Contact:
Laura Morrison
Women’s Caucus for Art
lauramorrisonart@comcast.net
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A Magnetic Attraction--
Contemporary Public Art coming to Concord, NH
Concord, NH— The “Magnet Open Art Project” (MOAP) is a public art exhibition of fridge magnet art in which anybody can pick up a piece of contemporary art FOR FREE! Organized by artists, Tom Hosmer and Alban Low in partnership with New Hampshire Chapter of the The Women’s Caucus for Art (WCA-NH), it is the first exhibition of it’s kind in North America. MOAP is modeled on magnet art exhibitions organized by Low in England. The magnet art will be exhibited on salvaged fridge doors on Friday, August 26 from 4-10 pm at the Minor Threat Pop-Up Gallery. The Gallery is a temporary, instant gallery that will “pop-up” for only two days on August 26-27 in a vacant office space provided by owner/realtor, Mark Ciborowski, at 122 Main Street in Concord, NH. The art will then be moved to Main Street storefronts in downtown Concord on Saturday, August 27 for eager collectors to find and take home for free! Each magnet has a serial number and web address, so the new owner can find out more about the artist by checking the MOAP website at www.artconcord.blogspot.com.
“It’s clear that artists have thoughtfully chosen their best work to submit to the show because the quality of the artwork we have received is astonishing,” observed Laura Morrison, WCA-NH Co-Exhibitions Chair. Artists were invited to submit one image to the show to be made into a magnet for the exhibition. A second magnet will be sent to the artists for their participation in the show. “ WCA-NH has been creating exhibitions throughout the state for over 15 years but this is the first public art exhibition that we have partnered on. The exhibition was inclusive to both men and women and was designed to be local as well as international in it’s scope. There were no barriers to participation other than the fact that we only had a limited number of slots to fill and artists needed access to a computer to enter. It was literally first come, first served. Any artist from anywhere could participate.”
David Carroll, Laurette Carroll, Alban Low, Melissa Miller and Pam Tarbell were invited to be the Featured Artists for the exhibition and have several pieces in the show. “We were honoured that these artists so eagerly agreed to participate in MOAP. The basic concept of Public Art is to bring art out of the gallery and into the community for free. It pulls down the barriers and makes art accessible to everyone,” Morrison said. “New Hampshire artists are well represented but we have also received artwork from all over the world. The exhibition is an incredible blending of local and international art.”
Photographer, Tom Hosmer, was the driving force behind bringing the project to the States. He had participated in the magnet art exhibition, Brighton Open, organized by artist, Alban Low in Brighton Beach, England in May 2011. Hosmer explains, “I had a really great experience participating in the exhibition and thought it would be a wonderful project to bring to the US. After gaining Alban’s permission, I approached WCA to partner with me to create the Magnet Open Art Project. Alban has been incredibly helpful acting as an advisor for the project . He set up the website and posted the images for us as they rolled in It has truly been a team effort working with Alban and WCA-NH.”
Alban Low is busy at work on the other side of the pond creating another magnet art exhibition that will be on the same day as the show in Concord. The Rarities 2011 Exhibition will be on view at the gates of the pier in Hastings, England on August 27. Catch a glimpse of the artwork at www.rarities2011.blogspot.com. The show at Hastings follows a similar ones in Brighton, Bath and Manchester, England as well as an exhibition in Denmark. “So you can see the idea is growing in terms of numbers of artists and attenders - and spreading geographically as well,“ Low says, “You don’t need money or a gallery to get your art on show or get yourself a little miniature to stick on the fridge.”
The Currier Museum of Art and The New Hampshire Institute of Art are major sponsors of this unique exhibition. Local businesses, Concord Camera, Main Street Bookends, PrintNH, Rowlands Art and Gallery 23 and Red River Theatres have also offered their enthusiastic support to the Magnet Open Art Project.
For more information about the the Magnet Open Art Project visit the website at www.artconcord.blogspot.com.
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Photo Credits:
Photo Credits:
DavidCarroll_Turtle.jpg
Spotted Turtles With Wild Plum by David M. Carroll. New Hampshire naturalist-artist, David M. Carroll, is a MacArthur Foundation Fellow and author of three acclaimed natural histories: THE YEAR OF THE TURTLE; TROUT REFLECTIONS; and SWAMP-WALKER’S JOURNAL.
Tarbell_RedTrees.jpg
Red Trees by Pam Tarbell. Artist and gallerist, Pam Tarbell, owns the Mill Brook Gallery and Sculpture Gardens in Concord, NH.
Magnets_Concord.jpg
Photo Credit: Tom Hosmer Art Magnets will be on storefronts in downtown Concord on Saturday, August 26 for eager collectors to find and take home for free!
