Flora and Fauna at Gallery A3 in April
Laura Hollad, Winter Vines, photograph. Photo: c/o Gallery A3
Source: Gallery A3
Artists Laura Holland and Nancy Meagher present a collection of painting, photography and poetry in their new exhibit, FLORA and FAUNA at Gallery A3 in April.
The exhibit opens on Thursday, April 2, and runs through Saturday, May 2. There will be an opening reception at the gallery from 5-7 p.m. on Friday April 10. There will be a free online art forum on Thursday April 16 at 7:30 p.m. Register for the forum here. Gallery A3 is located at 28 Amity Street 1D in the Amherst Cinema Complex. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, 2-7 p.m.
About the Exhibit
Laura Holland, Photography and Artist Books
Laura Holland explores plant life growing inside and outside the glass walls of a greenhouse, in sequences of photographs assembled into artist books. In lushly textured oil paintings, Nancy Meagher revisits two favorite themes: flowers in a vase on a pink table and trees in melting snow on a hillside near her house. Working also with poetry and prose, both artists add stories about animals to the mix of FLORA & FAUNA.
Laura Holland says she probably walked by the greenhouse at least 100 times without seeing it, because she was thinking instead about the small wooden structure that once stood beside it. “According to legend, that worn wooden building was originally a chicken coop. But in my lived experience, it was the foundry where I learned arc welding and bronze casting.” She always intended to record its incongruous architectural details, but the old foundry burned down, and she mourned her failure to seize the moment every time she saw the site where it once stood. One day, a random shaft of late-afternoon sunlight shot out of dark clouds to illuminate the framework of glass, and she saw the greenhouse, as if for the first time. Aiming to capture its burst of ephemeral beauty, she snapped photographs of the paint-splattered glass walls, ambiguous layers of light, deepening indigo shadows, and twisting vines until light faded into dark.
Nancy Meagher, Painting and Poetry
Nancy Meagher says a visit to France last year made her aware of the power of flowers. “Splashy orange flowering vines lured us into a small cafe on the left bank of Paris,” she recalls. More recently, she has been paying attention and painterly tribute to the long-stemmed roses left at sidewalk memorials for fallen Good Samaritans, American heroes. “I’m not trying to portray a lovely painting in Flowers on a Pink Table, but rather my reaction to the energy and the stories radiating from the still life,” she says. “Imagine the table’s history, the dramas the pitcher overheard at different dining room tables, and how the flowers feel when they fade.” Similarly, as Nancy investigates variations of the snow-covered landscape, she feels the energy of trees wrestling with the tangled bittersweet vines and wonders how one tree toppling over affects the others. “I think about relationships in nature,” she sums up.
Slow Art Day
Celebrate International Slow Art Day at Gallery A3 on Saturday, April 11, 2-7 pm. Participate in gently guided Slow Art activities and share your experience with gallery artists. Families are welcome at this free event, with parental supervision required for children under 18.
Art Forum Online
In an Art Forum Online on Thursday, April 16 at 7:30 pm, the artists will speak about their art process and read selected animal stories. Register on the gallery website www.gallerya3.com for this online event, which is free and open to the public. This Art for Community II program is supported in part by a grant from the Amherst Cultural Council, a local agency, which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
About Gallery A3
A cooperative, contemporary fine arts gallery located in downtown Amherst, Gallery A3 is celebrating its 24th anniversary this year. Current members include painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers, and mixed media artists. Over its two-decade history, A3 has been home to over 60 member-artists, mounting monthly exhibits and offering cultural events and community collaborations. The Gallery hosts opening receptions every month and community outreach programs, free and open to the public, are scheduled on the third Thursday. The Art for Community II outreach program is supported in part by grants from the Amherst Cultural Council, a local agency, which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.