North Adams, Mass. — MCLA Gallery 51 announces its new online program, the G51 Virtual Artist Series, will be held live on Zoom, at noon on alternating Saturdays, beginning May 2020. Local, regional, national, and international artists will give virtual tours of their studios and discuss their practices. Discussions with the artists will also be recorded for later viewing.
The series kicked off on Saturday, May 16, with North Adams-based painter Galen Cheney. The Gallery’s full spring programming schedule is available on its website.
“We are excited to have these incredible artists join us and give us access to their practice,” said Gallery 51 Manager Veronica Preciado. “It is a wonderful opportunity for people to meet and interact with artists across the globe, no matter their physical location.”
Future events in the G51 Virtual Artist Series are as follows:
Saturday, May 30: Gerald Sheffield
Gerald Euhon Sheffield II is an artist and educator living and working in Los Angeles. His work explores the margins of representation regarding national identity, cultural heritage, and western art history as it relates to everyday life in the U.S. Sheffield is currently working on a series of paintings and drawings reflecting on the intersections of Black life and Central Asian Muslim society, based on his experiences living abroad in Uzbekistan on a Fulbright Grant in 2019.
Saturday, June 13: Gladys Kalichini
Gladys Melina Kalichini is known for paintings, digital work, and installations that explore history and the marginalization of certain groups. Originally from Lusaka, Zambia, Kalichini is also a researcher who has been a part of multiple projects as a member of SARChI: Geopolitics and the Arts of Africa. She received her MFA from Rhodes University in South Africa and exhibits across the globe.
Saturday, June 27: Todd Elliott
Todd Elliott, a multidisciplinary artist who graduated from Rhode Island School of Design, lives and works in Portland, Ore. Inspired by learning to make new things, Elliott shares these experiences as a community education instructor at the Pacific Northwest School of Art. His work is inspired by shapes and forms used in architectural motifs, transpiration design, typography, and logos.
Saturday, July 11: Sula Bermudez-Silverman
Originally from New York, Sula Bermudez-Silverman earned her MFA from Yale and now lives and practices in Los Angeles. Her conceptual work intertwines multiple issues, investigating and critiquing the issues of race, gender, and economics. Her Afro-Puerto Rican and Jewish descent continues to be a source of inspiration and curiosity.
Saturday, July 25: Kim Faler
Kim Faler is a local, multidisciplinary artist working in painting, drawing, installation, sculpture, and photography. Her art practice unpacks the emotional weight found within everyday objects and architecture. By adjusting what is deemed foreign and familiar, she questions the value we have placed on our memories and routines, as well as our understanding of the passage of time.
Saturday, Aug. 8: Anina Major
Anina Major is a Bahamian-born artist working with topics of identity, slavery, the female body, Bahamian culture, and more. She considers her creative practice to be a response to continuous erasure and a culture that is constantly being oversimplified. While her MFA from Rhode Island School of Design is in ceramics, she also utilizes glass, found objects, tapestry, and installation to convey her message.
About MCLA:
At MCLA, we’re here for all — and focused on each — of our students. Classes are taught by educators who care deeply about teaching, and about seeing their students thrive on every level of their lives. Nearly 93% of our graduates land competitive jobs or are accepted by some of the best grad schools in the country. We engage in the most nationally relevant conversations by hosting some of the most celebrated thinkers and speakers on our campus in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, an area known for its mountain ranges, hiking trails, and panoramic views. Our home town of North Adams is brimming with young, creative energy and the regional economy is booming as a result. In nearly every way possible, the experience at MCLA is designed to elevate you as an individual, a leader, and a communicator, fully empowered to make your impression on the world.
For more information, go to www.mcla.edu.