October 4 – 28, 2016 Presented at University Place Gallery
Featuring 2015 Artist of the Year Lee Griffin, Kelly Knight, Elena Li, Sydell Masterman and Zoe Perry-Wood
Reception | October 14th, 6-8pm
Award winners of the 2015 Members Prize Show presented at University Place Gallery showcasing their artistic talents!
2015 Juror Statement
“Like many art institutions across the nation, the Cambridge Art Association developed out of a certain urgency and necessity. Its continued presence and growth is a testimony to its strength and relevance within the immediate context of Cambridge, and indeed within the larger region of New England. As a still-relative newcomer to the Northeast, I am continuously fascinated by the ability of the region to intertwine a profound cosmopolitanism and a deep commitment to a sense of place and identity that has persisted for many years.
My selection process in determining the works to be included in this presentation followed a now fairly standard pattern of getting an overall impression of the submissions, identifying works that immediately stood out and setting those aside, and then spending time and examining the remaining works to better gauge both their inherent virtues both as works of art but also how they would resonate with the larger picture of a presentation that was
2015 Artists of the Year with CAA Staff
starting to develop. In some instances, I tried to recognize recurrent themes and not orient the selection too heavily in one particular direction or another. (For example, many artists in this region are inspired by the astonishing land- and especially sea-scapes that we are fortunate to enjoy in this part of the world, yet one feels an obligation to be judicious and selective in order to ensure that other forms of representation and expression are given an opportunity to bring additional dimension and perspective.) There was also a keen interest in preserving a balance of mediums in order to create a situation where paintings could engage in visual conversations with photographs and drawings, and other works on paper could interface with more sculptural work (and obviously, variations on those dialogues in between.) While the impact of some works—as was noted earlier—was almost instinctual, based on a certain clarity of their composition or an ability to convey a particular feeling, mood, message, or affect with a high degree of elegance and restraint, other works made a more gradual case for themselves, with certain elements perhaps only really “popping” after the second or third look. Regardless, so much of the work submitted by the Cambridge Art Association members and presented here will remain in my optical conscious and unconscious, whether it is Ruth Rosner’s angelic figurative sculpture that appears to hold a figure while seemingly disintegrating and reintegrating at the same time, or Kelly Knight’s beautiful sweater-object hung on a bundle of branches opened to reveal deeply personal text. I extend my thanks to the staff of the CAA and to all of the artists who submitted work for consideration. It is no small feat to put a material extension of oneself in front of professionals and public alike for scrutiny, judgment, and, one hopes, appreciation.”
Dominic Molon, Richard Brown Baker Curator of Contemporary Art, RISD Museum, Providence