the larger culture.

LINKS TO Partners/Collaborators

http://www.transculturalexchange.org/
http://www.umass.edu/fac/central
http://www.umass.edu/fac/augusta/index.html

NEW DIRECTIONS

In addition to its ongoing exhibitions in the gallery spaces, Hampden and Central Galleries are also developing concept driven exhibitions which do not rely on the physical space of the gallery. More and more artists are recognizing the need to bring their work to new audiences by breaking through the notions of what "gallery" means. Through on going relationships with artists across the country and internationally Hampden and Central Gallery will be implementing exhibitions outside of its physical venue, thus keeping in step with contemporary practice while broadening the scope and reach of the Galleries' programming.

NEW PROGRAMS

GO! (Global Opportunities in the Visual Arts) based at the University of Massachusetts Amherst was founded in the Spring of 2007 by artists/curators Klaus Postler and Anne LaPrade Seuthe.

Together, they are intent on exploring what's possible in today's rambunctious global visual arts culture by working with artists, curators, and organizations to create a vital matrix which provides residencies and exhibition opportunities inside and outside the conventions of the white cube.

2007

GO!'s debut exhibition:
The American Dream/When Worlds Collide
Curated by Postler and LaPrade Seuthe
Takt Project Raum in Berlin , Germany , 28 July-11 August, 2007.

GO!'s second exhibition:
White Paper
Curated by Marcus Ahlers
University of Massachusetts Amherst in the Central Gallery
25 October to November to 20, 2007.

2008-2009

Deutschland on Parade: A Traveling Exhibition of Works on Paper
Curated by Postler and LaPrade Seuthe
International Artists Residency Exchange in Partnership with Transcultural Exchange Project and Augusta Savage Gallery

N.E.x.T .
New Exhibition Trends

A two part approach to providing opportunities to artists transitioning from student to career status. N.E.x.T also connects audiences with new exhibition practices and trends.

Part One:
A Curatorial Opportunities Program for UMASS students:

Students are afforded opportunities to curate exhibitions of fellow students work in Central Gallery. The program takes students through all facets of exhibition planning and implementation from development of concepts, to interacting with artists, to grant writing, through the process of publicizing the exhibitions, to installation and finally to project evaluation.

Part Two:
Solo and Group Thesis Exhibition for Undergraduate and Graduate Degree Candidates:

Hampden and Central Galleries also serve as an essential resource for MFA and BFA candidates who produce thesis exhibitions as part of their academic program requirements. Each spring semester, Hampden and Central Galleries set aside exhibition slots for MFA and BFA exhibitions. These exhibitions provide an essential service to the students and provide the campus community with unique opportunities to view fresh bodies of work in all disciplines.

T.E.A.C.H. ART EXHIBITION PROGRAM:
Teachers Exhibiting At Central and Hampden

Working with representatives from the UMASS Art Department and other institutions, Hampden and Central Galleries provides exhibition opportunities for Certified Massachusetts Art Teachers (K through 12) who in some cases are alumni and who may also be continuing their professional development at the University of Massachusetts, This program provides professional development opportunities to alumni artists and builds a bridge from the University to often underserved communities.