BRIDGES

Selected Works from the Core Members of Fountain Street Gallery, Boston SOWA

Curated by Joseph Fontinha and Lior Neiger

Closing Reception:  September 2, 2023  Noon – 2:00 pm

Beginning July 21, 2023, the Narrows Center for the Arts will open its doors to the core member artists of Boston’s Fountain Street Gallery. In “Bridges,” an exhibition of painting, photography, sculpture, and mixed media, twenty-five artists share their interpretations of the theme of building connections. Bridges connect people and expand communities, and, for artists of many different genres, provide a source of deep inspiration (from poets like Hart Crane to filmmakers like Elia Kazan and musicians like Jimi Hendrix).

For visual artists, the ideas of traversing space and linking forms offer countless opportunities for exploration. This exhibition illuminates the idea of linkages on multiple levels – the rich imagery of the artworks first and foremost, as well as the connection between two cities (Fall River and Boston) and the partnership of two community-based arts organizations (the Narrows Center and Fountain Street). The concept of bridges is at the heart of the artistic endeavor to link personal stories to the larger human experience, enabling us all to expand our horizons.

Exhibiting Artists: Sarah Alexander, Dalvin Byron, Sandra Cohen, Marie Craig, Molly Dee, Patty deGrandpre, Monica DeSalvo, Natasha Dikareva, Tatiana Flis, Joseph Fontinha, Kay Hartung, Margarita Krylova, Georgina Lewis, Virginia Mahoney, Nilou Moochhala, Lior Neiger, Miller Opie, Chris Plunkett, Alexandra Rozenman, Steve Sangapore, Melissa Shaak, Rebecca Skinner, Rob Sullivan, Vanessa R Thompson, Sylvia Vander Sluis

Curator Joseph Fontinha was trained and educated as an oil painter, receiving his BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and MFA from Lesley University. Over the past decade, Fontinha’s work has evolved into a combination of video, installation, animation, and performance, all rooted in a studio practice informed by his background as a painter. Fontinha has taught visual art at the high school level for over twenty years and currently lives on the South Coast, MA, with a studio located in his home. Fontinha is a Core Member of Fountain Street.

Curator Lior Neiger is a graduate of the fine arts department at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem. He moved to Boston in 2002, where he completed his MFA studies at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts. In 2003, he received a grant for his studies from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. Neiger’s works include paintings, drawings and video. His work has been exhibited both locally at Boston Center for the Arts and AREA CODE Art Fair and internationally at The Jewish Museum in Budapest and The Drawing Biennale in Jerusalem. Neiger is a Core Member of Fountain Street.

Image 1: This is a Leaky Place: Monica DeSalvo

Image 2: Imperfect Chainged Armor: Miller Opie

Image 3: Life Preserver (because we need one): Melissa Shaak

Image 4: Honoring this Way of Life: Nilou Moochhala

Image 5: How Much Can You Take: Natasha Dikareva

Image 6: Where Are You Now?: Alexandra Rozenman