My marriage ended in Italy; Italy was the backdrop and the catalyst. Despite this, I continued to be inspired by Italy, and couldn’t help but find parallels with the story of my divorce experience. Everywhere I looked was a metaphorical dovetailing of my surroundings and my inner passage: the juxtaposition of old and new, the […]
Reclaiming Butterscotch Read More »
I have a soft spot for paper. While my hand was injured, I kept sane by sewing papers together with a sewing machine, and this show at Bellevue Art Museum, about all the ways you never thought to use cut paper, really spoke to me. I’ve been thinking about how to expand my paintings as
I love going into what I call “real places” and seeing “real art”. For example, there’s an editioned print (not a poster) in the bathroom at the mall, or a quality painting hanging permanently at a bar. I was in the Philadelphia International Airport recently, and even though rotating art exhibitions are becoming more popular
Invisible Cities by Terri Saulin-Frock Read More »
At my art opening the other night, I engaged in a rather mind-blowing conversation. While I was chatting with a visitor, he idly looked at my business card holder on the countertop, and kind of brushed his index finger along my name. Half to himself, he said he hadn’t heard that name since he was
“Accumulations” are what Yayoi Kusama called these multiple soft sculpture phalluses that she patiently sewed and placed in rooms, in platforms mounted on floors and walls, and even in two rowboats. Kusama made these pillow-esque, polka-dotted, cartoon-like, engorged phalluses as a way to get over her fear of sex – and one vintage 1960s photo
Accumulations, Courtesy of Yayoi Kusama Read More »
Picturing this exhibition of 8,000 clay statues, I imagined tabletop action figures, as far as the eye could see. Toy “army men” fashioned for grown-up royalty. But what was I thinking – royalty gets the royal treatment, after all – this army, whose purpose was to guard China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, during the
Terra Cotta Warriors Read More »
On Capitol Hill, the acknowledged center of queer culture in Seattle, the Pulse Nightclub murders in Orlando on June 12 exacted a special toll. Most of Seattle’s gay clubs are located here, and rainbow flags and crosswalks dot the landscape, visually knitting together disparate businesses and corners of the neighborhood. Seattle’s generally liberal vibe may
Artist Donates 10% of Sales to OneOrlando Fund Read More »
This June, I did something I’ve been meaning to do for several years: I created a painting each day of the month to celebrate Pride. I was having fun with this project, and adhering quite nicely to my self-imposed deadlines. Then Orlando happened, and the project took on a slightly new meaning. Where earlier in
12 Paintings in Exhibition to Honor Orlando Read More »
On the strength of her People’s Choice award-winning painting, Mia, Siena, Stripes, the City of Federal Way, WA has awarded a solo exhibition to Maura McGurk. The exhibition will take place at the Knutzen Family Theatre art gallery in Federal Way, with an opening reception in May. Stay tuned for details!
City of Federal Way Awards Solo Show to Local Artist Maura McGurk Read More »
The Federal Way City Council awarded painter Maura McGurk the People’s Choice Award at their council meeting Tuesday night, in recognition of her mixed media painting, Mia, Siena, Stripes. The work is part of the Arts Alive exhibition currently on view at City Hall. McGurk said that her main inspiration for the painting came from
Maura McGurk Wins People’s Choice Award at City Hall Exhibition Read More »
December 27, 1935 At the opening for a group exhibition that features one of Arshile Gorky’s sketches, for his airport mural, New York City Mayor Fiorella La Guardia meets Gorky, views his work, and tells a reporter: I am conservative in my art, as I am a progressive in my politics. That’s why I perhaps
365 Days of Art: December 27 – NYC Mayor Doesn’t Understand Gorky’s Work Read More »
December 25 This is one of the most important dates on the calendar for Joseph Cornell, because he is born the day before, on December 24. His associations with happy childhood memories lead him to try to arrange all of his exhibitions to coincide with his birthday, and therefore, most of them fall on Christmas
365 Days of Art: December 25 – Cornell Prefers His Exhibitions to Fall on Christmas Read More »
November 20, 1929 Salvador Dalí has his first one-man show at a gallery in Paris. This painting is included in the exhibition.
365 Days of Art: November 20 – Dalí Has First Solo Show Read More »
November 16, 1933 Frida writes a letter to her friend Isabel Campos that she is “dreaming about my return to Mexico:” New York is very pretty and I feel better here than in Detroit, but in spite of this I am longing for Mexico…Yesterday we had snow for the first time…there will be nothing to
November 10, 1930 Frida and Diego arrive in San Francisco, where he has mural commissions to work on. November 10, 1943 The New York Times reports “Unique Collection of Art Treasures Taken Away by Germans in Italy,” referring to the trucks carrying artwork for Goring’s birthday party. November 10, 1936 Arshile Gorky’s painting Organization is
November 9, 1943 Jackson Pollock’s first solo show opens at Peggy Guggenheim’s Art of This Century gallery. He has not yet painted the dripping works for which he’ll be most famous. November 9, 1966 John Lennon meets Yoko Ono at her art opening at Indica Gallery in London. The work above impresses Lennon; after climbing
November 7, 1929 The Museum of Modern Art opens in NYC. Its first exhibition is Cezanne, Gauguin, Seurat, Van Gogh.
365 Days of Art: November 7 – MoMA Opens Read More »
November 6, 1989 The New York Times reports that the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has cancelled a grant for a show about AIDS, called Witnesses: Against Our Vanishing. The withdrawal of funds reportedly stems from an essay in the catalogue that criticizes two members of Congress and a cardinal of the Catholic church, for their
365 Days of Art: November 6 – NEA Withdraws Grant for AIDS Exhibition Read More »
November 5, 1945 Jackson Pollock moves from New York City to Long Island, to a farmhouse in Springs. This is a shocking move at the time, since NYC is the center of the art world. The yard and barn where he keeps his studio become the backdrops for some of the most iconic Pollock moments:
October 30, 2010 Hide/Seek, the first major museum exhibition to explore themes of sexual identity in portraiture, opens at the National Portrait Gallery. More than 100 works of varying media by artists including Georgia O’Keeffe, Jasper Johns, Annie Liebowitz, and Andy Warhol, are on display. The show not only explores the contributions of LGBTQ artists,
365 Days of Art: October 30 – Hide/Seek Opens Read More »
October 26, 1990 Joan Brown is killed while installing an obelisk she designed. Is it the most perfect – or most horrible – way for an artist to die, to be killed by one of your own creations? I remember reading about this in our student newspaper at UC Berkeley, where she was a professor
365 Days of Art: October 26 – Joan Brown Killed While Installing Sculpture Read More »
October 24, 1934 Frida writes to her pal and confidante, Dr. Eloesser: I have suffered so much in three months that it is going to be difficult for me to feel completely well soon but I have done everything I can to forget what happened between Diego and me [referring to his affair with her
October 23, 1888 Paul Gauguin arrives in Arles to live with Vincent van Gogh in the Yellow House. This is something Vincent has wanted for some time, but his dreams of an art community dissipate as he and Gauguin repeatedly clash. By the end of the fall, Gauguin moves out and Vincent infamously cuts off
October 21, 1830 Eugene Delacroix, who has been working on Liberty Leading the People, writes to his brother: My bad mood is vanishing thanks to hard work. I’ve embarked on a modern subject — a barricade. And if I haven’t fought for my country at least I’ll paint for her.” October 21, 1959 The Solomon
October 19, 1900 Henry Ossawa Tanner, a Black painter who moved to France to escape American racial prejudice, wins the silver medal at the Universal Exposition in Paris for his painting Daniel in the Lions Den. He is one of Thomas Eakins’ all-time favorite students from their days at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine
365 Days of Art: October 19 – Henry Ossawa Tanner Wins French Art Award Read More »
October 15, 1943 Radio Rome provides this bit of Fascist propaganda: The first ships left Sicily for London today with precious works of art, some of which will go to the British Museum and some to private collections.” The idea is to create suspicion surrounding Americans interested in artworks (i.e., the Museum and Fine Arts
October 11, 1987 The AIDS Quilt is displayed for the first time on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. I saw a piece of it for the first time on the UC Berkeley campus in the late 80s or early 90s, and it remains one of the most moving sights I’ve ever seen.
365 Days of Art: October 11 – AIDS Quilt is Displayed for First Time Read More »
October 5, 1990 A Cincinnati jury acquits the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center and its director of misdemeanor obscenity charges, for displaying Robert Mapplethorpe’s exhibition, The Perfect Moment.
365 Days of Art: October 5 – Jury Acquits Arts Center of Obscenity Charges Read More »
September 27, 2006 Munch’s The Scream and Madonna go on view in a special five-day exhibition to celebrate their return to the Munch Museum–damages and all–after being stolen by masked gunmen two years earlier. Before conservation begins, 5,500 people view the damaged paintings.
365 Days of Art: September 27 – Munch Museum Celebrates Return of Damaged Paintings Read More »
September 22, 1507 Leonardo makes studies of birds in flight. September 22, 1510 Exactly halfway through painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michelangelo departs Florence, where he’d taken a break to visit his family, for Bologna to confront Pope Julius II about not being paid according to his contract. The two already have a long history
September 19, 1965 Masuo Ikeda’s exhibition of prints closes at MoMA.
365 Days of Art: September 19 – Masuo Ikeda Exhibition Closes at MoMA Read More »
August 7, 2005 Stephen Berens takes a photo from his window in Rome, which he later combines with nine other images of the exact same landscape view. The resulting photo, with its ten exposures, is exhibited in the 2014 Whitney Biennial and showcases Berens’ interest in process, layering, and the potential for inspiration in older
365 Days of Art: August 7 – Stephen Berens Takes a Photo Read More »
July 4, 1940 The American Negro Exposition, with a national juried art exhibition, opens in Chicago and commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Dioramas featuring highlights of 7,000 years of African and American history grace the Chicago Colisseum hallway. Murals reflect accomplishments by African Americans over the past 75 years. All but one
365 Days of Art: July 4 – American Negro Exposition Opens with Juried Art Show Read More »
July 1, 1948 Willem de Kooning begins teaching at Black Mountain College, an experimental art college near Asheville, North Carolina. Famous colleagues include Josef Albers, Buckminster Fuller, John Cage, and Merce Cunningham. July 1, 1968 John Lennon’s first art exhibition, with Yoko Ono, entitled You are Here, opens in London. July 1, 1989 On the
June 27, 2004 The exhibition And or Versus: Adventures in Images, which is the 15th anniversary exhibition of the opening of the contemporary/modern Yokohama Museum of Art in Yokohama, Japan, closes. It features work by artists as varied as Salvador Dali, Richard Long, Yayoi Kusama, and Andy Warhol. The image above is from Kusama’s solo
365 Days of Art: June 27 – 15th Anniversary Exhibition Closes at Yokohama Museum of Art Read More »
June 21, 1998 Kiki Smith’s exhibition, Night, closes at the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden. The show explores the natural world after the sun’s gone down, and features works in black glass, bronze, and other media, including animal scat.
365 Days of Art: June 21 – Kiki Smith Exhibition Closes at Hirshhorn Read More »
June 15, 1983 An exhibition at the outdoor sculpture center in upstate New York, Storm King Art Center, called–simply and appropriately enough–A Landscape for Modern Sculpture, closes. The exhibition features large-scale works by Louise Bourgeois and others.
365 Days of Art: June 15 – Sculpture Exhibition Closes at Storm King Read More »
June 11, 1970 Dieter Roth’s first US exhibition receives a tongue-in-cheek review in the International Herald Tribune, which says that the gallery owner “will sell it to anyone with $21,000 and a bad cold.” The reason for the bad cold is that the exhibition stinks. Literally stinks. Inspired by an artist whose work Roth thinks
365 Days of Art: June 11 – Dieter Roth Exhibition Receives Humorous Review Read More »
May 30, 1937 Three exhibitions close at MoMA: Twelve Modern Paintings, featuring Paul Klee, Joan Miro, and Jean Arp, Prehistoric Rock Pictures, and a Cezanne show. Director Alfred Barr made comparisons between all three and saw the Modern and Prehistoric shows as companion pieces, sharing elements like primitive figures, scratched surfaces, and distorted scale and
365 Days of Art: May 30 – Three Exhibitions Close at MoMA Read More »
May 17, 1984 The Guerrilla Girls are born! The backstory: An International Survey of Painting and Sculpture opens on this day at the Museum of Modern Art. Curator Kynaston McShine writes that any artist not included in the show should rethink “his” career. The exhibit features 169 artists. All are white. All are from the
365 Days of Art: May 17 – The Guerrilla Girls Are Born! Read More »
May 15, 1863 The Salon des Refusés (literally, The Exhibition of Rejects), an exhibition of artwork rejected by the annual Paris Salon exhibition, opens to visitors. The exhibition is organized by Napoleon III to quiet his more vocal critics, and probably to prove to the public that they should have trusted the judgment of the
365 Days of Art: May 15 – The Salon des Refusés Opens to the Public Read More »
April 28, 1863 Emperor Napoleon III issues a press release, regarding the planned Salon des Refusés (literally, Exhibition of the Rejected Ones): An exhibition will open on 15 May…Artists have until 7 May to withdraw their works…After this date works that have not been withdrawn will be placed on show. Here’s the backstory: This statement,
365 Days of Art: April 28 – Napoleon Issues Press Release About Planned Art Exhibition Read More »
April 13, 1953 Advised by her doctors that she is too ill to attend the opening reception of her first solo show in Mexico, and that she needs to rest, Frida Kahlo transports her bed to the gallery and attends from there. She greets visitors from her four poster bed, situated in the middle of
April 7, 1990 An exhibition of Robert Mapplethorpe photographs, entitled The Perfect Moment, opens at Cincinnati’s Contemporary Arts Center; within hours, the Center and its director, Dennis Barrie, are indicted on obscenity charges. I saw this exhibition when it traveled to the University Art Museum in Berkeley, CA. It was stunning, and at times shocking
365 Days of Art: April 7 – Mapplethorpe Exhibition Opens, Leading to Obscenity Charges Read More »
March 28, 1949 Mark Rothko exhibits his so-called multiform paintings at the Betty Parsons Gallery. Though not as well-known or well-loved as his iconic three-threshhold paintings, they are by far my favorites. I wrote a paper once that theorized that they were inspired by Rothko’s love of opera, with the composition representing the stage, and
365 Days of Art: March 28 – Rothko Exhibits Multiform Paintings Read More »
March 27, 1968 The exhibition Dada, Surrealism, and Their Heritage opens at the Museum of Modern Art. Featured artists include Barnett Newman, Giorgio de Chirico, Jackson Pollock, Frida Kahlo, Bob Arneson, Robert Motherwell, Joan Miró, Robert Rauschenberg, Joseph Cornell, Jasper Johns, and Max Ernst.
365 Days of Art: March 27 – Dada-Inspired Exhibition Opens at MoMA Read More »
March 6, 1945 The exhibition Arshile Gorky opens at the Julien Levy Gallery, featuring paintings created during the previous year, including How My Mother’s Embroidered Apron Unfolds in My Life. André Breton, who helped Gorky title the paintings, writes a glowing foreword for the catalogue. Here’s the kicker: because Levy had forgotten to mail out
There are two events today worth writing about. The first gives an inside look at the Impressionists, who are often thought of as a unit, rather than individuals with competing agendas. The second…I just feel bad for Arshile Gorky. He had a hard time. March 5, 1886 Camille Pissarro writes a passionate, desperate letter to
365 Days of Art: March 5 – Pissarro Complains to Manet, and Gorky Undergoes a Colostomy Read More »
March 1, 1962 American Airlines Flight 1 crashes in Jamaica Bay, Queens about two minutes after takeoff. Ninety five people and fifteen abstract works by Arshile Gorky are aboard, all en route to Los Angeles. All crew and passengers are killed. The artwork, on its way to an exhibition is LA, is destroyed. This is
365 Days of Art: March 1 – Plane Crashes; Arshile Gorky Artwork Destroyed Read More »
February 24, 1923 The Seventh Annual Exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists opens at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. The exhibition is billed as “no jury, no prizes.” Stuart Davis and John Sloan are among those who participate.
February 18, 1909 Six works by Odilon Redon were sold to art collector Lillie Bliss at the Armory Show in New York. The works (Silence, Roger and Angelica, Le Petit Prelat, Druidesse, Pegasus and Le Jour) are mostly black and white prints or charcoal drawings from his early period. The painting above is more typical
365 Days of Art: February 18 – Art Collector Buys Six Odilon Redon Works Read More »
February 11, 1972 Joseph Cornell holds a Children’s Only art exhibition, which opens at Cooper Union in New York City. Brownies and Cherry Coke were served instead of wine and cheese (Cornell actually had a huge sweet tooth; that might have been for him as much as for the kids). The art was hung three
365 Days of Art: February 11 – Joseph Cornell Holds Children’s Only Art Exhibition Read More »
February 5, 2013 Ice Age Art: Arrival of the Modern Mind opened at the British Museum. The exhibition presented artwork (not archaeological artifacts) between 10,000 and 40,000 years old, created during the last Ice Age. The distinction between art and artifacts represented humans’ arrival at complex thought, as illustrated by an embrace of abstraction, symbolism,
365 Days of Art: February 5 – Ice Age Art (No Artifacts!) Exhibited at British Museum Read More »
February 1, 1931 The Museum of Modern Art puts on its Tenth Loan Exhibition, a show of paintings and lithographs by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Odilon Redon. At this point, MoMA had been open for just two years, was located next to the Plaza Hotel at 730 Fifth Avenue, and had no permanent collection yet.
365 Days of Art: February 1 – MoMA’s Tenth Exhibition Opens Read More »
January 30, 2011 A special five-day exhibition of never-before-exhibited autochrome photographs, using low-oxygen enclosures to keep them from fading, closes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Some background: what are autochromes? They’re photos made from a process that was developed in the early 20th century, transparent color images on glass that must be viewed either
January 21, 1943 The exhibition Georgia O’Keeffe Paintings 1915-1941 opens at the Art Institute of Chicago. It is O’Keeffe’s first museum retrospective. By the way, January 21 is a slow day in art history. Thank God for Georgia O’Keeffe at my favorite museum, or I would’ve been stuck talking about Jeff Koons today. Yecccch.
January 8, 1963 The Mona Lisa, on loan from the Louvre, is unveiled at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC in a star-studded opening reception. The exhibition was made possible almost entirely due to the efforts of Jackie Kennedy, the First Lady. The Kennedys, and especially Jackie, brought a well-known love of art
365 Days of Art – January 8: Mona Lisa, on Loan, Unveiled in US Read More »
Today, we observe the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy. As the details of that day and the aftermath are reexamined, one theme that stands out is how important art was to JFK and to Jackie. This story begins and ends with John Singer Sargent watercolors, and includes a private art exhibition arranged
JFK and the Power of Art Read More »
I’m going to be showing my digital collages at Diva Espresso during the September Wallingford Art Walk, in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle. Where: Diva Espresso, 4615 Stone Way N, SeattleWhen: Wednesday, September 11, 6:00 – 9:00 PMThe cafe is also open every day from 6:00 – 6:00, and my work will be up for
More Digital Collages on Display at Wallingford Art Walk! Read More »
My Seattle debut art exhibition at Majestic ARTS Presents allows me to introduce myself and my work to the Pacific Northwest. Mixed media paintings inspired by Italy and other locations will be on view, as well as paper and digital collages which have never been exhibited before. The title of the exhibition is Re•Place. This
Re•Place Art Exhibition: Artist Statement Read More »
I’m still thinking about the recent show at Leslie Lohman Gay Art Foundation which by the way, was just transformed into the Leslie Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art –congratulations to them! The exhibition was The Pop-Up Museum of Queer History, in its second incarnation. Earlier in 2011, it popped up in a Brooklyn
The Pop-Up Museum of Queer History Read More »
I attended the Electronic Arts Festival in various locations on Governor’s Island, my new favorite place to look at art. In the Trinity Chapel there, we participated in Blue Morph, an interactive installation about “nano, not color”, by Victoria Vesna and James Ginzewski. The installation is set up this way: you enter the chapel, which
Electronic Arts Festival, Governor’s Island Read More »
As I was walking down the street the other day, I saw a large banner that proclaimed a new museum opening, right in my neighborhood. This was news, and how could I not have known about it, just three blocks from my place? It’s called the Museum of Motherhood. I wandered over and poked my
The Museum of Motherhood Read More »
Many thanks go out to Connor Alderman and Jeff Campbell for photographing the opening reception for my Lavender Menace exhibit! They worked tirelessly to capture the spirit of the show and opening reception, while remaining unobtrusive–the best way to get great cameo shots. I know from experience that this is hard to do. Jeff shot
Photographers Extraordinaire Read More »
Artwork created in response to gay bullying raises money for foundation combatting anti-gay teen bullying and suicide (New York, NY) Maura McGurk was so moved to hear of the suicides of several teenagers in Fall 2010, bullied because they were gay, or at least thought to be gay, that she began memorializing her anguish for
Artist Donates 10% of Exhibition Proceeds to It Gets Better Read More »
The premier issue of At the Edge magazine, an independent art publication which focuses on emerging artists in New York City, features artist Maura McGurk and her crusade against gay bullying. The article discusses McGurk’s July 2011 solo exhibition, entitled Lavender Menace: Paintings by Maura McGurk in Response to Gay Bullying. The paintings in the
Maura McGurk Featured in “At the Edge” Magazine Read More »
If you read my earlier post which explained the story behind the puzzle pieces, you know that I considered this an experimental piece…after all, I don’t usually make interactive pieces or installations. The idea was to create something visually interesting (as always), something that would advance the cause of drawing attention to–and stopping–gay bullying, and
The Puzzle Pieces Were a Hit! Read More »
The opening reception of Lavender Menace: Paintings by Maura McGurk in Response to Gay Bullying was a success! I was honored to have so many people in attendance; despite monsoon-like conditions, the gallery was full of steady foot traffic all night. Among the first visitors were mentors and mentees of True Colors, a non-profit organization
Lavender Menace Opening Read More »
The ongoing exhibition, Lavender Menace: Paintings by Maura McGurk in Response to Gay Bullying, is covered in the Norwich Bulletin. Read all about it!
Lavender Menace art exhibition covered in Norwich Bulletin Read More »
The Wauregan Gallery presents Lavender Menace: Paintings by Maura McGurk in Response to Gay Bullying These paintings are inspired by the suicides of several teenaged boys in Fall 2010, who were bullied for being gay. Since that time, subsequent incidents of bullying and regrettably, more suicides of boys and girls, have continued to inspire the
Lavender Menace Solo Exhibition Read More »
The two alternative Abraham Lincoln exhibitions–Enabled and The Lincoln Orphans–were the best of the Lincoln shows in Norwich during the month of May. They proved it again this past weekend, as a joyful and fun-loving spirit fueled the closing reception for the shows. The trio of Elanah Sherman, Dan Topalis, and Grippo organized, managed, and
The Abraham Lincoln Situation: Goodbye Abe, We’ll Miss You Read More »
I made these artist trading cards to give out at the Women in Arts exhibition I was involved with at the Queens Museum of Art. I put a female artist (some well-known, some not) on the front, or a recreation of her work. I respected copyrights by using older works, my own photographs as stand-ins,
Trading Cards: They Work for Ballplayers AND for Artists Read More »
A spirit of camaraderie and light-hearted fun prevailed at the openings of Enabled: The Lincoln Portrait Show that Tells Artists: Do What You Want! and The Lincoln Orphans Exhibit: Giving a Home to the Excluded Portraits! in Norwich, CT on First Friday. Elanah Sherman, organizer of both shows, personally escorted groups between the floating receptions.
The Abraham Lincoln Saga: Abe Resurfaces in Norwich at Opening Receptions! Read More »
Maura McGurk’s blog regarding the Lincoln portrait contest sponsored by the Slater Museum is quoted extensively in The New London Day. The Day reveals the backlash among the contest entrants, the artistic community, and citizens of Norwich, CT regarding so-called “unethical” practices in the portrait judging. Lincoln artists cry foul, by Claire Bessette, The Day
Maura McGurk Blog Featured in The New London Day Read More »
The orphaned portraits were on the move Saturday, as the paintings rejected by the Slater Museum were moved from their current storage space in a kitchen to the Wauregan Gallery in Norwich. The Lincoln Orphans Exhibit will be on display at the Wauregan Gallery, 200 Main St, Norwich, CT. The showcase of creative Lincoln interpretations,
The Abe Lincoln Debacle: Procession of the Orphans Read More »
This Abraham Lincoln portrait, painted by Norwich, CT local son John Denison Crocker, was ripped from its frame in City Hall in 1994. The Slater Museum and the City of Norwich sponsored a contest with a purchase prize for the best copy of the original portrait. Although I’m normally an abstract painter, I thought it
Museum Reneges on Promise to Exhibit All Lincoln Portraits–What Would Honest Abe Say? Read More »
This blog is dedicated to Rose, Gary, Zaineb, Sharon, and Nubia. On a day when the landlord locked the deadbolt and I couldn’t get into the studio to pick up my paintings for my first solo show… On a day when the elevator was out of service and I had to carry each painting down
With a lot of help from my friends… Read More »
Maura McGurk’s first solo exhibition will feature paintings created in response to gay bullying. McGurk began this body of work in fall of 2010, on the heels of several suicides by teenaged boys who had been bullied by classmates. These suicides were well-publicized due to their sheer number and proximity in time: five suicides in
Maura McGurk’s First Solo Show: Pride and Prejudice, An Exhibition on Gay Bullying Read More »
The Day Job exhibition, as a concept, resonated with me because I’m still in a state of exuberance-decompression-worry (it depends on the day) over recently having left my own day job, in an office. This was a varied and interesting show, and here are some of my favorites: Dawn Hunter, a professor of art. About
Day Job at The Drawing Center Read More »
Or, Classicism, Propaganda . . . and Jury Duty I’ve always thought that history could best be taught through art and music. So cheers to the Guggenheim for putting together a great history lesson with Chaos and Classicism: Art in France, Italy, and Germany, 1918-1936. The show blew my mind, and I haven’t been able
Chaos and Classicism at the Guggenheim Read More »
New York artist Maura McGurk has created a sketchbook as part of The Sketchbook Project, sponsored by the Art House Co-op, which will tour various cities around the U.S. McGurk says: “My sketchbook contains collages, drawings, and writings about my daily life from the fall and winter of 2009. They reflect my individual concerns and
Maura McGurk’s Sketchbook to Tour U.S. Read More »
Maura McGurk was chosen as a Featured Artist for the exhibition Paint! at climate/gallery. Her painting Over and Out was selected by juror Jason Andrew, Director of Norte Maar for Collaborative Projects in the Arts, as one of the ten Best in Show. McGurk says the painting was inspired by a layover in Salt Lake City,
Maura McGurk Again Chosen as Featured Artist at climate/gallery Read More »
