PodcastsBert Gallery is proud to offer Podcasts! Listen online, or download to iTunes for listening on your computer, or on-the-go on your iPod. For more information about iTunes, or to download the iTunes software, please visit www.apple.com/itunes/. Thanks for listening!
Instructions on how to subscribe to our Podcasts »
Coming soon:
- Cultural Awakenings in Rhode Island 2008
by Cathy Bert - What you see!
Comments by artists, collectors, and visitors in 2008.
Available Podcasts:
Contemporary Artist Interviews 2008
April 11, 2008
Interview with Paula Martiesian, an active painter in Providence, who has a twenty-year history of involvement with the local arts community. Martiesian became a good friend of Gordon Peers and spent much time with him the last fifteen years of his life. Interview compliments Bert Gallery’s exhibition, Painter Gordon Peers (1909-1988): Transformation During the War Years.
About Gordon Peers
WWII touched all facets of American life and challenged the careers of many Rhode Island artists. The structured and precise painting style of Gordon Peers (1909 - 1988) pre-war evolved to meet the new realities of a post-war art world. The artist did not paint war themes, but looked to the emerging art movements of Geometric Abstraction and Surrealism by the American vanguard artists to better understand his choices as a painter. Bert Gallery's current exhibit looks at the evolution of painter, Gordon Peers, nurtured in a war free art world, transformed by the altered American culture of the 1950's.
Bert Gallery has over twenty paintings on view, dating from 1938 to 1984. Early works in the 30's and 40's show Peers as a strong realist painter, who was interested in tightly rendered images, exacting composition, and homage to nature. An independent and disciplined painter, Gordon Peers acquired technical and theoretical art sophistication early in his career. He graduated from RISD under the tutelage of John Frazier and went on to study at the Beaux Arts Academy in New York, eventually working for a time with American realist, Thomas Hart Benton.
On December 7, 1941 every American life changed with the attack on Pearl Harbor and the entry of the United States into World War II. Gordon was a member of the faculty at Rhode Island School of Design and obtained a leave of absence to become an officer in an army camouflage unit. Like many Americans, Peers adjusted to the disruption in his career, but the war had irrevocably transformed the art world. He faced an art profession that was convulsing with new ideas and approaches to painting. The Bert Gallery exhibit juxtaposes the artwork by Peers from the 30's and 40's with later paintings from the 50's to 80's. The transformation in color, composition, and surface paint are significant. Peers will not be confused with the more radical and modern painters to emerge post-war in the United States. Rather, Peers' paintings evolved slowly, paying particular homage to the work of Cezanne, and never relinquishing a respect for sound draftsmanship and the refined craft of painting. His subject matter ranges from still life, flowers and Cape Cod landscapes of Highland Beach and Truro, Massachusetts, actively avoiding war theme art. In the Rhode Island servicemen exhibits at the Providence Art Club in 1946, he showed imaginative paintings of objects and landscapes.
Gordon Peers achieved wide recognition in Rhode Island as a painter and instructor. He was the Chairman of the Painting Department at the Rhode Island School of Design, and the Head of the European Honors Program. A member of the Providence Art Club and Newport Art Association, he had several one man and group exhibitions to include such institutions as the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Corcoran Art Gallery, Carnegie Institute and the National Academy of Design.
Part 1 of 1 | Download
February 27, 2008
Interview with Jason Stieber, Director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts Library & Research Center
What better way to celebrate Women’s history month than by listening to our latest Bert Gallery podcast on the Clara Database of Women Artisits, launched by the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), located in Washington DC? Celebrating their twentieth anniversary, NMWA has a remarkable archives dedicated to documenting the achievements of women artists. Recently, they were gifted an important collection of letters by Frida Kahlo.
Recently, Catherine Bert interviewed Jason Stieber, the Director of the NMWA Archives, on the Clara Database, a unique interactive database containing authoritative information on 18,000 women visual artists of all time periods and nationalities. The information in Clara is drawn from the materials in NMWA’s extensive Archives on Women Artists.
Both the Clara Database and the Archives on Women Artists are works in progress. The NMWA is continually adding records for new artists and updating existing artist profiles.
- Part 1 of 1 | Download
Friday, February 1, 2008
James Montford of Bannister Gallery discusses the lives and work of African American artists Edward Bannister, Wilmer Jennings, Nancy Prophet, and Frank Alston with interview Catherine Little Bert. This interview complements the Bert Gallery Exhibition Struggle, Strength, and Dignity: Opportunities for 20th Century Artists in Providence and coincides with Black History Month.
Visit Bannister Gallery
- Part 1 of 1 | Download
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Contemporary painter Robert Thornton discusses his work, his influences, and his years at the Rhode Island School of Design with Bert Gallery interviewer Leanne Tremblay and his wife, Ruth.
- Part 1 of 1 | Download
Taking a Look 2007 Programs
September 20, 2007
Round Table discussion with three contemporary artist couples during “Artists who Marry Artists” Exhibit.
Photographs courtesy of Constance Brown
Artists as couples pose one of the most complex of human psychological drama. They make Freud’s Oedipus complex seem like child’s play. Just think of international Abstract Expressionist artist couples such as Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner or Elaine and Willem de Kooning. Both couples are well recognized for their individual achievements but their personal and professional lives read like a Marilyn Monroe biography.
Bert Gallery exhibited two twentieth century artists couples in the September/October show “Artists Who Marry Artists” and explored the competitive, yet successful pairings of Rhode Island artist couples, Florence Leif (1913-1968) and Gordon Peers (1909-1988) along with Percy Albee (1883-1959) and Grace Albee (1890-1985). How did they negotiate home life and the world of art? Did they exhibit together or paint together? Does one artist dominate or influence the other?
What about artist couples today? Our September program asked artist couples practicing in Rhode Island today to comment on their lives together. Artist couples included – Kenn Speiser, sculptor and Constance Brown, photographer; Jonathan Bonner, sculptor and painter Jacqueline Ott; and Craig Masten and Gail Armstrong, painters. All have been married many years and negotiated two careers in one household. Moderator, John Tessitore led a discussion among the couples about their successful marriages.
- Part 1 of 3 | Download
Introduction, What are your daily routines? How do chores/tasks fit into your schedules? What are the daily divisions of duties? Do you critique each other’s work? - Part 2 of 3 | Download
How does the relative artistic success of each partner affect your relationship? Would your relationship be so successful if you weren’t both practicing artists? - Part 3 of 3 | Download
Q & A with Audience
Thursday, August 16, 2007
In exploring the theme What is Original art? Is it a Giclee?, Bert Gallery hosted a round table panel discussion examining the opinions of local photographers and a digital printer.
Rhode Island is home to many talented visual artists who pride themselves in being current on the latest developments in the art world. The introduction of “giclee” into the art market is a hot topic. Bert Gallery has assembled a group of artists, all photographers, to weigh in on their opinion of this process. Richard Benjamin is currently using digital printing for his work and Erik Gould dallies in all different photographic processes from silver gelatin prints, printing in the dark room to digital printing. Carmel Vitullo, who began her photography career in the 1940’s, lends perspective into the evolution of photography and developing images. Ted Peffer is actively working with many Rhode Island artists producing and managing limited edition digital photographs. Catherine Bert will moderate an open debate among the panelists and audience as to the pros and cons of this “giclee” process and whether it is a fine art process in photography, let along for the reproduction in the wider arena of watercolors and oils.
Talk by Susan Fader of Ditto Editions on Fine Art Digital Printmaking
Providence, RI. Artists, art collectors and dealers will not want to miss an informative lecture by Susan Fader, co-owner of Ditto Editions, one of the country’s leaders in Fine Art Digital Printing, located in Marblehead, Massachusetts.
In her talk, Susan will unravel the mysteries surrounding the fine art digital print process, explaining that it is more than scanning an image, color correcting and printing on a digital printer. She will demonstrate how recent technological advances will impact the understanding and positioning of digital prints not only as a reproduction method but also as a way that many artists create new work.
- Part 1 of 1 | Download
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
A round table discussion exploring the topic, “Who creates the art market?” from the perspective of the commercial gallery, art critic & artist.
This program was in conjunction with the Bert Gallery exhibit “Who really creates the art market – museums, auctions, curators, critics, artists, collectors or galleries?”
The art world is made up of a variety of factions that create and effect the market. How do you measure success in the art world—is it really about the art itself, those who create the art or the handlers of art? If an artist has a museum exhibit, does it increase the value of his or her art? Who reads the art critic’s review and what is its impact on an artist’s career? A dealer represents an artist: what does that mean? Once an artist sets an auction record, are they then ‘discovered’?
Moderator:
Patricia McLaughlin: Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement for Johnson and Wales University and former Director of Administration for the City of Providence. Ms. McLaughlin was instrumental in creating the arts district for Providence.
Panelists:
Berge Ara Zobian: Owner/Director of Gallery Z
John Pantalone: Professor of Journalism and former regional editor for Art New England
Lisa Utman Randall: Arts and Entertainment Writer for the Newport Mercury
Paula Martiesian: Providence artist and co-founder of Gallery Night Providence
Nick Paciorek: Providence artist
The program is in conjunction with the Bert Gallery exhibit “Who really creates the art market – museums, auctions, curators, critics, artists, collectors or galleries?”
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
A round table discussion exploring the topic, “Who creates the art market?” from the perspective of the museum and individual collector.
This program was in conjunction with the Bert Gallery exhibit “Who really creates the art market – museums, auctions, curators, critics, artists, collectors or galleries?”
The art world is made up of a variety of factions that create and effect the market. How do you measure success in the art world—is it really about the art itself, those who create the art or the handlers of art? If an artist has a museum exhibit, does it increase the value of his or her art? Who reads the art critic’s review and what is its impact on an artist’s career? A dealer represents an artist: what does that mean? Once an artist sets an auction record, are they then ‘discovered’?
Moderator:
James Hall: Assistant Director of the RISD Museum
Panelists:
Judith Tannenbaum: Richard Brown Baker Curator of Contemporary Art, RISD Museum
Nancy Whipple Grinnell: Curator of the Newport Art Museum
Frederick R. Mattis: Long-time local collector of 19th century Rhode Island art
Linda Carlson: Active private collector of contemporary artists
Cade Tompkins: Private Dealer of contemporary art for over 25 years
To Subscribe to Bert Gallery Podcasts:
Step 1: Open iTunes (Download and install using the instructions listed above if you don't already have iTunes on your computer)
Step 2: Go to the "Advanced" menu, select "Subscribe to Podcast"
Step 3: Paste or type in the following: http://www.bertgallery.com/podcast.rss
Step 4: That's it! Your podcasts should begin downloading automatically, and will be available in the Podcast section of your iTunes library. Additional podcasts will automatically download as they become available, or by right clicking on the podcast and choosing "update podcast".
Or, to manually download Podcasts:
Right click the files listed below and save to your computer. Make sure the file ends in ".m4a" and iTunes will take care of the rest! Questions or concerns? E-Mail us at: info@bertgallery.com