Newsletter Features : Who We Are
| ›› March 2010 ›› January 2010 ›› October 2009 ›› September 2009 ›› June 2009 ›› May 2009 ›› March 2009 |
›› February 2009 ›› January 2009 ›› December 2008 ›› November 2008 ›› October 2008 ›› September 2008 |
March 2010
Meet Our Sponsors BellaCakes is not any ordinary cake shop. Located in Marlborough, MA this unique cake boutique specializes in making cakes and confections with a couture approach. Opened in 2008 by award-winning pastry chef, Kristen Livoti, BellaCakes gives customers the opportunity to have their own unique edible piece of art. Each creation is carefully designed to reflect the customer’s individual tastes and personality. Their cakes and confections are not only aesthetically pleasing, but are deliciously handcrafted using only the finest ingredients with innovative flavor combinations. Flavor offerings range from green tea buttercream frosting to vanilla bean pound cake. For the customer’s with special diets, BellaCakes is a strictly nut-free shop and provides dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan options so that everyone can enjoy their treats. We asked owner, Kristen Livoti, to comment on BellaCakes partnership with the Museum. “Katherine French originally contacted me in 2008 after we first opened and asked us to provide baked goods for a charity auction at the Museum. I was happy to help and enjoyed participating in the events. We are proud of our partnership with the Danforth because we like to the support the local art community. BellaCakes is on the cusp of something different in regards to cakes, we treat it as an art form, which partners well with the Museum and their mission. I think it’s nice to have an art museum so close to home and many people may not recognize the benefits of that. It is wonderful for people to have a place to explore and learn rather than go all the way into Boston.” BellaCakes will be featured at the Museum's upcoming benefit event Over the Moon on Saturday, March 27th from 8pm – 10pm. Come experience their original creations for yourself! Learn more at www.bellacakes.net |
January 2010
Meet Corporate Partners Kaeding, Ernst & Company is a leading provider of employee benefit solutions serving the employer market for the past 30 years. With a specialized working knowledge and understanding of the mission and challenges in the non-profit sector, the Kaeding Team assists New England based businesses in the design, and management of core employee and executive benefit programs. We asked, Executive Vice President, Tricia Mackoff to comment on their corporate partnership with the Danforth Museum of Art: “We are proud of our alliance with the Danforth Museum – both in promoting the success of the employee benefit programs as well as the success of this fine organization. It has been our pleasure to support exhibits and events, to enhance outreach into the community as well as to raise awareness of the hidden treasures of this local Museum with many of our clients and friends! When you first enter the door, you are introduced to extraordinary artistic talent but equally welcomed and impressed by the talent and commitment of the entire staff under the direction of Katherine French. These personal touches transform the building into a relationship- a trait we believe key to both of our successes.” Visit Kaeding, Ernst & Company at www.kaedingco.com |
October 2009
Meet the New Board President Colleen Rolph joined the Danforth Museum of Art Board of Trustees in 2008 after receiving training through the Massachusetts Arts & Business Council Business on Board Program. She will take over as acting Board President at the October 27th Annual Meeting. We asked Colleen to give us thoughts on her vision and goals as incoming Board Chair: “The Danforth is at a critical juncture in our history. We’re an organization on the cusp of greatness. We’ve withstood the doom and gloom of the past 12 months and have flourished despite all the economic obstacles—a strong, positive indication we’re delivering a valuable art experience to our customers, constituents, and community. As my daughter always proclaims when attending classes at the Danforth “I love this place, it’s the best!” With our 35th anniversary approaching next year, it is my goal to build upon the momentum and success of our past board chairs. We’re in a position to make our vision a reality and it starts with a permanent home in Framingham for the museum and school. We need to listen, collaborate, and work together with the town to make it happen. Our passion remains focused on the celebration and creation of art where Boston Expressionism is center stage and a keen eye on emerging and established, living artists. Delivering engaging and influential exhibits coupled with outstanding programming is key to sustaining soaring attendance and classes filled to the brims. Finally, it’s my intent to leverage social media to build national awareness and support for the Museum’s vital role in the local community and art world. I feel privileged and thrilled to be appointed President of the Board of Trustees during this significant time in our future. We truly appreciate your past contributions. I want to thank each of you ahead of time for your continued patronage, engagement, and financial support in the years ahead as we make art a part of everyone’s lives. |
September 2009
Meet Corporate Partners Damianos Photography is an award-winning creative team specializing in photography of architecture, products and people for business. They create distinctive images for architects, general contractors, graphic designers, web designers and companies that want to promote their products or services. Founder Lynne Damianos and Associate Jeremy Graves also teach a variety of photography and Photoshop-related classes and workshops to students, professionals and organizations. They are faculty members of the Danforth Museum of Art, Worcester Art Museum, The Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University, Boston Architectural College and Keefe Tech. Lynne earned her BS in Photography from Rochester Institute of Technology. Jeremy earned his BA in art with a concentration in photography from Salem State College. They are active members of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), Commercial Industrial Photographers of New England (CIPNE), the Boston Society of Architects, the Society for Marketing Professional Services and Fountain Street Studios. For more information, visit www.DamianosPhotography.com and www.FountainStreetStudios.com. We asked Lynne, as a corporate partner, working artist and Museum member, What does the Danforth Museum of Art mean to you? "I am continually amazed by the diverse selection of high quality, intriguing exhibits the Danforth brings to the MetroWest. The Museum provides a venue for those who may be intimidated or don’t want the “event” of heading to Boston to see great art. The Museum also does a tremendous job of reaching artists throughout the region with exciting shows like the Off the Wall Annual Juried Exhibition, and the New England Photography Biennial. Artists can connect with the community through the opportunities like the upcoming Small Works Exhibition & Sale and Student Holiday Sale." Lynne and Jeremy have generously donated their services to capture the many exciting things happening at the Museum. Look for their work throughout the year. |
September 2008
Alina Gotal is a Framingham High School Senior and second year Danforth Museum of Art Teen Docent. Although art has been her favorite thing to do since kindergarten, she likes to express herself in many ways. Alina studies dance and is involved with a student run dance company. She plays the cello and has performed at several Museum events.
"Young Docents Draw on New Experiences"
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October 2008
Brian Lies (pronounced Lees) is a wonderfully prolific and talented illustrator. He grew up in Princeton, NJ, and fell in love with books and illustration at a young age. He attended Brown University to study Psychology and Literature. Shortly after graduating, Lies went to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Since then, he has illustrated approximately twenty books. He has had four written-and-illustrated books on the New York Times bestseller list, his latest, Bats at the Library, Bats at the Beach, Hamlet and the Enormous Chinese Dragon Kite, and Hamlet and the Magnificent Sandcastle. Lies lives in a seaside town in Massachusetts with his wife, daughter, two cats and a hamster (no bats!). |
November 2008
Meet Corporate Partners Gray, Gray, & Gray Since 1982, Patterson and Gerry CPAs has provided a wide range of services for more than 1,300 clients across the country (and internationally) with the majority of clients located in New England. The firm has assisted businesses and individuals with strategic advice and planning in addition to traditional CPA firm services such as accounting, auditing and taxation. In 2005, Gray, Gray & Gray, LLP celebrated its 60th anniversary, marking six decades as one of New England’s leading independent accounting firms. The two firms merged in 2008, and are now able to offer a broader array of services to their clients. Patterson and Gerry CPAs has been a corporate partner of the Museum since 2002, supporting exhibits, events and educational programming. We welcome the combined firm of Gray, Gray & Gray, LLP as a 2008 corporate partner and overall sponsor of A Matter of Taste. We asked Partner Jim Patterson to comment on the firm’s partnership with the Museum.
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December 2008
Meet Musuem School Student, Merrilee Torres We asked Merrilee to comment on her experience in the Museum School during the past year: "I retired about a year and a half ago so that I could spend my time doing what I have wanted to do for my entire life. I have been taking classes with Wilber Blair and feel that I have learned so much. My deepest thanks to my teacher, the Museum school staff and faculty for making Danforth a place for OPPORTUNITY."
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January 2009
Meet Guest Curator, Jeanne Williamson Artist Jeanne Williamson combines printmaking, painting, collage, and sewing in her work. She received her BFA in Fibers/ Crafts from the Philadelphia College of Art (University of the Arts) and her MSAEd in Art Education from the Massachusetts College of Art, Boston. She is an accomplished artist, teacher, and author. Williamson is a member of The Boston Printmakers, the Surface Design Association, the Women’s Caucus for Art, and the Studio Art Quilt Associates and has been featured in numerous books and publications. She lives in Natick, Massachusetts, with her husband Joshua Ostroff. The Danforth Museum of Art presented an exhibition of works from the artist’s Orange Construction Fence Series, during the Spring of 2006 and had works selected for the 2006 and 2007 Museum Annual Juried Members’ Shows. Williamson has taught a variety of workshops and lectures in the Danforth Museum of Art and Danforth Museum school on her unique journal/quilting techniques and her book, The Uncommon Quilter, which is based on her completion of one small art quilt every week from 1999 through 2005. The artist guest curates, Mixed Media Fiber Art, on view at the Danforth Museum of Art January 7 – March 1, 2009. Williamson will present a gallery talk about the exhibit on Saturday, February 7, 4pm and will teach a workshop, Web Design Planning for Artists on Saturday, March 14th in the Museum School.
We asked Jeanne Williamson to discuss her experience as a member, exhibiting artist and teacher at the Danforth Museum of Art and Museum School. What do you see as the Museum's greatest benefit to you and residents of the MetroWest area? "As a person who likes to look at art, I love having an art museum in MetroWest, because it's easy to drop by instead of planning a trip in to Boston. The Danforth Museum offers wonderful exhibits that are practically in our backyard. As an artist, I very much appreciate the different opportunities the Museum offers whether it's taking classes, teaching, or different exhibition opportunities. More specifically, as an artist who uses fiber in her work, I especially love the fact that there are three shows at the Museum through March 1st, that have a fiber theme to them in one way or another." For more info about Jeanne, visit her website, read her blog, listen to her interview on WICN radio in Worcester, MA. |
February 2009
Meet The Artist, Murray Dewart We asked Murray "As an artist with work in the permanent collection, what value do you see as the value of the Danforth Museum of art and similar institutions?" Museums are vital resources to our communities. They are places where the cultural conversation is protected and enhanced. They are essential to our understanding of art. You only need to go to places where there are no museums to realize how easy it is to become impoverished, that the cultural vitality can so easily be lost. The Danforth Museum of Art, located in the downtown area of Framingham, is a local treasure. Museums are great protectors of the most delicate things to survive in the history of the world; subtle line drawings, fragments of 5th century jewelry, thousand year old fabric are protected and shared in Museums. The great privilege of being an artist is to be in conversation with the great artists of the past. You can encounter them in books, but there is nothing like meeting them in a museum where you come upon the work of artists past. What we call culture is very often that conversation across time. Museums like the Danforth Museum of Art make this conversation possible.
Murray Dewart has built large public and private sculptures across the United States in his thirty-five year career. Called “one of Boston’s premier sculptors” by Sculpture Magazine, he has work in twenty collections, including the Boston Athenaeum; the Danforth Museum of Art; the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park; The Harvard University Art Museums; The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and The Rose Art Museum of Brandeis University. As a founding member of Boston Sculptors, a cooperative gallery, Dewart has worked with and supported other sculptors by collecting their work and sometimes donating this work to area museums. This past year Dewart donated North Shore Pine Cones by the artist Niho Kozuru to the Danforth Museum of Art’s permanent collection. His own work is also represented in our collection in a small maquette for a piece entitled Memory’s Gate. The final work was featured throughout Boston and Massachusetts for several years, including spans at Harvard University, the Weston Library, and on Boston Common for two years during the Millennium. The completed sculpture is now permanently installed at a community center on Martha’s Vineyard. Dewart has been commissioned by two Chinese cities, Beijing and Fuzhou, to build large bronze and granite sculptures for their international sculpture parks. His park project for the city of Cambridge, MA has been described by critic Marty Carlock in Landscape Architecture Magazine as a “landscape gem hosting three small but world class sculptures." His bronze Sun Gate was purchased by Harvard University for the Leverett House courtyard. Dewart is one of many who make up the community of artists here at the Danforth Museum of Art. To learn more, please visit his website at www.dewartsculpture.com.
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March 2009
Meet Member Artist We asked artist Cynthia Katz to speak about her experience as a member of the Danforth Museum of Art community: I have enjoyed many hours at the Museum in the Swartz Gallery viewing New England Currents Series exhibitions, viewing the work of friends or artists I’ve followed over the years. And I was thrilled to be included in the last Photography Biennial. I still have the phone message on my machine from “Corie at the Danforth” alerting me to my inclusion in the show. Hopefully, I’ll be as lucky this summer. I admire Katherine French’s commitment to “think big” regarding the Museum’s vision while offering first class exhibits on a scale that honors our community. You can count on my support. Cynthia Katz has spent more than 20 years photographing “the people, places and things in her life.” She admits to wearing lots of hats: mother, partner, teacher, daughter, sister, friend, dancer, Red Sox fan and photographer. In addition to being an artist, she practices yoga, gardens and lives in West Concord Mass with her teenage son, her pre-teenage cat and her partner.
Katz holds a BFA from the University of NH, Durham and an MFA from Bennington College, both in Photography. She has taught Photography at Concord Academy since 1987 and has served as the Visual Arts Department Head since 2001. The artist, who maintains studio space at ARTspace Maynard, has been included in group and individual shows throughout New England and the North East. Two works, Lexington Rd. and Main Street, from her Renovation Series were selected for the 2007 New England Photography Biennial.
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May 2009
Meet New Corporate Partners, The Danforth Museum of Art is dedicated to supporting New England’s vibrant arts community by showing the very best in contemporary art and strives to collaborate with business partners who share our vision. This month, we welcome new Corporate Partners, Stanhope Framers. We asked David to comment on the Museum’s place in New England’s contemporary art scene, as he sees it. “The Danforth Museum of Art under the direction of Director Katherine French, has demonstrated an interest in not only showing older New England artists, but contemporary artists as well. As a collector and arts supporter, it is so interesting to visit the Museum and see a show by a Boston painter from the 40s alongside a contemporary artist like Jo Sandman. This creates a wonderful exciting contrast and a conversation that gives the Museum a level of depth that is very unusual for a regional Museum. Stanhope Framers works to think strategically about how to expend our philanthropic resources; what we can afford and what organizations are important to us personally as well as professionally. We believe that supporting Museums like the Danforth is vital to our business.” Founded in 1972 by David Murphy, Stanhope Framers has over 32 years of experience in making fine, classic and contemporary frames for leading museums, art galleries, corporate collections, discriminating collectors and artists alike. Stanhope Framers is a privately-owned company with a retail store in Boston and a framing facility in Somerville where an extraordinary selection of over 2000 frame styles are custom made using environmentally-sensitive materials. Partners David Murphy & Richard Siegel are committed to providing quality service and supporting a variety of philanthropic causes throughout New England.
David Murphy is a respected business owner, collector and supporter of New England’s artistic community, having donated artwork and framing services to fundraising events and regional arts organizations, including ARTcetera and the Danforth Museum of Art. Richard Siegel brought his training as a printmaker to Stanhope Framers after the company merged with the Old Cambridge Company in 1993. His twenty six years of experience has helped make Stanhope Framers a leader in the industry. Visit them on the web at stanhopeframers.com. |
June 2009
Meet Danforth Museum of Art Trustee Nina Nielsen After 46 years, one of Boston’s most influential galleries will close its doors to allow owners Nina Nielsen and John Baker to begin a well deserved sabbatical. For many the Nielsen Gallery, located at 179 Newbury Street in Boston, has been a significant champion of emotive expressionism (see 6/17 Boston Globe article). Director Nina Nielsen has also played an important role at the Danforth Museum of Art as a member of the Museum’s Board of Trustees and Chair of the Collections Committee. Nielsen Gallery’s final show entitled Surprise Inventory Exhibition will be on view through June 26th, and features a selection of work from their extensive inventory. In an unexpected gesture of support, Nina Nielsen and John Baker have generously pledged a portion of the proceeds from all sales to be donated to the Danforth Museum of Art. Museum Director Katherine French is both grateful and honored. “Nina Nielsen is one of America’s most influential gallerists, one whose support of contemporary artists and collectors has made a real difference to an on going conversation in the arts community. She has a great eye and work by artists that she has represented during the course of her distinguished career now appears in the permanent collections of major Museums, as well as in significant private collections throughout the world.” This opinion is widely shared by artists, collectors, museum professionals and other gallerists. “They are a class act, and this is a gracious way for them to end their tenure on Newbury Street,” remarked fellow gallery owner Howard Yezerski when considering Nielsen Gallery’s impact on the Boston arts scene. Since opening the door on Newbury Street in 1963, Nina Nielsen has cultivated an environment that supports contemporary art. Together with husband and partner John Baker, Nielsen has represented such dynamic painters as John Walker, Katherine Porter, and the 2007 MacArthur Foundation Grant Recipient Joan Snyder. In addition, they have represented the estates of such renowned artists as Pofririo DiDonna and Gregory Gillespie. Their efforts have been widely recognized. The AICA (United States section of the International Association of Art Critics) has awarded Nielsen Gallery first and second place awards for Best Show in a Commercial Gallery Nationally for two outstanding exhibits, The Privilege of Solitude, which featured the work by Alfred Jensen and Forest Bess in 2005 and Jay DeFeo: Applaud the Black Fact in 2009. Other major exhibitions have included Jackson Pollack’s Forty Four Psychoanalytic Drawings (1939-41) and The Self-Reliant Spirit, featuring the artists Albert Pinkam Ryder, Ralph Albert Blakelock, Arthur Dove, and Marsden Hartley. When asked about her dual role as a gallery owner and collector, Nina responded by saying “We have always been our own best collectors, and have tried to share art that is meaningful to us through the gallery.” For her, “art is all encompassing,” but she recently came to feel that it was time to reform the way she and John Baker could “share our vision with the Boston art’s community and the world at large.” Closing the gallery was a personal decision, but does not mark an end to their creative involvement. “The time has come to change how we incorporate art into our lives,” remarked Nielsen, “but we will continue to do this in a meaningful way. We take this sabbatical to allow ourselves time to discover the best path for a new vision.”
Nielsen’s pledge to contribute proceeds from their last sale is especially appreciated at a time that is especially challenging for non profits. “It gives me great pleasure to help support museums such as the Danforth Museum of Art. The more support we give each other, the stronger the New England art scene will be.” For Nielsen, the Surprise Inventory Sale is “a way of giving back to the many people that have helped share in our vision—artists, collectors and great institutions like the Danforth.”
Goodbye to Nielsen |
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