New England/New York/New Talent 2008 CALL FOR ENTRIES

SPRING 2008 GREETINGS FROM THE GALLERY DIRECTOR

Welcome to Hampden Gallery! A Northeast winter is unpredictable. Already in January, die-hard hopefuls look for signs of spring. (Is that spec of orange a crocus defying the odds?)

Looking. That’s what this New Year and new season is about at Hampden Gallery. Here’s a sampling of what kinds of looking are happening at Hampden Gallery this season.

Looking Outward, George Wardlaw’s exhibition of recent paintings is titled Windows. Drawing on years spent at the Maine coast, Wardlaw’s work displays a very quiet and tranquil atmosphere that echoes aspects of the vastness of the sea, the sky, and the intensity of shore light.

Looking Through:  Alicia Hunsicker is looking through the veils of perception to integrate and embody both the shadow and the light using self-reflective figurative work and autobiographical symbolic imagery in painting and sculpture.

Looking Back: Laura “Lola” Baltzell draws from the past to integrate personal recollections with historical ephemera to make vibrant, layered collage works that bring us squarely to the present.

Looking Inward: Deborah Garner looks Inward to create works that take us to new places. In her solo exhibition, Astral Journeys/ Inner Worlds, Garner refers to the astral realm-the layer of consciousness that dreams take place on. Dream imagery and symbols have long been a major focus of her creative work.

Looking for Coverage: Mo Ringey (aka Fridgequeen) harnesses the power of thirteen artists looking at the state of arts coverage. Ringey includes emerging artists seeking initial recognition, mid-career artists, as well as artists who are also gallery directors and consequently are in the business of seeking recognition for other artists who they exhibit. Collectively they ponder what Ringey calls ‘the black hole of arts coverage”.

Looking for Feedback: Ben Ostiguy facilitates a monthly critique group of ten Massachusetts artists.  Working in bronze, paint, found-objects, and mixed-media this group gathers to observe, comment on, and support each others work.

Looking for New Talent: Independent Curators David Gibson and Klaus Postler look for fresh new works as jurors in Hampden Gallery’s 5th biannual juried exhibition of new talent from the New England and New York regions. The call for entries will be released in February.

Please join us at Hampden Gallery this season and do some looking of your own!

HAMPDEN GALLERY

Hampden Gallery is one of two Fine Arts Center 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.