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Eclipse Mill Gallery Invitational

Gearing up for North Adams Open Studios

By: - Oct 04, 2006

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    For the current exhibition of the Eclipse Mill Gallery in North Adams "4x4 Artists Inviting Artists" four residents of the Eclipse loft studio building- Linda Mieko Allen, Lisa Nilsson, Margaret Smithglass and Diane Sullivan- invited four artist friends- Claire Beaulieu of Montreal, local artist Laura Christensen, and two artists from Vermont, Sarah Amos and Mary Therese Wright. The gallery will be featured during the festive Open Studios events of October 14-15, , and remain on view through October 29.

          The Eclipse Mill is brilliantly located  at 243 Union Street, as one slams off the Mohawk Trail and runs a gauntlet of mills swooshing into North Adams, the Berkshires, Mass MoCA, and straight on through to Williamstown. Back in the day the area was known for its busy mills and manufacturing. The sprawling former Sprague Electric, locals often talk of putting in a lifetime working there, has been reconfigured as the enormous Mass Museum of Contemporary Art. More or less, with some bumps in the road with local pols, hard scrabble North Adams is being transformed into a major center for creating and displaying contemporary art. Nobody says it's easy and a handful of artists have worked their butts off to cobble together a wonderful Open Studios event which for the very first time is trying to unify and present a vast array of creative resources.

             In addition to the Eclipse Mill Gallery and artists showing in their studios, the building also includes several gallery and retail outlets such as Brill Gallery, the pottery studio and store of Phil and Gail Sellers, the book store of Grover Askins, and antiques dealer, Jeff Hudson on the second floor. The organizers have reached out to other participants: Mass MoCA, Windsor Mill Studios, Kolok Gallery, Beaver Mill Studios, the Eagle Street Venues, Widgitz, Gallery 51, Main Street Venue 67, Maine Street Venue 107 and much more. There should be tons of activity and fun for the whole family. Hopefully leaf peepers barreling through the mill canyon will pull in for a look see and  share a mug of cider.

           The "4x4" exhibition is an appropriate center piece for the Open Studio event. It provides an in depth view of four of the mill artists and also widens the scope by pulling in outside artists, near and far. Despite having eight participants for whom the only obvious element is gender there is a common concern with craft and elegant fabrication. All of the works are meticulous and labor intensive. There is a lot of concern for intimacy and detail as well as a feminine sensibility.

             Lisa Nilsson, for example, creates intense, small scale, grids of boxes over which are a skin of plexi allowing the work to be presented as a relief sculpture. Into the individual small grid of containers she places a disparity of objects. Often she asks neighbors to collect and place near her door things like dead bugs. So there is a resultant shamanistic aspect to the work. She invited Laura Christensen who works in a similar manner crafting small assembled pieces with wood that contain elements such as vintage found photographs and objects that evoke the feeling of relics. It makes us wonder about the life and identity of these depicted individuals.

         Potter and ceramic artist, Diane Sullivan, who runs the gallery program for the Eclipse Mill, is showing four, small scale, nude women with iconic elements. During a visit to the gallery she explained that they are "All me" which is both amusing and alarming given their symbolism. One has a monkey on its back, one involves snakes and yet another is a reference to a Saint.  Humorously she quipped that they all express her concerns about finances. Funny how the issues of day to day life work their way into the art. She chose the painter and printmaker Mary Therese Wright stating that "I love the way that she handles and layers color in the work."

              The day of my visit the artist Linda Mieko Allen happened to be gallery sitting so I engaged in a dialogue about her work which is quite complex in its execution. I wanted to know how long it took to create the large painting. There is also a vertical row of smaller images. "I was afraid you were going to ask that," she responded stating that she didn't know precisely but that they take a long time to create. The technique involved building up lines of graphite . Into the resultant grooves she places marble dust which was donated by a local manufacturer. This is then sealed and the surface receives a polished outer level. The pieces involve pattering particularly the contrast of black and white lines of varying thickness. Into these patterns are small organic designs that suggest plant forms.

            In the center of the gallery is a hanging circular piece by Claire Beaulieu which is composed of copper and glass beads. On the side wall there are several small glass rectangles mounted with metal brackets at an angle from the surface.

            The architect and sculptor Margaret Smithglass has created a game like piece involving an array of wooden blocks onto a low pedestal. Visitors are invited to crouch and examine or reconfigure the elements. The printmaker  Sarah Amos is a colorist who creates multilayered monoprints exploring relationships in shape and color.


           Most of all these efforts are putting North Adams on the cultural map of the Berkshires for reasons beyond just being the home of Mass MoCA. Undoubtedly the development of that enormous center for contemporary art has served as a focus and magnet for other creative ventures from studios to galleries. Now it is a question of getting everyone on board and aware that there is a lot to see in the visual arts of Northern Berkshire County.

           Most of all these efforts are putting North Adams on the cultural map of the Berkshires for reasons beyond just being the home of Mass MoCA. Undoubtedly the development of that enormous center for contemporary art has served as a focus and magnet for other creative ventures from studios to galleries. Now it is a question of getting everyone on board and aware that there is a lot to see in the visual arts of Northern Berkshire County.

           Most of all these efforts are putting North Adams on the cultural map of the Berkshires for reasons beyond just being the home of Mass MoCA. Undoubtedly the development of that enormous center for contemporary art has served as a focus and magnet for other creative ventures from studios to galleries. Now it is a question of getting everyone on board and aware that there is a lot to see in the visual arts of Northern Berkshire County.