Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Boston Art Awards: ‘In memory’

As we all know, 2008 was a tough year for the New England art scene. And 2009 isn’t looking sunnier. So during the awards I paused to acknowledge some of the local treasures that we lost this past year.

A number of curators have moved on, including Rachel Rosenfield Lafo, Bill Arning, Cheryl Brutvan, Vesela Sretenovic, Carole Anne Meehan, and Daniel O’Leary.

Ten Boston-area galleries closed: ArtSPACE@16, Judy Ann Goldman, Gallery XIV, Julie Chae, Rhys Gallery, MPG Contemporary, Pepper, Space Other, Bernard Toale and Allston Skirt. And, hey, when is Beth Urdang going to reopen?

Out of the blue, the University of Rhode Island shuttered its Fine Art Center Galleries over the summer and laid off its intrepid director Judith Tolnick Champa.

Pioneering holographer Harriet Casdin-Silver of Brookline died in March. Photographer Jules Aarons of Newton died in November. Painter Andrew Wyeth of Maine and Pennsylvania died in January.

I’m hoping that somehow the trustees of Brandeis University will find a way to reverse themselves and save their Rose Art Museum from being on this list next year. Right? Let’s all help them change their minds.

Also, as a member of the increasingly endangered press, at a moment when arts coverage is particularly threatened, let’s hope our art local art press is not on this list next year. Thank you for your support.

2 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

Where is Carole Anne Meehan going?!

February 3, 2009 at 11:03 AM  
Blogger Greg Cook said...

She left for Texas in the fall. Details here: http://gregcookland.com/journal/2008/09/curators-leaving-ica.html.

February 3, 2009 at 8:07 PM  

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