Beyond our Walls

When you visit the Danforth Art Museum you see some of the best contemporary art in New England curated by Jessica Roscio and Rachel Passannante. We don’t want to stop at the Museum walls. Our hope is to connect with artists in the community and provide additional exhibition space for them via our virtual gallery Beyond Our Walls. We believe this is a way to broaden the opportunities to inspire and engage through art.

The name Patrick St Pierre first came to my attention when I went to see the Framingham’s Collective Journeys: Stories of Immigration, 1960s to present exhibition at the the Framingham History Center. Patrick co-curated this exhibition with the History Center’s Director Anna Tucker and he was also the illustrator of all the murals on the wall. After enjoying his artwork on the walls, his name kept popping up around town. I saw a sculpture of his at Open Spirit in Framingham and then when I was at the Framingham Cultural Council meeting, he and Anna received an award for their work on Framingham’s Collective Journeys. If you have not seen this exhibition, it is definitely worth a visit.

Patrick’s partner Samela St. Pierre is a yoga instructor in Framingham. At the end of 2024, we hosted a yoga class in one of our galleries with Samela leading people. Samela is also an artist. Among the things this young couple have in common is the desire and courage to follow their passion as a way of making a living. I reached out to Patrick and interviewed him in his basement studio which he has cleverly arranged to comfortably hang out to work on his laptop creating illustrations.

Click here to learn more about Patrick.

Dia Feliz Adult Day Health Center is a vibrant, joy-filled, multicultural day center in Framingham. It was founded in June 2019 to help care for and engage people with disabilities in the Metrowest area. Dia Feliz is a place where people speak English, Spanish and Portuguese, engage in activities, and meet new friends. Alisson Posada, the Activities Coordinator at Dia Feliz told me that many of the participants enjoy doing arts and crafts. I had the pleasure of meeting with one of the artists Fernando Avendano. Fernando, originally from Ecuador, was beaming as he told me about his life and his art. Please click here to read more about Fernando.

I met Tamar Segev when she brought her first Visual Communications class to the museum. Tamar is a Visiting Lecturer in the Communication, Media, & Performance Department at Framingham State University (FSU). It was after she was accepted into this year’s Danforth Annual Juried Exhibition that her art caught my eye.

Recently, I was delighted to spend a few hours with Tamar in her Needham studio to learn more about her artistic practice. Ever since she can remember, Tamar has loved art. She went to Carleton College in Minnesota to study studio art and graduated with distinction in 2016. After graduation, she worked at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis as a visitor services associate and an art teacher. Later, she went on to complete her MFA (2021) in Studio Art at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Back on the east coast, she taught at Rhode Island School of Design and FSU as she continued her artistic practice. Read on to learn more about Tamar and what is next for her.

Alla prima refers to a direct painting approach where paint is applied wet on wet without letting earlier layers dry. In Italian, the term alla prima means “at first attempt.” Paintings created in this approach are usually completed within a single session.

And, Annelyse refers to Annelyse Reinertson, a current student at the Danforth Art School who takes independent study classes with Ruth Scotch.

Put alla prima and Annelyse together and you have an energetic, passionate oil painter whose painting are executed quickly with wonderful results!

To read and see more about what makes Annelyse special click here.

Karen Walter won the Emerging Artist Award in our 2023 Juried Exhibition! Truthfully, it is the recognition of her art that is emerging; art has always been at the core of her being. Karen grew up in Framingham and went to Framingham State University with Fine Art and Art History majors. And, she had her first internship at the Danforth Art Museum.

In one of her classes, Karen learned about painting conservation and thought “wow, very cool…but too much science involved in that for me.” The seed had been planted for a lifelong career in paper conservation! For her initial training, soon after college, Karen worked with a woman who had a private practice in paper conservation. Most of Karen’s career as a paper conservator has mostly been at Harvard University for their libraries that have amazing private collections. Karen loves her job; “the work is endless and you never know what you will work on next…images, manuscripts from poets and authors, maps, and other emphemera.” Projects are often large enough for many conservators on the team to be working on one piece at the same time. “Great people, cool stuff” Karen said with a smile on her face.

To learn how Karen’s career influenced her journey as an artist, click here. It is a great story.

I biked to work using the Cochituate Rail Trail (CRT) recently. It was a lovely day and on my way in, I was delighted to see two sculptures on the side of the trail. Of course I stopped to take a look at them; I looked around for signs about who the artists were and what project they were a part of — nothing yet. It was on the way home that I found information and many more sculptures!

This project by Studio Without Walls is called sum of its pARTS. Studio Without Walls is a Brookline-based collaborative group of sculptors and conceptual artists who produce exhibitions of art in outdoor and public settings. Since 1999, they have been educating audiences to appreciate, participate in, and become enriched by site-responsive sculpture, installation, and conceptual art. Sponsored by Friends of Natick Trails and the Natick Center Cultural District, Studio Without Walls made its debut in Natick!

Walk or bike the CRT to see the sculptures between Chrysler Road and Superior Drive in Natick, or park close by, hop on the path and check them out. The sculptures are on view September 9 – October 15, 2023.

For a map showing the exhibition area, pictures of all the sculptures, links to the artists’ website and more, click here for Studio Without Walls’ website.

Jenna Riedl grew up in Framingham and has spent the last four years living in Boston while studying at Boston University. Jenna was a delight to talk with about her art and her many other interests. As she put it, “I like doing a lot of things.” In fact, part of the reason she went to BU was it’s great art program and that she could learn and do a lot of other things too. Along with her fine arts major, Jenna was a statistics minor and also in the honors college.

I first met Jenna when she went to McAuliffe Charter School with my daughter and Jenna’s open spirit, talent and way of being in the world continue to amaze me!

Click here to read more and see Jenna’s art.

Svetlana Burinskaya lives, creates, and teaches in her home in Ashland. She emigrated from Moldova 30 years ago. Svetlana and her husband came to America with their 5-year-old boy and only $9 in their pockets.

When we first met, Svetlana told me right away that she was shy, but she very quickly became comfortable and I loved listening to her wonderful stories about her life, inspiration, and art making!

Click here to learn more about Svetlana.

For my first adventure as our roving reporter, Rachel Passannante (Danforth Museum’s Collections Manager) joined me to spend a sunny morning roving Framingham to photograph some of the public art in our town. After a stop at the Saxonville Mills Cafe & Roastery, we headed out to explore.  Click here to view the amazing murals around town!

To the artists whose work we photographed, we love what you are doing! We see your art and applaud it brightening our public spaces. Thank you for bringing your art to the city!