Essex Art Center

Latest Articles

Line up

Katy Fischer at Proof, ‘Paper Quilt’ and Rainey at the Essex Art Center, and ‘Ink & Steel’ at Space 242
Katy Fischer's art points to the darker forces in nature, where clouds threaten rain and rivers carry people off.
By RANDI HOPKINS | June 24, 2008

Time after time

The De C ordova Annual, New Orleans after Katrina, ‘Superartificial,’ 19th-Century Leisure Travel, and El Chango Verde
The DeCordova Annual has been going strong since 1989, indefatigably showcasing work by New England artists chosen each year for the quality of their individual work.
By RANDI HOPKINS | April 30, 2008

Your history

‘Impermanence’ at the Essex Art Center, ‘Two Chinas’ at WAM, Renée Green at the Carpenter Center, and Feminism at the MFA
For a building, inclusion on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 11 Most Endangered list is a mixed blessing.
By RANDI HOPKINS | February 26, 2008

Tempo tantrum

Artists mess with time, re-enact art history, and hop up on stage in ’08
In 2008, the fourth dimension, time, steps to the fore in the art world.
By RANDI HOPKINS | December 26, 2007

I will survive

John Osorio-Buck in Lawrence, street art in Central Square, and Corita Kent’s Rainbow Gas Tank
“There is no such thing in civilized society as self-support,” claims a handwritten, hand-held, Dylan-esque cardboard sign.
By RANDI HOPKINS | October 16, 2007

Turn on the bright lights

Art, women, politics, and food
Art this fall grapples with issues like gender and journalism, personal space and human survival, and what to have for lunch.
By RANDI HOPKINS | September 12, 2007

Carry on

Mexican shawls and competitive flowers at the Essex Art Center; Rachel Harrison at MIT, Dario Robleto at the MFA
In Mexico, a woven textile that has long been used by women for carrying children and bundles, as well as for warmth and cover, is the focus of “The Rebozo: A Traditional Mexican Women’s Garment.”
By RANDI HOPKINS | February 20, 2007

Around the edges

‘Boundaries and Infinities’ in Lawrence, ‘Medicine Wheel’ and the Rhys Gallery in the South End
Focus and framing, two devices that help us zoom in on what we are interested in looking at, and to filter out what we would rather not see, are critical tools not only for artists but for humans in general, as we make our way through a visually complex world.
By RANDI HOPKINS | November 15, 2006

Cutting up

Bauhaus photomontages at Harvard; “Life-o-rama” at Essex; “Beloved” at Kingston
Pure geometric forms, including the sphere, the circle, and the cylinder, are interrelated in classic Bauhaus style in the iconic teapots, bowls, and ashtrays that Marianne Brandt designed in the 1920s in Germany and later in France.
By RANDI HOPKINS | March 02, 2006

The right profile

African-Americans in Andover, nudes in Winchester, sunglasses and cellphones in Essex
Contemporary African-American artists have taken on issues of race and American identity in a wealth of ways, from Kara Walker’s provocative silhouette narratives to Fred Wilson’s discomforting black "collectibles" to William Pope L’s agonizing acts of crawling.
By RANDI HOPKINS | January 17, 2006