Ferrin Contemporary News

29
Aug
2023

Ferrin Contemporary Presents | SERGEI ISUPOV | The Road to Cummington at Project Art

Sergei Isupov | The Road to Cummington

In-person artist talks At Project Art at 54 Main Street during the 2023 Hilltown Open Studio Tour

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 30 & SUNDAY OCTOBER 1

CUMMINGTON, MA—

Join Ferrin Contemporary as it sponsors its Open House/ Talk & Tour Event at the Cummington Space:

In 2006, Sergei Isupov moved to Cummington, MA to establish Project Art with Leslie Ferrin, director of Ferrin Contemporary. Arriving in the USA in 1994 from Estonia, he lived in Kentucky, Virginia and now, for 17 years in Cummington. Isupov was joined by his wife, Kadri Pärnamets from Estonia in 2008. Their daughter Roosi, now 13, grew up at Project Art and is also creating artwork in the family’s shared studio. Sergei’s family who still live in Kyiv, Ukraine, are also producing artists.

Isupov’s reputation is international, both as a sculptor and teacher. He is highly sought after by students who seek him out from throughout the world to take workshops and participate in his performance-based fire sculptures. Isupov’s works are shown and collected in museums throughout the world. A recent mosaic 10′ high sculpture “Miss Comet” was produced in 2022 with shards donated by the community and is now on view permanently on Main Street in the newly designated Cummington Cultural District, the first awarded to a small, rural community by Mass Cultural Council.

This event is sponsored by Ferrin Contemporary.

For more information about HOST, visit the Hilltown Arts Alliance website.

Ferrin Contemporary, Sergei Isupov: PAST & PRESENT, 2022, Photo Credit John Polak

Isupov’s ceramic sculptures on view in the gallery at Project Art trace his career with works made in studios throughout the world (Estonia, Hungary, and in the USA) and date from 1990 – present. 

Sergei Isupov will give a tour of Project Art and speak about his work each day, September 30 and October 1 at 1 pm

The talk will run for 45 minutes and is limited to 30 people each day at Project Art at 54 Main Street, Cummington.

RSVP for SATURDAY

September 30 Talk/Tour HERE

RSVP for SUNDAY

October 1 Talk/Tour HERE

Project Art Open House

During the Hilltown Open Studio Tour

Project Art, located at 54 Main Street, Cummington, MA 01026

Part of the Open House at Project Art

during the 2023 Hilltown Open Studio Tour

Ferrin Contemporary will open the doors of its 54 Main Street Showroom to the public.

Beginning September 30th, the long-time residents of Cummington will be open by appointment to interested collectors, arts professionals, ceramic artists, and art fans.

Stop by 54 Main Street in Cummington MA to meet Sergei Isupov and Kadri Parnamets and see their wonderful work.

Sergei Isupov, Artist Portrait, 2022 with Past & Present Installation. Photo by John Polak Photography.
Sergei Isupov with Kadri Parnamets, “Miss Comet”, 2022 Installation, Project Art, Cummington, MA
Kadri Pärnamets, Artist Portrait, 2022
Project Art’s 54 Main Street Gallery, 2023, Work by Sergei Isupov and Kadri Parnamets
Mara Superior, “Let the Sun Shine on Moi”, 2023, English porcelain, cobalt oxide, 24kt gold leaf, glaze, 11 x 14.25 x .5”.
Lauren Mabry Installation for “Are We There Yet?”, Exhibition at Ferrin Contemporary in North Adams, MA Wall Pieces (left to right: Lauren Mabry, “Scrapyard No.2, No.4, No.3, No.1″, 2023, ceramic, glaze, ~12 x 10 x 2” (each). Sculpture (below): Lauren Mabry, “Glaze Flow Cylinder No.1″, 2021, ceramic, glaze, 7.75 x 13.5 x13”. Photo by John Polak Photography

MORE ON SERGEI ISUPOV

 

Sergei Isupov Artist Portrait, 2021, Photo Credit: John Polak

Isupov’s ceramic sculptures on view in the gallery at Project Art trace his career with works made in studios throughout the world (Estonia, Hungary, and the USA) and date from 1990 – present.

Sergei Isupov is an Estonian-American sculptor internationally known for his highly detailed, narrative works. Isupov explores painterly figure-ground relationships, creating surreal sculptures with a complex artistic vocabulary that combines two- and three-dimensional narratives and animal/human hybrids. He works in ceramics using traditional hand-building and sculpting techniques to combine surface and form with narrative painting using colored stains highlighted with clear glaze.
Learn more about Sergei Isupov here.
Posted by AxelJ in Blog, News
29
Aug
2023

ANNOUNCING | Ferrin Contemporary Anchors at Project Art in Cummington, MA

Ferrin Contemporary Anchors at Project Art in 2023

NORTH ADAMS, MA to CUMMINGTON, MA

ARE WE THERE YET? is a celebration of Ferrin Contemporary’s 40+ years as leaders in the field of modern and contemporary ceramics. What began in 1979 as a woman-owned cooperative studio and gallery in Northampton, MA has flourished across the years and the locations to become the international ceramic experts and material champions known as Ferrin Contemporary.

Part of the Open House at Project Art

during the 2023 Hilltown Open Studio Tour

Ferrin Contemporary will open the doors of its 54 Main Street Showroom to the public.

Lauren Mabry Installation for “Are We There Yet?”, Exhibition at Ferrin Contemporary in North Adams, MA Wall Pieces (left to right: Lauren Mabry, “Scrapyard No.2, No.4, No.3, No.1″, 2023, ceramic, glaze, ~12 x 10 x 2” (each). Sculpture (below): Lauren Mabry, “Glaze Flow Cylinder No.1″, 2021, ceramic, glaze, 7.75 x 13.5 x13”. Photo by John Polak Photography
Kadri Pärnamets Installation for “Are We There Yet?”, Exhibition at Ferrin Contemporary in North Adams, MA Wall Pieces: Kadri Pärnamets, “Cups”, 2022-2023, ceramic, glaze, ~12 x 12 x 4″ (each). Sculptures: Kadri Pärnamets, “Frame of Mind (#5, 6, 9, 10, 7 pictured top left to bottom right)”, 2023, porcelain, slip, glaze, ~4.5 x 5 x 4″ (each). Vases: Kadri Pärnamets, “Vase Yellow” & “Vase Blue”, 2023, porcelain, slip, glaze, ~9 x 6 x 6″ (each). Photo by John Polak Photography
Project Art’s 54 Main Street Gallery, 2023, Work by Sergei Isupov and Kadri Parnamets
Sergei Isupov, “Miss Comet”, 2022 Installation, Project Art, Cummington, MA
Mara Superior, “Let the Sun Shine on Moi”, 2023, English porcelain, cobalt oxide, 24kt gold leaf, glaze, 11 x 14.25 x .5”.

WHAT YOU WILL SEE

During the course of four decades, the gallery has championed artists whose primary medium is clay. Beginning with a commitment to providing support for living artists, decades-long relationships grew with artists whose works explore traditions and history, deliver social commentary, experiment with the material, and use the medium to challenge themselves to produce new works.

As part of the exhibition Are We There Yet? that ushered Ferrin Contemporary from North Adams to Cummington, selected classic works will be presented directly from the artists’ archives or offered by private collectors, illustrating career highlights both in the Project Art 54 Main Street Showroom and online.

The exhibition asks us, the artists, and the collectors to reflect on the road we’ve taken and invites the public to join the dialog while we speculate about the future.

Ferrin Contemporary, “Are We There Yet?”, 2023, Exhibition Portrait with Isabel Twanmo (Gallerist pictured left), Leslie Ferrin (Director pictured center), & Alexandra Jelleberg (Gallerist pictured right), Photo by John Polak Photography

WHY HERE? WHY NOW?

With the 2023 designation of Cummington as a cultural district, and the central location of Project Art to the gallery’s lives and growing focuses, the choice to highlight this unique space and follow this momentum on The Road to Cummington, was the right path for Gallery Director Leslie Ferrin, and Associates Isabel Twanmo (pictured left) and Alexandra Jelleberg (right).

Project Art Open House | During the Hilltown Open Studio Tour

Project Art, located at 54 Main Street, Cummington, MA 01026

Beginning September 30th, the long-time residents of Cummington will be open by appointment to interested collectors, arts professionals, ceramic artists, and art fans.

Stop by 54 Main Street in Cummington MA to meet Sergei Isupov & Kadri Parnamets and see their work, and view the 54 Main Street Showroom at Project Art

Sergei Isupov | The Road to Cummington

Ferrin Contemporary, Sergei Isupov: PAST & PRESENT, 2022, Photo Credit John Polak

Join Ferrin Contemporary as it sponsors its first Open House Event at the Cummington Space:

Sergei Isupov | The Road to Cummington

RSVP for SATURDAY, September 30 Talk/Tour HERE

RSVP for SUNDAY, October 1 Talk/Tour HERE

MORE ON THE MOVE & TIMELY EXHIBITION

‘Are We There Yet?’ celebrates the history and artists of Ferrin Contemporary

Berkshire Eagle, Jennifer Huberdeau

July 28, 2023

A JOURNEY IN CERAMICS

NORTH ADAMS — Sometimes, the only way to move forward is to look back.

Leslie Ferrin, director of Ferrin Contemporary, at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art is doing just that with “Are We There Yet?” It’s an exhibition that is one-part retrospective, one part celebration. It’s a show about evolution, of transition.

It’s an introspective show, for Ferrin, who after 40-plus years in the ceramics market is pondering the next phase of Ferrin Contemporary.

Ferrin Contemporary, “Are We There Yet?”, 2023, Exhibition Portrait with Isabel Twanmo (Gallerist pictured left), Leslie Ferrin (Director pictured center), & Alexandra Jelleberg (Gallerist pictured right), Photo by John Polak Photography
Ferrin Contemporary, “Are We There Yet?”, 2023, Exhibition Installation View with work by Chris Antemann, Courtney M. Leonard, Sergei Isupov, Crystal Morey, & Kurt Weiser, Photo by John Polak Photography
Ferrin Contemporary, “Are We There Yet?”, 2023, Exhibition Installation View with work by Chris Antemann, Cristina Córdova, Steven Young Lee, Courtney M. Leonard, Lauren Mabry, Kadri Pärnamets, Bobby Silverman, & Kurt Weiser, Photo by John Polak Photography
Ferrin Contemporary, “Are We There Yet?”, 2023, Exhibition Installation View with work by Chris Antemann, Steven Young Lee, Kadri Pärnamets, & Kurt Weiser, Photo by John Polak Photography
Ferrin Contemporary, “Are We There Yet?”, 2023, Exhibition Installation View with work by Sin Ying Ho, Peter Pincus, Paul Scott Mark Shapiro, & Linda Sikora, Photo by John Polak Photography
Berkshire_Eagle_A_Journey_in_Ceramics_Ferrin_Article_7_29_2023_Ed_2

READ THE ARTICLE

VIEW/DOWNLOAD PDF OF THE ARTICLE

Posted by AxelJ in Blog, News
28
Apr
2020
LIFE IN THE TIME OF COVID | Commemorating Earth Day’s 50th Anniversary

LIFE IN THE TIME OF COVID | Commemorating Earth Day’s 50th Anniversary

ART & THE CANARY SYNDROME

Earth Day 2020

LIFE IN THE TIME OF COVID
Commemorating Earth Day’s 50th Anniversary

Today, on Earth Day’s 50th Anniversary, while hunkered down in our pods, we are viewing a live stream of powerful images illustrating issues related to the environment and COVID-19. These images are delivered 24/7 via the internet, video, on our phones and the most powerful ones are imprinted permanently in our minds as we try to wrap our heads around this moment. We appreciate, more than ever, the importance of creative work done by artists, photographers, writers, musicians, filmmakers and performers as they fill our days in isolation with beauty and eloquence, and provide truly necessary, brilliant cultural entertainment. While we cannot physically “see” art in person, we are enjoying creative activity of our own and the opportunity to explore culture delivered virtually. It is amazing to watch this lifeline emerge with lectures, classes, and exhibitions – all of it illustrated, scripted and conceived of by creative artists – our “canaries in the mines.”

On Earth Day in 2020, we revisit our 2018 exhibition Canary Syndrome, featuring recent works by international artists from US, AU and UK. Inspired by the saying “canary in the coal mine”, we hypothesized that artists, much like caged canaries once used by coal miners to warn of dangerous gases, are hypersensitive to the adverse conditions and forces that jeopardize human existence. At the time, the exhibition and the works in it focused on climate change and environmentalism. Now, two years later, as a result of COVID-19, we are seeing the shut down of travel delivering clean air to polluted cities and allowing animal migration to resume to their ancestral habitats.

This week in FC News & Stories, we look back at Canary Syndrome and feature works by artists who are considering the environment and man’s impact on the planet we all call home.

Be Safe – Be Well – Stay in Touch

Leslie Ferrin, director Ferrin Contemporary

Life in the Time of Covid
Read MORE here.


Above: Mara Superior, Only One Planet Earth, 16″d, featured in “Nature/Nurture”, Ferrin Contemporary, North Adams, MA


VIEW FULL NEWSLETTER HERE

CANARY SYNDROME

“The very act of creating provides artists with an outlet for the anxiety caused by relentless exposure to contemporary conflicts. They are compelled to address environmental and societal issues through their practice and are sounding the alarm in the form of beautiful and compelling pieces of art.”

View online exhibition HERE.

ABOUT EARTH DAY 2020
Read & Listen

EARTH DAY LIVE 2020
April 22, 2020 marks 50 years of Earth Day.
The first Earth Day sparked the passage in the U.S. of the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts, and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.

The urgency has never been greater, and the stakes have never been higher – we are now in an environmental emergency and a climate breakdown.  We have two crises: One is the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The other is a slowly building disaster for our climate.

  • On Earth Day 2020, we say enough is enough.
  • We say we believe in science. We say that everyone can make a difference.
  • We say that the protection of our planet and the wellbeing of the people who live upon it are the top priorities.
  • On Earth Day 2020, we say that we’re committing to vote, we’re registering to vote and we’re showing up to vote.
  • Human health and planetary health are inextricably linked.
#earthday2020

FERRIN CONTEMPORARY presents contemporary ceramic art for exhibition and sale at 1315 MASS MoCA Way in North Adams, MA; at ProjectArt at 54 Main Street in Cummington, MA and at galleries and museums around the world.

COVID-19 | Closed until MASS MoCA reopens regular hours.
GALLERY HOURS: Wednesday – Saturday 11 – 5:00
+ by appointment
+ by chance

PROJECT ART supports and promotes local and international ceramic art and artists through artist residencies, internships, workshops, studio rentals, events and exhibitions at 54 Main Street in Cummington, MA.


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Leslie Ferrin photo John Polak

ABOUT
LESLIE FERRIN

ABOUT OUR TEAM
FERRIN CONTEMPORARY

NEWS
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Posted by AxelJ in Blog, NOTES FROM DIRECTOR
09
Apr
2020
LIFE IN THE TIME OF COVID | Notes from Director, Leslie Ferrin

LIFE IN THE TIME OF COVID | Notes from Director, Leslie Ferrin

LIFE IN THE TIME OF COVID | Leslie Ferrin, director

 

 

We are thinking of you, our artists, colleagues and friends.

Wherever you are, and hopefully safe, we are all experiencing the new reality of living in a profoundly changed world. We’ve been hearing of so many challenges in day to day life, fear of exposure, loss of employment, constant worrying for loved ones and managing varying degrees of long term isolation.

Last week, our third in quarantine, our particular struggle was complicated by a surge in internet demand within our small, rural community that is still without broadband service and suffers from chronic, spotty cell service. Due to social isolation, we must now use the internet for everything we do, to work, to make purchases, to stay connected with distant family, and to provide access to online school for our youngest resident, Roosi Isupov. We live in rural America where we can take daily walks and never see another soul. We feel fortunate to be where we are and continue what we do given the limitations of remote work. Our inconveniences pale when we connect with those in urban hot spots who are living densely, surrounded by incessant 24/7 wailing sirens and alone. Together we will get through this with you and our artists who are resilient, determined, creative. We will remain connected to one another through our shared support of art, culture and empathy for one another.

Now that we are past the initial shock of closures, exhibition postponements and cancellations, we are doing what we can to keep our team and artists working. With any luck, SBA payroll relief will ease the way and allow us to maintain and expand communications with regular news and stories about contemporary ceramic art. Using all the available online skills and tools in our toolbox, we are committed to staying connected with you and sharing stories about our artists, their exhibitions, our museum colleagues, our gallery partners and our community in the Berkshires. Through our mutual interest in ceramics, we find ourselves interconnected, in the studio, in our homes, and in making and seeing beauty in little things; and empathy abounds.

Artists by nature, work in isolation and have the skills to meet the challenges of social distancing. We are hearing amazing stories from our artists who are using their skills to sew, fix, repair, plant and shape the world around them. Through Instagram, we see their works in progress as they prepare for future shows.

Collectors are using this time to take on long term, large scale organizing, digital documentation, considering gifts to museums, reading and learning about the artists whose works they own and finding room for a future purchase of long admired work of art. Our team of specialists are experts in working remotely and happy to help navigate the digital challenges.

Curators are finding new ways to share their knowledge digitally, through guided tours of closed exhibitions, inclusive online live classes like the ones Garth Johnson from the Everson Museum of Art and is doing where you get to go behind the scenes with colleagues and snoop around the shelves with Jeffrey Spahn as he explained Asian influence on the work of American Studio Potters and a focus on Karen Karnes.

The slow down at Ferrin Contemporary and ProjectArt gives us time to pace the work we do. We are in the middle of the long procrastinated project of organizing the library and archives gathered over our 40 years of exhibitions. Starting with bookshelves, we ended up renovating the studio for future workshops and resident artists. We are planting a huge garden and finding ways to maintain friendships with those who live both near and far. All of us are cherishing what we have and what we can give to those in need.

This week’s news and stories continue our focus on the twelve women artists in NATURE/NURTURE with Crystal Morey. We congratulate her and Shane for their first baby girl, Isla born in January and know that it has given her a new perspective on the role of nurturing and a welcome distraction from the outside world.

The NATURE/NURTURE series
NATURE/NURTURE | Group Show of 12 Women Artists
LESLIE FERRIN | Director Notes | Nature of Nurturing
CRISTINA CORDOVA | Nature/Nurture | PBS Craft in America – Identity
LAUREN MABRY | Nature/Nurture | Cylinders & Flow Blocks
ANINA MAJOR | Nature/Nurture | No Vacancy in Paradise
CRYSTAL MOREY | Nature/Nurture | Museum Acquisitions
ANINA MAJOR | Nature/Nurture | No Vacancy In Paradise
MARA SUPERIOR | Nature/Nurture | Museum Acquisitions

READ MORE HERE.

Be Safe – Be Well – Stay in Touch

Leslie Ferrin, director Ferrin Contemporary

Leslie Ferrin photo John Polak

ABOUT
LESLIE FERRIN

ABOUT OUR TEAM
FERRIN CONTEMPORARY

NEWS
SUBSCRIBE
ABOUT
Posted by AxelJ in Blog, News, NOTES FROM DIRECTOR