CAC Shows at Gallery 51 on Main Street.
Works by Residents of the Contemporary Artists Center in North Adams
By: Jane Hudson - Oct 29, 2006
While not seeing all the shows this year at the Contemporary Artists Center, which has space in the Beaver Mill in North Adams, I covered most of the exhibitions over the summer, and met a number of the Resident artists. Having been a teacher of young artists for a long time (at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston), I have a special fondness for the energy, passion and experimental courage that many of these artists display. They push all kinds of buttons, asking the viewer to withhold judgment and engage with either the process or position that the work embodies.
Often the challenge comes in the form of unorthodox objects or materials and sometimes it's in the politics which are often strident and uncompromising. These strategies can strip the work of its materiality, or its history-as-art, dropping the viewer into direct confrontation with the grittiest kind of reality.
But, in the end, one cannot doubt the commitment to thoughtful expression where the seeds of careers are planted and the fresh face of a new generation of artists makes a stand. Such has been the function and composition of the CAC under the direction of Heather Phillips with the support of its Board of Trustees and Eric Rudd, the Beaver Mill owner, who founded CAC.
For a variety of reasons, the next phase of the CAC is under review. There are plans to renovate and reorganize the space, which may have an effect on the composition of the Resident Program for next year. It is anticipated that the vitality of the Center and its gaggle of young practitioners will continue to grace the artist community in North Adams, as it has been a significant magnet drawing artists to the area.
The exhibition at Gallery 51 comprises the work of thirty artists who have been part of the CAC over the past year. Bringing the work to Main Street effects the visibility of the program and its artists. Whereas the Beaver Mill is a little out of the way, up on Rt. 8 heading to Clarksburg and Vermont, Gallery 51 is central, allowing visitors easy access to the works.As quoted in the North AdamsTranscript, Phillips remarked, "It's nice to see new people. I think having a gallery space in the downtown, we were able to draw more people than we would at our outpost on Beaver Street," she said. "It's really nice to have a space on Main Street, connecting the artists, the college, Mass MoCA and the community."
For more information, call (413)-662-5543.