PAIN GAME // Berlin exhibition opening Jan 12, 2018

FIRED UP // solo exhibition

FIRED UP // Natalie Baxter

Carlos Gallery, Nabit Art Building, Sewanee, TN

Nov 1 - Dec 16, 2017

Fired Up is an exhibition of recent works by Natalie Baxter that showcases an interpretation of the current political landscape in the United States. After Baxter’s series, Warm Gun, a collection of quilted firearms gained press, the work drew inevitable criticism from online commenters and internet trolls. Baxter explores the culture of online hate through sewn wall hangings that depict some of the comments she received, such as those that question her sexuality and her role as a woman. The work focuses on a microcosm of online hate in order to shed light on a larger conversation about the divisive nature of society and masked aggression.

Baxter’s soft sculpture work combines sewing and quilting techniques learned from her grandmother with recognizable American iconography to produce pointed cultural commentary. Her visually inviting sculptures distort male imagery, bringing ‘macho’ phrases and objects into a traditionally feminine sphere while questioning their potency.

GIVE US THE VOTE

On View: October 10 2017 – January 27, 2018

WHERE: ArtsWestchester Gallery
31 Mamaroneck Avenue
White Plains, NY

Gallery Hours:
Tue – Fri, 12-5pm | Sat 12-6pm

Opening Day Program: Saturday, October 7,  2017, 3pm
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 7, 2017, 4-6pm

ArtsWestchester’s “Give Us The Vote” is inspired by the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in New York State. This contemporary art exhibition in downtown White Plains examines the state of voting rights in America today.

The idea that American democracy is government “by the people, for the people” is fundamental to our national identity, yet the history of who has access to the ballot box in America is troubled. The right to vote is the most contested in American democracy. “Give Us the Vote” is a contemporary art exhibition inspired by the one hundredth anniversary of the victory for women’s voting rights in New York State, and examines the state of voting rights in America today.

The suffragist movement was one of the most powerful grassroots political movement of the 20th century. Women and men from all walks of life rallied together to win women an equal say in the democratic process and full recognition as citizens. The battle for the ballot raged through the Civil Rights Movement leading to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, ensuring that the right to vote would not be denied on account of race or color. Still, not every citizen has equal access to the polls. Each election cycle reveals remaining disenfranchised populations and raises controversy about who should, can and does vote. In addition to recognizing the achievements of the suffragists, artworks will address the many enduring barriers to the ballot including gerrymandering, stringent voter registration requirements, voter registration roll purges, and revisions to the Voting Rights Act.

Contributing Artists:

Natalie Baxter

Gregg Guest

Michele Pred

Nicole Bricker

Carla Rae Johnso

nLise Prown & Curt Belshe

Robert Brush

Yashua Klos

Philippe Safire

Zoe Buckman

Steve Lambert

Jeffrey Schrier

Laurel Garcia

ColvinAnn Lewis

Richard Tomasello

Tom Fruin

Miguel Luciano

Johanna Goodman

Rebecca Mushtare

CLEARLY CONFUSED

CLEARLY CONFUSED

From Oct. 3 – Nov. 4, Fountain Gallery (330 Main St., Lafayette) will exhibit CLEARLY CONFUSED by Natalie Baxter. The opening reception will be at 5:30PM on Tuesday, Oct. 3, and will feature a talk by the artist. 

Natalie Baxter learned to sew and quilt from her “Appalachian, gun-owning granny.” Her recent work uses craft materials and techniques to create plush guns, bloated flags, and pillows embroidered with social media comments. Interested in concepts of place identity, nostalgia, and gender stereotypes, Baxter’s soft sculptures take sensitive, challenging, and divisive social and political topics and turns them into humorous, droopy, bloated, and sometimes flamboyant objects. Through this transformation, Baxter strives to create an approachable entry point from which to unpack political issues that have become points of division in today’s political and social landscape. Natalie Baxter’s work has been exhibited widely throughout the U.S.A.. She has been featured in The New York Times, Jealous Curator, Huffington Post, The Guardian, and Hyperallergic. 

Fountain Gallery is located at 330 Main St. in downtown Lafayette and is open 12-7PM, Tuesday - Saturday. All Purdue Galleries exhibits and events are free and open to the public. For class and group visits, contact Erika Kvam at 765-494-3061. For more information, visit http://www.purdue.edu/galleries or follow @PurdueGalleries on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

WHEN: Oct. 3, 5:30 - 7:00 pm

LOCATION: Fountain Gallery, 330 Main St., Lafayette

ADMISSION: Free and open to the public

FIRED UP, MELTED DOWN

Fired Up, Melted Down
Exhibition Curated by Regina Parkinson
Featuring the work of Natalie Baxter and Devra Freelander

Fired Up, Melted Down is an exhibition examining the current temperament of American politics, specifically addressing the issues of gun violence and climate change. Devra Freelander and Natalie Baxter are both emerging female artists based in Brooklyn. Although they address vastly different subjects matters, they both use non-traditional sculptural methods and create work that functions as an access point to important topics in our world today.

BITTER CANDY at Vermont Studio Center Gallery II

Bitter Candy
Curated by Shiva Aliabadi

Gallery II, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT
July 26th - August 20th, 2017

Soft opening: Wednesday, August 2nd, 7p to 9p
Official Opening Reception: Saturday, August 12th, 7p to 9p

Artists:
Ayoung Yu
Brittany M. Powell
Yoshie Sakai
Steven Wolkoff
Tessie Salcido Whitmore
Casey Kauffmann
Natalie Baxter
Zac Roach
Maria Fernanda Nuñez
Shiva Aliabadi
uncannysfvalley

The exhibition and its title, Bitter Candy, deal with work that presents a very bright, dynamic surface impression-- that seemingly appears fun or colorful and playful-- but is really imbued with deeper commentary on our society, psychology, relationships, and such. Each artist in this show comes from a unique perspective that addresses this complexity of the playful revealing deeper, heavier realities, ideas, or notions. As the title reveals, while candy is by definition and production sweet, a bitter candy surprises-- with an unexpected reality, pushing the taster out of her/his expectations.

BROAD STRIPES AND BRIGHT STARS

Curated by Aicha Woods and Dave Coon, “Broad Stripes and Bright Stars” is a new exhibition coming to The Ely Center of Contemporary Art, 51 Trumbull Street, New Haven, CT. It presents 60+ years of artists who have creatively responded to the American Flag. The exhibition highlights both the indelible graphic power of the American Flag and its symbolic use in engagement, resistance and resilience. 

Local, acclaimed national and international artists, such as Cey Adams and Helen Zughaib will present artwork. Community engagement events throughout the exhibition will include a short podcast series, performances, youth and veteran engagement and the “Flag Swag” pop-up shop featuring an array of limited edition flag themed multiples by artists. 

The show charts the waves of American Flags in protest and in celebration, as well as the pendulum of First Amendment rulings. A quote from the 1974 U.S. Supreme Court case Spencer vs Washington, is the essence of the exhibition; “It might be said that we all draw something from our national symbol, for it is capable of conveying simultaneously a spectrum of meanings”. 

A list of participating artists include; Francisco ‘Chico’ Aragao, Tom Strong, Christine Tinsley, Cey Adams, Merritt Johnson, Alteronce Gumby, Lisa Kereszi, Marion Belanger, Annie Thornton, Stephen Shore, John T. Hill, Natalie Baxter, DAZE, Jane Fine, Lex Brown, Michael St. John, Destiny Palmer, Sister Corita Kent, Jay Critchley, Marc Morrel, Sket One, Mauricio Cortes Ortega, Laura Genes, Esperanza Mayobre, Moussa Gueye, Susan Clinard, Azzah Sultan, Ruben Marroquin, Consuelo Jimenez Underwood, The Citizen Project, Robert Longo, James Esber, Caitlin Cherry, Erika Ranee, Natalie Ball, Helen Zughaib, Stanwyck Cromwell, Dooley-O, Josh Griffin, Wayne Koestenbaum, Bean Gilsdorf, Zeph Farmby, Insook Hwang, Noe Jimenez, Phil Knoll, Sue Muskat, Robert D’Allesandro, Tizzy Mills, Paolo Arao, Chen Reichert, Phil Lique, Laura Marsh, Aude Jomini, Gabriella Svenningsen, Karin Schaefer, Jim Martin, Walker Evans, Robert D'Alessandro, Jeff Mueller, Norman Ives, Just Seeds Collective, Jesse Albrecht, Eli Wright, John O’Donnell, Bill Becket, Sven Martson, Carol Diehl, Mark Olshansky, Vandana Jain, Laurel Porcari, Leslie Carmin, The New Haven Museum, Chris Crawford, Price Harrison, Martha Lewis, and Mark Williams. 

For more information about “Broad Stripes and Bright Stars” and the Ely Center of Contemporary Arts, contact the center at info@elycenter.org or visit online at http://elycenter.org/