A Street Frames Blog

Fort Point’s Spring Open Studios Event

The FPAC Art Walk is a great opportunity to see Boston’s art community at its best. With 75 art studios and galleries to peruse through 10 buildings, there is no better way to completely immerse yourself in all the creativity that Boston has to offer. In addition to the art, explore this historic section of Boston while meeting the residents who call Fort Point home and attending special Art Walk events! Don’t worry about getting lost; print out this extremely helpful map to plan out your walk.

At the heart of all the excitement is A Street Frames’ newest location, 251 A Street, which will be open and ready to frame any art purchased from Art Walk artists throughout the event. 30% framing discount vouchers will be available at each participating artist’s location – and can be redeemed at any A Street location for Art Walk purchases. 251 will also be exhibiting the work of photographer Bruce Rogovin.

Artwalk Dates/Times

May 11-13, 2012
Friday May 11th: 4:00-7:00pm
Saturday & Sunday May 12th & 13th: 12:00-5:00pm

Open Studios Events are free to the public,
with free parking thanks to Gillette/P&G and Central parking

by A Street Frames

So much of what we do here at A Street Frames is more complicated than just building frames.  We recently completed a project that required us to devise a way to frame an antique game board for one of our best New York clients. The challenge was to display the piece in a floater frame without using any screws, glue, or glazing, and to do it in such a way that it was completely archival (and therefore reversible).  Follow along with us through the careful process of designing and building a frame to display this cherished object.

1: We are given an antique wooden game board.  The customer would like it mounted in a floater frame without any screws or glue so it will be completely reversible.

2: The backing board is prepared for the artwork by marking the placement of the mounts.

3: Brass rod is first prepared by threading one end.

4: Tools for measuring the contour of the artwork and bending the rod ensure perfectly shaped mounts.

5: Specialized hand tools help fine tune the work.

6: One done, several more to go.

7: Protective skin is applied to the brass with polypropylene tubing and a heat gun.

continue reading

by A Street Frames

The 14^th Annual Somerville Open Studios will be held on the weekend of May 5^th and 6^th. This is an event where hundreds of artists have the opportunity to sell there wares in over a hundred homes and studios throughout Somerville. The event runs from Noon to 6PM on Saturday and Sunday, while select venues will be open from 6PM to 9PM on the 4^th (Friday).

As has been the case for the last seven years, artists will be able to choose one of their pieces to be displayed in the Artist’s Choice show at the Somerville Museum.  New events this year include Beyond the Pattern – a fashion and wearable art show, an Open Cinema Festival and Spoken Word on the SOS Trolleys – 15 performers spread across six hours.

A Street Frames is offering an additional 10% to our existing 40% artists discount for anything framed for Somerville Open Studios. In addition, anyone who buys an unframed piece of art during the Open Studios will get a 30% discount if they have it framed at A Street Frames. Buyers will receive a voucher from participating artists – which they can then bring into A Street Frames in order to receive their discount.

This non-profit event is a great way of engaging the artistic community in Boston, as well as inviting collaboration between artists. A Street Frames is proud to support such an important Boston tradition.

To stay up-to-date on the latest art news AND receive a $25 gift certificate to A Street Frames, sign up for updates from the A Street Frames Blog. You can also Like A Street Frames on Facebook and Follow A Street Frames on Twitter. For readers in the Fort Point neighborhood, stop by our newest location at 251 A Street!

by A Street Frames

As part of the Boston community, we at A Street Frames feel that it is very important to support those who help make this city so great. 90.9 WBUR, Boston’s NPR News Station, has long provided Massachusetts with timely and significant local and national news – in addition to entertaining and interesting focus pieces. We were honored to partner with WBUR in their March on-air pledge drive.

From WBUR:

“A Street Frames partnered with 90.9 WBUR, Boston’s NPR News Station in their annual March on-air pledge drive by offering a $100 voucher to listeners who pledged $125 to support the station. WBUR news personalities including Deb Becker – WBUR afternoon anchor – encouraged listeners to make a pledge of support and, as a thank you gift, enjoy a voucher towards any purchase at A Street Frames. Audio recorded from A Street Frames owner Mark LeSaffre aired throughout the drive, and Mark explained the special relationship A Street Frames shares with WBUR as well as what exciting things await donors when they decide to use their A Street Frames vouchers.”
Listen to sound clips from the WBUR broadcast:

A Street WBUR1
A Street WBUR2
A Street WBUR3
A Street WBUR4

To stay up-to-date on the latest art news AND receive a $25 gift certificate to A Street Frames, sign up for updates from the A Street Frames Blog. You can also Like A Street Frames on Facebook and Follow A Street Frames on Twitter. For readers in the Fort Point neighborhood, stop by our newest location at 251 A Street!

 
A Street Frames Cambridge Headquarters
755 Concord Ave
Cambridge MA 02138

Toll Free: 800-805-7655
Phone: 617-497-2259
Fax: 617-497-0868
Email: info@astreetframes.com

by A Street Frames

(Left) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; (Right) Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston

Now through the end of April, sign up for email updates and we’ll choose one lucky fan to win his or her choice of an ICA Family Membership, two ICA Individual Memberships or an MFA Boston Contributor Membership! With these memberships, you can enjoy a year of incredible exhibits, guest passes for friends, discounts at dining venues and local shops and much more. Our email updates will keep you informed of upcoming art exhibits and events in Boston. Even if you don’t win, you’ll receive a $25 voucher towards a custom frame just for signing up!

The winner will be announced Monday, April 30th so sign up now for your chance to win!

by A Street Frames

About the Show
The AIPAD Photography Show New York, one of the most important international photography art events, will be presented by The Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD), March 29 – April 1, 2012.

More than 75 of the world’s leading photography art galleries will present a wide range of museum-quality work, including contemporary, modern and nineteenth-century photographs, as well as photo-based art, video, and new media, at the historic Park Avenue Armory in New York City’s Upper East Side.

A Street Frames has had the privilege of working with many of the galleries exhibiting at this year’s AIPAD Photography Show New York including Bonni Benrubi Gallery, Inc., Hyperion Press Limited, Robert Klein Gallery, Andrea Meislin Gallery, Julie Saul Gallery and L. Parker Stephenson Photographs.

Artspace chairman Christopher Vroom spoke to Toronto gallerist Stephen Bulger, the president of AIPAD’s board of directors, about what this year’s fair has to offer.

Perhaps you might start by talking a bit about AIPAD and its history?

For 40 years, AIPAD has been at the forefront of fine art photography and, in the past few years, has included contemporary art that is made with photographic processes. What we’ve been seeing is that as the photographic world has expanded, AIPAD has been able to expand with it and provide expertise in all aspects of photography. And I think that is what people have come to expect with AIPAD and it’s members. It’s a consortium of 140 experts in various aspects of photography located around the globe.

And the big show is coming up this week at the Park Avenue Armory. What should collectors expect?

Our annual show is a way for a lot of us to come together to show the work that we believe in most strongly. We’re all trying to introduce people to new artists as well as to showcase excellent examples of well-known images. So it’s an unparalleled opportunity for people to come to New York to see all of it on display. It’s an area of interest for collectors, practitioners, and curators, and it’s always has a little bit of a reunion feel, I find. The community is so closely knit, and this is a fun week for all of us to come together.

Borderland #1053, 2007-2012, Leora Laor, Digital C-print, 29.5 x 39.5 inches. Courtesy of Andrea Meislin Gallery.

I would assume that being a member of AIPAD brings with it an imprimatur for dealers. It instills confidence in collectors. Is there a set of standards for accepting members?

AIPAD has a very high set of standards for admission. I think for every single member that is voted in there are at least four or five that are declined for various reasons. A lot of that relates to wanting to give dealers the time for their program to mature. We just want to be confident that our members are going to be there for the long haul. So by the time you get into the membership, it’s widely recognized as a seal of approval.

Harlequin Dress (Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn), New York, 1950, Irving Penn. Courtesy Robert Klein Gallery

What advice would you have for new collectors?

There are so many galleries out there. How do you start?
What I tell people is not to over-think it. Take the time to see the show. Give yourself a day. Do a quick perusal into each and every booth and then take a break. Then see which ones you’d like to see again and have that return visit and constantly try to narrow it down. There’s nothing wrong with admiring photography you can’t afford, but don’t get vexed over it. Decide what you feel comfortable spending and then find the favorite item that fits that budget. There’s lots of things that I admire but can’t afford.

The Tower of Babel, 2012, Didler Massard. Courtesy Julie Saul Gallery

At the AIPAD this year, what are you particularly excited about?

Everything. But the highlight I’m looking forward to seeing myself—because no one has ever seen this on any wall—is a layout series that Dave Heath did in the early 1960s called On the Making of an Ad for a Bowling Ball. What he did was to follow a photographer around who had been given a job to photograph a group of models at an airport holding AMF bowling balls. Sort of a ludicrous-looking ad – you’ve got all these nice looking women in this out-of-place setting in front of a supersonic jet. Dave photographed the making of that ad for sort of a behind-the-scenes look. But since Dave wasn’t a fashion photographer at all, he infuses a Robert Frank-style of sculptural photography into this fashion world where you get these heroic-looking models being primped for quite a ridiculous-looking ad, and what he proposed was an eight-page spread for the New York Times magazine. So these are perfectly prepared layouts for the magazine, like a storyboard. But the Times rejected it. It was forgotten, but then someone asked about his work. We had bought the archive and I remembered looking at and it looked so much better than I remembered it. It’s perfect on a 12-foot wall. I’m excited about how that’s going to look.

Courtesy L. Parker Stephenson Photographs

The AIPAD Photography Show
March 29th – April 1, 2012
Park Avenue Armory
643 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10065

Saturday, March 31 from 11am to 7pm
Sunday, April 1 from 11am to 6pm

http://www.aipad.com/

To stay up-to-date on the latest art news AND receive a $25 gift certificate to A Street Frames, sign up for updates from the A Street Frames Blog. You can also Like A Street Frames on Facebook and Follow A Street Frames on Twitter. For readers in the Fort Point neighborhood, stop by our newest location at 251 A Street!

by A Street Frames

MFA Boston Features a New Exhibit Celebrating Japanese Culture

As a maker of museum-quality, custom frames, we feel privileged to be located in a city like Boston with such a vibrant art community. With institutions like the MFA, the ICA, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and many more, there is always a fascinating new exhibit opening! This Saturday, March 24, visit “The Allure of Japan” at the Museum of Fine Arts to experience beautiful art inspired by Japanese culture.

“A fascination for all things Japanese swept the United States in the period around 1900. An influx of Japanese goods and emissaries into America sparked a wave of interest in a foreign culture once seen as impossibly remote. Artists and collectors gathered Japanese objects, studied Japanese traditions, and integrated Japanese styles and techniques into their own work. ‘The Allure of Japan’ celebrates this cultural moment with a rich display of rarely exhibited American prints, posters, watercolors, and decorative arts complemented by a selection from the Museum’s renowned Japanese collections” (MFA).

If you can’t make it this weekend, don’t worry, the exhibit will be open through December 31, 2012. To stay up-to-date on the latest art news like this new MFA exhibit AND receive a $25 gift certificate to A Street Frames, sign up for updates from the A Street Frames Blog. You can also Like A Street Frames on Facebook and Follow A Street Frames on Twitter. For readers in the Fort Point neighborhood, stop by our newest location at 251 A Street!

by A Street Frames

ICA Features Abstract Paintings from Charline von Heyl

Charline von Heyl, “Untitled,” 2003. Photocopy, collage, and ink on paper. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Judith Rothschild Foundation Contemporary Drawings Collection Gift, 2005.

Opening next Wednesday, the Institute of Contemporary Art will feature a new exhibition from Charline von Heyl, curated by Jenelle Porter. Known for her vibrant, abstract paintings and works on paper, von Heyl brings a new facet to contemporary art. With her work beginning and ending with purely abstract forms, her works feature dynamic energy that von Heyl calls “melodramatic abstraction.” Von Heyl’s work has been featured in solo museum exhibitions at Le Consortium, Dijon, France in 2009, the Dallas Museum of Art in 2009 and the Vienna Secession in 2004.

Along with twelve paintings, the ICA exhibit will also feature two of von Heyl’s collage-based works on paper. “Largely black and white, they combine woodcut, silkscreen, and lithography, and are defined by a wild overflow of energy. They reveal an artist deeply engaged in altering and manipulating forms until they become something utterly new” (ICA).

Charline von Heyl, “Yellow Guitar,” 2010. Acrylic, oil, and charcoal on linen, 82 X 78 inches. Private collection, New York.

As von Heyl says, “It is about the feeling that a painting, or any work of art, can give—when you can’t stop looking because there is something that you want to find out, that you want to understand…. Good paintings have this tantalizing quality. And once you turn around, you absolutely cannot recapture them. They leave a hole in the mind, a longing” (ICA).

The ICA Charline von Heyl exhibit runs from March 21 through July 15.

To stay up-to-date on the latest art news and receive a $25 gift certificate to A Street Frames, sign up for updates from the A Street Frames Blog. You can also Like A Street Frames on Facebook and Follow A Street Frames on Twitter.

by A Street Frames

With our newly opened store A Street Frames 251, we mark a return to our original studio space in Boston’s Fort Point Channel neighborhood. Owner Mark LeSaffre, an artist himself, hopes to reach out to Boston artists with a newly-structured professional artist discount. Our doors are open to everyone, from designers and architects to residents and area businesses. All are invited to visit 251 and see how unique we are as compared to other custom frame companies.

Unlike any other frame shop in Boston, we build our frames from scratch, starting with raw lumber. We mill hundreds of profiles, using 11 different species of wood, the majority of which are certified sustainable by the Forest Stewardship Council. In addition, we feature several beautifully figured instrument-grade veneers, and we also do our own gilding in house. Furthermore, we are the largest manufacturer of welded steel frames in the country. Our frames are sold to frame shops in every major market in the country.
continue reading

by A Street Frames

Opening This Thursday

For years, we at A Street Frames have had the privileged of working with the wonderful photographer Michal Ronnen Safdie, wife of renowned architect Moshe Safdie. We were thrilled to learn about her new exhibit opening this week at the Andrea Meislin Gallery in New York and encourage a trip to the city to see this unique collection of a rarely-seen world.

Michal Ronnen Safdie

Sunday Tuesday Thursday

March 1 – April 21, 2012

“Andrea Meislin Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of new photographs by Michal Ronnen Safdie. This will be the artist’s second solo exhibition at the gallery. Please join us for an opening reception with the artist on Thursday, March 1st from 6 – 8 pm.

“Ronnen Safdie’s new body of work, Sunday Tuesday Thursday, portrays Orthodox women and children at a beach in Israel, north of Tel Aviv. The title of the exhibition refers to the days in which this particular beach is open to use by Orthodox women – on the other days it is exclusively male territory. A portrait emerges through Ronnen Safdie’s photographic inquiry of a culture that most viewers have never seen before. Ronnen Safdie is able to use her access to this world to capture the touching and surprising individual moments occurring within the larger whole.

“Sunday Tuesday Thursday will also include a catalogue with an essay by noted scholar, critic and Harvard Professor Stephen Greenblatt. In his writing, Greenblatt remarks on the ‘overwhelming femaleness’ of the photographs that initially catch the viewer’s eye. Greenblatt goes on to say that, ‘we seem to look down, as if we were one of the lifeguards, on hundreds of women and children spilling across the entire space and occupying almost every available inch of sand and water.’ Ronnen Safdie provides a fascinating look into this previously unexplored territory and, at a moment when women’s place in society has become an explosive issue in Israel, the exhibition is particularly timely.

“Ronnen Safdie has a diverse body of work and has explored anthropomorphic trees, ice formations on the Charles River, vapor trails as well as human rights issues in Rwanda, Darfur and the Western Wall. Her works from Africa, entitled Rwanda: After, Darfur: Now, were exhibited at the Skirball Museum in Los Angeles, the Salt Lake City Public Library, and Nazareth College Arts Center, Rochester, New York. The photographs of refugees from Darfur are also part of the group exhibition Darfur/Darfur, which has been exhibited at prestigious venues around the world. Additionally Ronnen Safdie’s series exploring the natural world have been exhibited at Salander O’Reilly Galleries, New York, Robert Klein Gallery, Boston, Drabinsky Gallery, Toronto and David Gallery, Los Angeles.”

Andrea Meislin Gallery
526 West 26th Street, Suite 214
New York, NY 10001
Telephone 212.627.2552
Fax 212.627.1216
info@andreameislin.com
Gallery Hours are Tuesday – Saturday 10 am – 6 pm

by A Street Frames