BRATTLEBORO — A dazzling assortment of paintings, photographs, drawings, sculpture, and installation artwork by 13 artists from around New England will be on display at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) beginning Friday, Nov. 2, as part of the museum's major new exhibit, New England Biennial 2012, sponsored by People's United Bank.
The artists featured in the juried exhibit were chosen from among more than 400 applicants by Stephen Haller of the Stephen Haller Gallery in New York City.
BMAC's chief curator, Mara Williams, consulted with each artist chosen to select a body of work or to plan an installation for the exhibit, which will occupy five of the museum's six galleries and its outdoor sculpture garden.
According to Williams, New England Biennial 2012 is a new and improved version of BMAC's old triennial juried exhibit, In the Zone, which was launched in 2005 and was open only to artists living within 75 miles of Brattleboro.
“One benefit of expanding the 'zone' to include all six New England states,” said Williams, “is that we have had the pleasure of getting acquainted with the work of the nearly 400 artists - from Greenwich, Conn., to Orono, Maine - who sent in work for consideration. Many were previously unknown to us, and it is likely that their work will find its way into our galleries in the years to come."
The artists featured in New England Biennial 2012 are William Brayton (Conway, Mass.), Christine Destrempes (Harrisville, N.H.), Michael Donovan (Cheshire, Conn.), Marjorie Forte (Cambridge, Mass.), Bénédicte Lassalle (Boston), Greg Mencoff (Somerville, Mass.), Roslyn Meyer (Guilford, Conn.), Lynn Richardson (Marlborough, N.H.), JoAnne Russo (Saxtons River), Robert Steinem (Colrain, Mass.), Jason Travers (Providence, R.I.), Denis Versweyveld (Vergennes), and Kathryn Lipke Vigesaa (Belvidere).
The opening reception for New England Biennial 2012 will take place during Brattleboro's monthly Gallery Walk. Admission is free and open to the public that night. Many of the exhibiting artists are expected to be in attendance.
The exhibit will remain on view through March 1, 2013, although a portion of the exhibit will close three weeks earlier.
For more information, call 802-257-0124 or visit www.brattleboromuseum.org.