Posts By becca kantor

Deconstructive Construction: Matthew Craven at Grizzly Grizzly

Since American history is a required subject in high school, most of us are at least vaguely familiar with the narrative told in standard American history textbooks. We would probably also recognize the iconic images of battles, generals, and presidents used to illustrate this narrative. In his show “Future Myths” at Grizzly Grizzly, Matthew Craven has appropriated these textbook images to form collages that question, rather than confirm, the patterns we were taught to see in American history.

First Friday at Extra Extra, and Inaugural Shows at Artspace Liberti and the Great and Terrible Collective

As visitors enter Nik Pence and Alyse Ronayne’s installation “Liminal Refraction” at Extra Extra Gallery, they may feel as though they have stepped through Alice’s looking glass. A large wooden frame constructed by Pence divides the gallery space into two halves. This frame at first seems to signify a mirror. Two suitcases have been positioned on either side of the structure at similar angles—as have two rocks, two hammers, and two overturned plants. At closer range, however, it becomes clear that the objects on either side of the frame are not quite identical.

See what happens – Evolutionary artwork at Projects, Bambi, and Little Berlin

At Projects Gallery, Susan B. Howard’s exhibit “Tipping Point” features expressionistic paintings of animals in natural environments. At a cursory glance, these brightly colored pieces seem to embody the harmony of peaceable kingdoms. “Actually,” Howard said, laughing when I suggested this, “each painting is more like a mini soap opera.”

Shapes and animals at Tiger and Grizzly

When Anne Schaefer creates art, she wants to immerse the viewer in a particular visual environment. Because of this, her work is usually large-scale. One challenge she encountered in planning her current show at the Tiger Strikes Asteroid Gallery was tailoring her vision to the gallery’s small dimensions.