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April 20 - June 1, 2013
ABOUT FACE: Compelling Portraits

Work by artists Glenn Szegedy and Janet Wolahan.

Artists' Reception: Saturday, May 4, 2 - 4 pm.

Artists' Talks: Saturday, May 18, 2 - 4 pm.

Because of the many different forms they take, portraits can be used for a variety of dynastic, commemorative, personal, and propagandist purposes. They can be purely documentary or a means of addressing complex social and cultural issues. Portraits can be considered aesthetic objects, but they can equally be seen to act as a substitute for the individual they represent, or as conveying an aura of power, beauty, youth, or other abstract qualities. Portraiture's extraordinary longevity and resilience as a genre is a testament to the power of the interaction among the subject, the artist and the viewer.

About Face:Compelling Portraits, and exhibition of portraits at the Brush Art Gallery & Studios, Lowell, MA, explores this fascinating art form in the work of Glenn Szegedy and Janet Wolohan. Szegedy and Wolohan have each created a body of work specifically for this exhibition. Their pieces are very large, filling the walls almost from ceiling to floor, making for a very dramatic show. Click here for press release.

June 8 - August 3, 2013
Brush Studio Artists' Exhibition: Breaking Out
A survey of art by our own artists!
Artists' Reception: Thursday, June 13, 5 - 7 pm

Press Release: Click Here.

Top row, L to R Donna Murray Bill Giavis Lolita Demers Gay Tracy Chrissy Theo Hungate Deirdre Grunwald Pamela Wamala Steve Noroian Bottom row, L to R Cindy Hughes Will Winslow Penny Cox Carol Boileau Not pictured: Leslie MacPhail

August 8 - September 7, 2013
Art Quilts Lowell 2013: Tangled Up in Blue
(A venue of the Lowell Quilt Festival)

Juror: Valarie Pratt Poitier

Artists' Reception: Saturday, August 10, 2 - 4 pm.

We are now accepting applications for this exhibition. Click here for prospectus/application. DEADLINE 4:00 PM, JUNE 1 (delivered not postmarked)

Today, quilts are finally overcoming their old-fashioned reputation. Once perceived as blocklike, follow-the-rules fabric sandwiches, contemporary art quilts — with the emphasis on art — break the conventional code. The quilt artist seeks to innovate by applying art principles and art experience from other areas like drawing, painting, and sculpting as well as working with the tactile richness of fabric and adding the textures of quilting stitches. As defined by The Art Quilt Association, "The contemporary art quilt is an original exploration of a concept rather than a traditional pattern. It experiments with textile manipulation, color, texture and a diversity of mixed media." 

The concept for this year's Art Quilts Lowell at the Brush Gallery in Lowell is Tangled Up in Blue.

Other events at the Brush during the Lowell Quilt Festival:

Friday, August 9

• Trunk Show. Friday, August 9, 6 - 9 pm. Back by popular demand, Nancy McDonough of Kyoto Kimono (www.kyotokimono.com) displays and sells a wide array of vintage silks, kimonos and other beautiful creations.
• Author's Talk. Friday, August 9, 7 - 9 pm. Author Judy Bustwick (www.judybuswick.com) discusses her book, Sally Palmer Field, New England Quilter.
  
  

Saturday, August 10

• Book Signing. Saturday, noon to 2:00 pm. Author Judy Bustwick (www.judybuswick.com) hosts a book signing for Sally Palmer Field, New England Quilter.
• Trunk Show. Saturday, 11 - 5 pm. Nancy McDonough of Kyoto Kimono (www.kyotokimono.com) again displays and sells her vintage silks, kimonos and more!
• Artists' Reception. Saturday, 4 - 4 pm. Opening reception for the artists displaying work in the Brush's Tangled Up in Blue exhibition of beautiful art quilts.
  

September 14 - October 26, 2013
Print Show, title TBA
(One of the Venues of the 2013 Boston Printmakers Biennial)

November 2 - December 7, 2013
In Cold Blood: Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish
(Part of the Brush's Art of Nature Exhibition Series)

Artists' Reception: TBA

Juror: TBA

A juried exhibition celebrating the cold-blooded creatures of our planet.

This exhibition and programming is made possible in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

December 14, 2013 - January 25, 2014
Brush Gallery Members' Show: Prêt à Porter

Small, affordable works to purchase and carry.
(Opening during Holiday Marketplace Weekend

February 1 - March 8, 2014
TBA

March 12 - March 15
SPECIAL EXHIBITION AND RAFFLE OF 4" X 4" ORIGINAL PAINTINGS
This fun event raises funds for the Brush's Alice Giavis Memorial Art Scholarship.

March 22, 2014 - April 26, 2014
Visual Voices VI
Artwork by Lowell's Students

May 3, 2014 - June 14, 2014
Black & White Classic Juried Photography Show
(A venue of Lowell Photography Weekend)

June 28 - August 2, 2014
Brush Studio Artists' Exhibition

August 9 - September 13, 2014
Art Quilts Lowell, 2014

September 20 - October 18, 2014
The Art of Tom Gill

October 25 - November 29, 2014
Jeannette O'Connor: Winner of Massachusetts Artists 2013 Best in Show Award

December 6 - January 14, 2015
Brush Gallery Members' Show: Prêt à Porter

Small, affordable works to purchase and carry.
(Opening during Holiday Marketplace Weekend

R e c e n t    2 0 1 2 - 2 0 1 3    E x h i b i t i o n s

March 9 - April 13, 2013
MASSACHUSETTS ARTISTS 2013 -- SHOWCASE OF CONTEMPORARY ART

Juror: Dina Deitsch, Curator of Contemporary Art, DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum

Artists' Reception: Saturday, March 16, 2013, 2 - 4 pm.

Best in Show receives a solo show in 2014.

Lowell is, and continues to become, a major destination for artists. The Brush Art Gallery is pleased to present the 5th Massachusetts Artists exhibition of contemporary work by top artists from all over the state of Massachusetts. Featured will be a diverse range of work including paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, mixed media and sculpture.

Unju Sim, Red Yellow Black 2

The Artists: Janet Albert Sandra Cardillo Paula Estey Helga Butzer Felleisen Ivana George Luba Shapiro Grenader Elizabeth Harris Joanne Holtje Tom Jefferies Carol K. Keller Jill Kolva David J Leblanc Jane Lincoln Anita Loomis Elaine McMichael Jeanette O'Connor Edward S. Porzio Coleman Rogers Emily Sandagata George Shaw Unju Sim Miranda Updike Ariel Wolff

February 28 - March 2, 2013
SPECIAL EXHIBITION AND RAFFLE OF 4" X 4" ORIGINAL PAINTINGS

FOUR BY FOUR FOR EDUCATION

March 2, 2013, 2 - 5 pm at the Brush

Thanks to the wonderful artists who created beautiful art work for our fundraiser, we raised over $3000.00 for our Alice Giavis Memorial Art Scholarship! You are the best!

December 8, 2012 - February 9, 2013
BRUSH ART GALLERY'S ANNUAL MEMBERS' SHOW
with the New England Sculptors Association
Artists' Reception: Saturday, December 8, 2 - 4 pm

Juror: Jim Coates, Professor, Department of Art, UMass Lowell

The Brush is again collaborating with the New England Sculptors Association (NESA) to host a beautiful 2D and 3D exhibition. See paintings, drawings, pastels, quilts, photography and more. See sculpture in a range of media: bronze, wood, stone, metals and ceramics.

Image: Warrior II by Lisa Bohnwagner

This Year's Artists:

November 3 - December 1, 2012
ENCOUNTERS WITH CANCER
Artwork by cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones.

Jurors: Lola Baltzell and Bess Cutler: artists, activists and survivors.

Exhibition installed by Kevin Bird of Bird Hill Design

November 6 : Talks and Lectures NOTE: These have been postponed until spring; date to be determined. Please check back for updates!
November 8: Brush Gallery/Lowell General Hospital Fundraiser 6 - 8 pm at the Brush Gallery. To purchase tickets on-line easily and securely, go to www.teamwalk.org; click on eStore; click on Event Tickets; choose Encounters with Cancer.
November 10 : Artists' Reception 2 - 4 pm at both the Brush Gallery and Lowell Telecommunications Gallery. Click here to see pictures of the artists' receptions.

Suffering, surviving or caring for someone with cancer changes us forever. Encounters with Cancer uses art to focus on this experience. The exhibition is open to artists who are currently battling cancer, who have survived cancer or who are caring for someone with cancer. Artwork should reflect the artist's experience with this disease. All two dimensional and three dimensional work is welcome.

The Brush Gallery will be working with Lowell General Hospital to raise funds for and awareness about Lowell General's CancerCare, a program that provides many free services to cancer victims and their families. What makes this program so exceptional is that, unlike other programs that benefit cancer research efforts, CancerCare helps cancer patients and their families when and where they need it most – here and now. And it isn’t about finding a cure, but about finding hope, courage and strength to live as fully as possible. For example, while insurance covers many costs of cancer care, it doesn’t extend to such necessities as food and shelter – basics that can be threatened when someone is receiving cancer treatment and unable to work. CancerCare funds also help pay for medication, nutritional supplements, wigs and prostheses, transportation to and from treatment, skilled nursing visits, and supportive services to patients with all types of cancer. Plus, every dollar raised stays right here in Greater Lowell.

Artists exhibiting in Encounters with Cancer are:

Showing at the adjacent Lowell Telecommunications Corporation Gallery and in conjunction with Encounters with Cancer will be the Eli Lilly's Oncology on Canvas collection as well as artwork by patients and survivors who participate in Lowell General's Support Services and Wellness Programs.

September 22 - October 27, 2012
A BRUSH WITH NATURE: Exhibition by the New England Society of Botanical Artists (NESBA)
Reception: Saturday, September 22, 2 - 4 pm
Artists' Talks: Saturday, September 22, during and after the reception
Special exhibition of botanical work by talented Lowell High School photography students. Date: September 22 11:00 - 4:00 pm, September 23, 12:00 - 4:00 pm

This exhibition of exquisite paintings and drawings by the New England Society of Botanical Artists (NESBA) displays a full range of beautiful botanicals.

Botanical illustration has long been admired for its beauty, but beneath its surface, this art form has great scientific and historical significance.

The main goal of botanical illustration is not art, but scientific accuracy. It must portray a plant with the precision and level of detail for it to be recognized and distinguished from another species. This need for exactness differentiates botanical illustration from more general flower painting. Many great artists have portrayed flowers but because their goal was simply aesthetic, accuracy was not always necessary or intended.

Equally fascinating is the historical significance of botanical illustration. Botanists and artists sailed with explorers facing the same challenges and dangers. Many expeditions were supported by colonial governments keen on gaining further knowledge of the lands they possessed or wanted to possess. In the process of collecting, recording and illustrating specimens from distant parts of the globe, botanists and botanical illustrators contributed to the international dispersal of flora. Transferring or propagating plants in botanical gardens back home naturally led to the spread of species, while publishing books on a region’s plants provided a means of organizing, simplifying, and containing the life of that place.

In the hands of the talented botanical artists of NESBA, botanical illustration goes far beyond its scientific requirements and remarkable history.

Participating NESBA Artists:

We are grateful to the Massachusetts Audubon Society and the Lowell Nationional Historical Park for their support of this exhibition and programming.

This exhibition and programming is made possible in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

June 16 - August 4, 2012
13 ARTISTS CELEBRATE 30TH BRUSH GALLERY BIRTHDAY
Annual Exhibition by the Artists at the Brush
Reception: Thursday, June 21, 5 - 8 pm

*** This is one of the the first exhibitions in the region, and the first in Lowell to be lit entirely by energy-efficient LED bulbs. The Brush Gallery and its artists thank the City of Lowell's BetterBuildings program for making this possible!***

April 28 - June 9, 2012
ON AND OFF THE WALL: Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings
Reception: Sunday, May 6, 2 - 4 pm

A colorful, imaginative and edgy collection of work by Andover artist Gay Tracy and Lowell artist David Barton.

March 10 - April 21, 2012
VISUAL VOICES V: Lowell Schools City-Wide Exhibition
Reception: Saturday, March 17, 1 - 4 pm

A Biennial Celebration of Lowell's Students and Their Artwork

March 10 - April 2012; Opening Reception: March 17, 1 - 4 All Galleries Enjoy the artwork of Lowell's students in a multi gallery, multi school, multi grade exhibition! See work from the following Lowell schools: CW Morey, McAvinnue, McAufliffe, Lincoln, Greenhalge, Bailey, Bartlett, Reilly, Pawtucketville Memorial, Shaughnessy, Washington, Sullivan, Stoklosa, Robinson, Pyne Arts, Daley, Butler, Immaculate Conception, Wang, Hellenic American Academy, Lowell High School, Lowell Vocational High School, Middlesex Charter School, Franco American School. Opening receptions run from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm at all three galleries:

Artwork from Lowell's Elementary Schools Brush Gallery & Artists' Studios 256 Market Street, Lowell, MA 01852 (behind the National Park Visitor Center) www.thebrush.org/directions 978-469-7819 Award Ceremony: 1:30 pm Click here to see photographs from the exhibition Aaron Le Poer, 4th Grade

Artwork from Lowell's Middle Schools Lowell Telecommunications Corporation Gallery 246 Market Street, Lowell, MA 01852 (across from the National Park Visitor Center) www.ltc.org/facility_and_hours Award Ceremony: 2:30 pm Click here to see photographs from the exhibition Shirin Rahman, 8th Grade

Artwork from Lowell's High Schools The Whistler House Museum of Art 243 Worthen Street, Lowell, MA 01852 www.whistlerhouse.org 978-452-7641 Award Ceremony: 3:30 pm Click here to see photographs from the exhibition Sokpagna Chuon, High School

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Lowell Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency We are grateful to the Greater Lowell Community Foundation for supporting this program