BRATTLEBORO-The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) welcomes the public to a guided tour and discussion of the exhibit "Desire Lines," on Sunday, Dec. 15, at 1 p.m., at the museum. Admission is free, but registration is recommended. Walk-ins are welcome. To register, visit brattleboromuseum.org or call 802-257-0124, ext. 101.
On view through Feb. 9, "Desire Lines" features the work of six artists who share a deep commitment to drawing as a means of artistic expression. Artists Alex Callender, Nandini Chirimar, Tara Geer, Maggie Nowinski, Dana Piazza, and James Siena use drawing as a key part, if not the sole focus, of their work.
The exhibit was curated by Sarah Freeman, BMAC director of exhibitions, and Mara Williams, BMAC Curator Emerita.
Freeman and five of the exhibiting artists (all but Siena) will guide visitors through a walking tour of the exhibit, followed by questions and conversation.
"For many artists, drawing is a means to an end, a technique used in the development of a painting or sculpture," according to curators Freeman and Williams. "However, for these artists, drawing is thinking made visible, a window into their minds. They draw to explore, reflect, and communicate with their physical and interior worlds."
The pieces that make up "Desire Lines" range from formal abstraction to detailed representation and use a variety of media: graphite, watercolor, crayon, ink and ink wash, collage, acrylic, and charcoal. While paper is the most traditional surface for drawing, this exhibit includes canvas and installation as well.
For Siena and Piazza, line is the foundational element of their drawings. A series of two-dimensional lines make up Piazza's jewel-toned shapes, which appear to float over the white background, while Siena's varying lines create twisting and interlocking forms evoking pattern and texture.
Chirimar's drawings "use precision and a delicate touch" to render household items: books, letters, and clothing, including her mother's saris and accessories, with color using pigments ground from precious ores.
Nowinski and Callender "blur the lines separating painting, drawing, and sculpture," say the curators. Nowinski works in black and white paint on both flat and shaped canvases to create installations from three-dimensional drawings. Meanwhile, Callender's installation of a living room dotted with family photographs, drawn with nuanced precision, tells the story of the hidden history of housing evictions in the name of urban renewal.
In her large drawings, Geer uses a range of techniques from shading that seems to float on the surface to powerful strokes that burnish the paper. Geer will delve deeper into her passion for drawing in a workshop she is giving on Saturday, Jan. 18, from 2 to 4 p.m., at Brattleboro's River Gallery School.
In "Drawing From Your Senses," Geer will guide participants to make art using all of their senses-touch, sound, smell, and taste, as well as sight. No prior drawing experience is necessary, but registration is required. Admission to the workshop is $45 ($35 for BMAC members). To register, visit brattleboromuseum.org or call 802-257-0124, ext. 101.
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