Holliston Public Schools

Take a Virtual Tour of the Studio

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Maine Waters

Recent Work by Kristin Ford

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

6:30 – 8:00 PM

STUDIO370, Holliston High School

370 Hollis Street. Holliston, MA

For more information contact:
Doug Lack @ lackd@holliston.k12.ma.us

The Art Gallery space was developed through grants from the PTSA, Friends of Holliston Youth and Families, HHS Parents' Group, Fiske's General Store and parent contributions. The studio was constructed by parents, faculty and student volunteers. As part of the Studio 370 Mission Statement, "The art gallery is committed to fostering visual literacy and open-ended inquiry, aiming to provoke critical viewing, reflection. discussion and learning"

Past Reviews
courtesy Mrs. Frost's Introduction to Journalism Class

-"Powerful." "Thought-provoking." Such words, inscribed in a visitor's book at Josh MacPhee's "Cut and Paint: A Stencil Art Show" by Holliston High teachers are glowing, but how accurate are they? The majority of the show was indeed comprised of intelligent works of art, but some pieces were redolent of second-grade art projects done with plastic stencils and crayon. For example, an untitled collection by Vanessa Acuna consisted of three small pieces of cardstock hung in a corner, displaying simple black outlines of unrelated images. Sure, the effect was decent, but the plain indifference of the piece clashed strangely with the bold statements of other works in the show. With the exception of a few other seemingly meaningless stencils, the rest of the show was inspired. Less controversial pieces were ones like "Nemo's Girl" by Tobin Windhal and "Marty Garcia" by Ruby. These leaned more towards the effect of traditional paint-and-brush techniques, depicting close-ups of faces and not obviously done by stencil. The black-and-white visage of "Marty Garcia" was softer, the edges less harsh than some other, creating softer, pleasing aesthetics. And of course, the most buzzed-about pieces were the ones with slight to extreme political sides. An untitled by WC Stewart depicts a face looking up, and the words "Stop teaching our children the ways of war now, or they will never learn peace" upon a background of distant military aircrafts. Another political stencil was created by Josh MacPhee himself, reading "Young Americans" in bold block lettering around the image of a cemetery of unmarked graves. The focal point, however, was not a MacPhee. What seemed to be the most popular piece was a huge, spray-painted, untitled masterpiece by Meek. The larger-than-life work was strategically placed opposite the entrance as a focal point, yet far enough from the door so as to not overshadow the smaller pieces. The Meek work consists of a giant puppeteer holding strings that descended to the skyline of a melting, bright-pink city. What does it mean? Well, like the rest of the show, you'll have to decide for yourself.

-Sam P.

-Cut and Paint: A Stencil Art Show

            Upon entering Studio370 here at HHS, the artwork on the walls doesn't call out for attention. It asks to be looked at with an open mind, and thoughtfully considered. It is a part of Cut and Paint: A Stencil Art Show, featuring Josh MacPhee, a 1991 HHS graduate.
     The opening of the show was last Friday, September 30. MacPhee put in an appearance to talk about his art. Of the thirty pieces displayed, six were created by MacPhee.
     In my opinion, the most attention-grabbing piece in the room was one created by Meek. It was done in black, bright pink, and white, and among all the other browns and nuetral colors in the room, it immedietely drew the viewer to itself. It featured a man holding a city on marionette strings. The city appeared to be melting. It caused the viewer to think, and draw their own conclusion from it.
    All of the artwork that is displayed follows a theme: political statements. There was a lot on war and peace, and the wreckage of today's society. "It had a regretful feeling," says Kate Hamre, a freshman at HHS. "It calls for people to wake up and look around, and see that all this urban and materialistic stuff isn't good." Most of the pieces were done in nuetral colors such as browns and blacks. The other colors used were the primary colors: red, blue, and yellow.
     Each piece included a card beneath it that stated the artist and the title, however, there was no information concerning the atrist or the artist's background. I think that would've added to the show, offering the viewer an insight to what the artist hoped to achieve with their artwork. Despite this, I enjoyed the show. I think stenciling is a creative way to show a political opnion. It gets the point across without being tactless. I think the show was certainly an eye-opener and a successful

-Madeline R.