Fountain Street Fine Art celebrates paper in Framingham

Arts

January 19, 2012|By Nancy Shohet West

Detail from Storm Coming, a Meg Black painting that is among the works in…

As a traditional anniversary gift, paper may not seem like much of a reward for weathering the challenges of that first year of partnership - marriage or otherwise. To Cheryl Clinton and Marie Craig, however, the first-anniversary tradition sounded intriguing rather than dull as they contemplated an appropriate way to celebrate their own professional milestone, as cofounders of Fountain Street Fine Art in Framingham.

“In thinking about what kind of show to do for our first anniversary, we looked for a theme that was somewhat specific but also far-reaching, because our goal is always to get the most interesting work we can find. Paper, as a theme, struck us as both broad and interesting,’’ said Clinton.

“First Anniversary: PAPER,’’ now on exhibit, is the third juried show to take place at the gallery, and the cofounders have made a reputation for identifying themes that challenge and inspire artists. There will be an opening reception featuring some of the artists in the show from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday at the gallery, in a brick building not far from downtown Framingham.

The first show’s theme was “Unscripted,’’ recognizing the many unknowns of the undertaking on which Clinton and Craig were embarking; the second show, “Industrial Strength,’’ was an homage to their gallery’s location in a former factory.

For the current show, the judge charged with selecting 47 works out of 200 submissions on the theme of paper was James Welu, director emeritus of the Worcester Art Museum.

“The idea is that each piece of work in the exhibit is on, is about, or is of paper,’’ said Clinton. “Not every piece in the exhibit physically incorporates paper. It might be more of a reference to paper. There are multimedia collages, encaustic works made with wax, and a series of postcards made from steel.’’

Forty artists from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and New York were selected to show their work; their submissions included photographs, oils, watercolors, drawings, and original prints. According to Clinton, about half of the artists have exhibited with Fountain Street Fine Art before, and they fall at all points of the spectrum in terms of professional stature.

“First Anniversary: PAPER’’ will be on exhibit through Feb. 5 at 59 Fountain St. Gallery hours are Fridays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and by appointment. For more information, call 508-879-4200 or visit www.fountainstreetfineart.com.

FRESH-BREWED POETRY: On Saturday, HCAM Studios in Hopkinton will host the first “Wake Up and Smell the Poetry’’ program of the season with poet Dan Tobin, storyteller Karen Given, and musical duo Carrie Rowan and Adrienne Fawkes.