NEW CANAAN, CT, Sept. 6, 2024—The 74th A•ONE at Silvermine Galleries celebrates a wide spectrum of forms and ideas as well as innovation in composition and materials. This year’s exhibition addresses a common thread running through the majority of these works—a reconnection to the natural world. A•ONE, which began in 1949, is Silvermine’s signature exhibition, known equally for compelling works of art and for the luminaries who have served as jurors. Silvermine Galleries will host an opening reception—free and open to the public—on Sat., Sept. 14, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The exhibition runs from Sept. 7 through Oct. 24.
Natural elements serve as a foundation for many of the works in the exhibition, but in the words of juror Lisa Carlson, “these works challenge conventional representations of nature, encouraging viewers to reflect on their personal relationship with the environment and consider the impact of human actions on the world around them.” Many of the works also delve into “interior landscapes of the mind.” Both figurative and abstract works evoke the fluidity and complexity of nature and human experience.
Marita Setas Ferro’s soft, intricate textile sculpture is based on marine life. Her bold and harmonious sense of form and color invite the viewer to linger.
The use of pattern finds fresh expression in the works of Brigid Kennedy and Paul Landesman and in the sculptures of Donna Namnoun and Tini Pinto. Metals and their reactive processes bring sea-green verdigris and the warm earth tones of oxidation to Bonnie Ralston’s prints. Marc Kemeny’s abstract works in watercolor, gouache, and graphite bring colorful geometric and organic elements into expert compositions that dazzle and uplift.
Lisa Carlson, Senior Director of the Jane Lombard Gallery in New York City, served as this year’s juror. She has worked in both public and private arts institutions in New York, London, and Los Angeles. Carlson earned a B.A. in Art History and Theory at U.C. Santa Cruz and went on to earn her master’s degree in Art History from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Upon moving to New York, Carlson worked at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Sotheby’s, and sothebys.com. In London, she joined Gagosian Gallery. In Los Angeles, Carlson curated an ambitious 30th Anniversary publication project, Living the Archives: LACE in Print at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions. Over her twelve-year tenure at Jane Lombard Gallery, Carlson has developed the gallery programming, growing the roster with international and local artists of both emerging and mid-career status. She continues to advance the gallery’s mission as an incubator for the ideas and motivations of artists, from geo-political awareness to formal innovation.
Throughout its history, A•ONE has featured the work of many prominent artists including Louise Nevelson, Elaine de Kooning, and Milton Avery, and jurors have included major critics, curators, and directors from influential art institutions. A•ONE was established in 1949 as the New England Exhibition. Known recently as Art of the Northeast, it now draws artists from all over the U.S. and the world.
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