Fine Arts

The exhibition Illustrious at the Eclipse Mill Gallery through October 13 features the work of 14 artists: Barbara Armata, Susan Baker, Varujan Boghosian, Shepherd Fairey, Robert Henriquez, Astrid Hiemer, Bruce Koscielniak, Howard Cruse, Erika Marquardt, Melanie Mowinski, Marianne R. Petit, Robert Rendo, Thor Wickstrom. Ten of these artists live and work in Adams and North Adams. The project focuses on aspects of narrative in illustration, cartoons, children books, artist's books,and posters.

The Harvard Art Museums present their line-up of fall programs, including gallery talks about Perisan art, American landscape painting, British art, conservation, contemporary sculpture, ancient Greek mythology, and Italian Renaissance art. The In-Sight lecture series returns with evenings dedicated to Alfred Stieglitz, the recently acquired “Barberini Faun” sculpture, the Statue of Meleager, and Max Beckmann. The popular Stories series returns this October—dedicated to the epic—with separate sessions designed for family and adult audiences.

Sixteen Maine museums, historical organizations, and their supporters came together in an unprecedented collaboration to save an important collection of Maine artifacts, seventeen rare, 19th-century hand-painted banners commissioned by the Maine Charitable Mechanic Association. The banners were purchased for $125,350 and will be housed at the Maine Historical Society in Portland.

Picasso Looks at Degas is among the best exhibitions currently on view in American museums. It remains at the Clark Art Institute until September 12. This is its only American venue before it travels to Barcelona.

Black and white has never looked so self-sufficient, so complete, so influential or so lovely, in print after luscious large-scale print in a show sponsored by the nascent Richard Avedon Foundation, just beginning to carry out its mandate to present the artist's work, maintain an archive and support and inspire young photographers since his passing in 2005.

The Pittsfield based, Haitian born artist, Robert Henriquez, is exhibiting “Seven Loa of Vilokan” a series of digital prints in the summer long Galerie Haiti which is a part of the North Adams DownStreet project. The invitation to join a group exhibition evolved from the artist's participation in an MCLA Haitian Celebration during the spring semester. For 23 years before a move to the Berkshires he worked in global broadcasting for CBS.

There was a mob scene at Mass MoCA as fans awaited the arrival of Leonard Nimoy. The former Mr. Spock from Star Trek was having his first museum level exhibition. Many who volunteered to be photographed as their Secret Selves were on hand for the celebrity event. It was also the weekend of the annual Bang on the Can so MoCA was going gang busters.

This show of recent acquisitions from the last 6 years of collecting by the Museum of Fine Arts is full of small gems, and one big one. Does it hint of more substantial works to come in the East Wing this fall?

The main event is Wrapped: Search for the Essential Mummy. In an adjoining gallery is a thumbnail Nancy Graves: Journey to North Africa. The elegant and spacious Crane Gallery features a collaboration Joe Wheaton & Susan Rodgers: Spatial Relationships. The newly launched Wider Window Gallery features artist in residence Ven Vosiey’s Artifact .