FRANCINE KELLY GALLERY-2021

The Francine Kelly Gallery in Featherstone's Art Barn is open year-round, with a variety of community art shows as well as curated shows and retrospectives. During exhibition, the Gallery is open 12-4PM, daily. Shows begin with an opening reception on Sundays, 4-6PM unless otherwise noted. Click here to see previous shows.

VIRTUAL TOUR OF LOVE IT. PROTECT IT. MV. EXHIBIT:

LOVE IT. PROTECT IT. MV. with Vineyard Conservation Society | June 7 - 27

In response to last year’s events, Vineyard Conservation Society launched a social media based community art project titled “love it. protect it. mv.” The goal was to provide an opportunity to recognize the importance of nature, and express our feelings of gratitude for and connection to those spaces where nature takes center stage.

VCS and Featherstone Center for the Arts have now partnered to host a curated in-person show of selected works from this project. love it. protect it. mv. is an art exhibit celebrating nature, open space, and our sense of place as an island.

We hope to see you at one or more of four special events occurring during the show's run. All events will take place outside the Art Barn (weather permitting, otherwise inside gallery). All events are free but please register in advance by calling 508-693-1850 or email featherstone@featherstoneart.org.

June 9th at 4:00PM: Poetry reading featuring selections from "love it. protect it. mv"
Jeffrey Agnoli
Eleanor Bates
Christine G Burke
Liz Dengenis
Don McLagan
Adam Moore
Georgia Morris
Susan Puciul
Ellen Story
Rose Styron
Spencer Thurlow

June 13th at 3:30PM: "The Art of Conservation" high school awards

June 16th at 4:00PM: A panel discussion on nature, advocacy, and art with VCS Executive Director Brendan O'Neill, FCA Executive Director Ann Smith, journalist and author Geraldine Brooks, and artist Cindy Kane

June 23rd at 5:00PM: VCS Annual Meeting featuring guest speaker Emily Molden, Executive Director of the Nantucket Land Council

A GALLERY POP UP curated by Tanya Augoustinos | July 8 - July 31

A Gallery, Contemporary Art is collaborating with Featherstone Center for the Arts for a group exhibition with fourteen local artists for a Summer 2021 Pop Up in the Francine Kelly Gallery.

Oil paintings by Barbara Kassel, Billy Hoff, Chioke Morais, Rez Williams, Marie-Louise Rouff, Whitney Cleary
Reverse glass paintings by Richard Lee
Mixed media by Lucy Mitchell, Jennifer Joanou, Richard Erickson
Ceramics by Abbey Kuhe, and Jennifer Langhammer
Tapestries by Julia Mitchell
Wood cuts by Ruth Kirchmeier

From Caldecott to Coretta Scott: Award winning Black Illustrators curated by R. Michelon Galleries | August 8 - September 6

Sunday, August 8 from 4-6PM: Opening Reception
Tuesday, August 17 at 4PM: Illustrators Panel with Pat Cummings, Ekua Holmes and Rich Michelson
Tuesday, August 24 at 4PM: Illustrators Panel with Bryan Collier and Rich Michelson
Wednesday, August 25 at 10AM: Bryan Collier Workshop

In 1938 the Caldecott Medal (named for Randolph Caldecott, a nineteenth century English illustrator) was established by the American Library Association to honor the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
In 1962, The Snowy Day, written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats, a Jewish artist, was the first mainstream picture book to portray a Black child as a protagonist. It was awarded the Caldecott Medal, and is still among the most popular books for children of all time.
In 1969, since no person of color had won a Caldecott Medal since the award was established, a group of African-American librarians promoted the creation of a new award, the Coretta Scott King Book Award to honor outstanding Black authors and illustrators of children’s books. The award's name was intentionally chosen to honor recently assassinated Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King. The CSK Illustrator Medal was first awarded in 1974 but was not awarded on a yearly basis until 1986, when Jerry Pinkney won the award, as he did again in 1987 and 1989.
In 1976 Leo and Diane Dillon (an interracial couple) won the Caldecott Medal, making Leo the first illustrator of color to receive the award.
In 1982 the CSK award was officially recognized by the American Library Association.
In the 83 years of Caldecott Awards only four Black illustrators have won the Medal, Kadir Nelson (2020), Javaka Steptoe (2017), Jerry Pinkney (2010), and Leo & Diane Dillon (twice 1977 & 1976). A Black Woman has yet to win, though Ekua Holmes won a Caldecott Honor (runner-up) in 2016. Two other Black women have been Honor winners, Oge Mora (2019), and Faith Ringgold (1993). More than half of the Caldecott Honors and Medals that were given to Black children book artists, were given in the last ten years. We are pleased that Black illustrators are finally being recognized for their talent and celebrate those in this exhibition, who are among the pre eminent artists of our time.

GALLERY GUIDELINES:

These Featherstone exhibitions in the Francine Kelly Gallery are open to all Martha's Vineyard artists - those who live year round, seasonal residents and those with a prolonged connection to the Island.
All forms of art are welcome.
Two dimensional art must be wired securely and ready to hang (saw tooth hooks will not be accepted).
All art must be for sale. Artists receive a 60% commission for all art sold.
Please alert us if art will be shipped rather than delivered in person.
Please notify us at featherstone@featherstoneart.org if you wish to participate or if you require more information.