New Bedford

Ships' masts continue to dominate the skyline of one of the nation's earliest Whaling centers.

Site of the first ship built in New Bedford in 1767.

My husband David and I ventured to New Bedford, Massachusetts for the first time this past summer. What a treasure! Lots of art galleries and studios, several museums, a national park site, all sitting on the water of Buzzards Bay and steeped in history. One of the most interesting things I learned is that many of the early whaling families were Quakers and very egalitarian in their social views. Because of this the whaling ships, and the town, included African Americans, Wampanoag Indians and Anglo Americans living and working together. The city continues to be multi-ethnic today.

I love this juxtaposition of historic brick and stone.

Blue

I'm thrilled that one of my horseshoe crab totems, "Blue Bloods" has been accepted into BLUE at the Cambridge Art Association. The show was juried by Joseph Thompson, director of MASS MoCA.

BLUE runs from November 9, 2012 until January 10, 2013 with a reception Friday, November 9 from 6:30 - 8 pm at the Kathryn Schultz and University Place Galleries.  

www.cambridgeart.org for more details.

Neighborhood Art

I was recently part of a neighborhood public art project in the Lowell, Massachusetts neighborhood where I have an art studio at Western Avenue Studios. The Acre, as the neighborhood is called, has been a landing place for new immigrants since Lowell was first founded as a planned industrial city. Wave upon wave of new residents have called The Acre home...from the Irish and French Canadians, to Greeks, Cambodians, Latinos and now artists of all stripes!

The public art project enlisted artists and neighborhood residents of all ages and ethnicities to paint "Welcome" in dozens of languages on the North Common amphitheater steps. I painted the "namaste"step. The project was an opportunity for great fun and a great sense of community!

The art of collaboration

Recently, David and I were guests on a panel about collaboration between artists, held at the 119 Gallery in Lowell. This event was in conjunction with an exhibit by collaborators Donna Dodson and Andy Morelin. Read what Donna wrote about the panel for the Boston Globe.


http://www.boston.com/business/blogs/global-business-hub/2012/05/visual_arts_col.html 


And check out the show at the 119 Gallery. http://www.119gallery.org

APPEARANCES in Provincetown

APPEARANCES is a Green Arts Festival happening in Provincetown, MA from April 20 - 29, 2012. Outdoor installations (including mine!) will remain until June 9.

I'm thrilled to be part of the festival -- showing my Horseshoe Crab Totems. I installed them this week at Foss Woods (Location 8 on the APPEARANCES map of all outdoor installations.)

Last fall I noticed lots of horseshoe crab shells had washed up on the sand at Pleasant Bay in Orleans and I began collecting them, not really having any idea of what I'd do with them. But I love their shapes and colors. And I love that they've been on this planet for millions of years. According to Wikipedia, the earliest horseshoe crab fossils are found in strata from the late Ordovician period, roughly 450 million years ago. Another notable fact is that horseshoe crabs have blue blood -- which makes them valuable to scientists....as well as to artists!

Art from the heART

I have lots of crocheted "infinity" scarves in Valentines' colors, along with lots of fiber art, fabric pins and silk scarves. It's an extra special open studios this Saturday afternoon at Western Avenue Studios. Many of us are participating in Art from the heART. You can enter a raffle for gift certificates by visiting various artists and collecting hearts -- all while you're seeing and purchasing great art and Valentine's Day gifts. You can find me in Studio 434 -- I'd love to see you!

122 Western Avenue, Lowell, MA

www.margotstage.com for directions

Shawn's Sisters

I recently completed the latest of my "Memories in Cloth". Shawn's sisters contacted me to create a piece for each of them from the silk neckties and braces (suspenders) of their younger brother who had recently passed away. Once again I felt honored to do this kind of work, both as an artist and as a human being.

Artistically, the challenge was to create two distinct pieces from the same stash of fabrics. As a human, the challenge was to listen and hear who the person was, to translate that into a visual tribute.

Nikki and Melissa were delighted with the results, which delighted me! When Nikki came to Lowell to my studio to pick up with artworks, she said my timing was impeccable. I paused, not sure what she meant. "This is the week, one year ago, that Shawn passed away. And to receive these pieces now is just perfect." Divine timing, not mine!

Wild Apples

Tom Chambers: Aground Last night, we launched the 8th and last issue of Wild Apples, a Journal of Nature, Art and Inquiry. Started 5 years ago by Linda Hoffman, Kathryn Liebowitz, Susan Edwards Richmond and Sophie Wadsworth, this exquisite journal has inspired, captured and transported both its readers and contributors for many seasons. I've had the privilege of contributing as a writer and artist to several issues, and the honor of being on the Board of Advisors. Treat yourself to exceptional beauty and wisdom by purchasing a copy of Wild Apples. Both the new issue and back issues are available at www.wildapples.org

Fibrous Forms at Lesley University

Fibrous Forms

Works by David Crane and Margot Stage

now until November 6, 2011

Lesley University's Marran Gallery

located on the University Quad, between Mellen and Everett Streets in Cambridge, MA

The gallery is accessible 24/7

Popham beach art 2

The beach offered lots of seaweed this year so that became the material we worked with to create our installation. The spirals led down to the high tide line, in anticipation of the water's hand in the evolution of the piece.

Slowly, each high tide broke and moved a bit of the seaweed line... we imagine that eventually it will all be erased.

Popham Beach art 1

Rope is what caught me eye on Popham Beach, Maine this September. All colors and lengths of rope ripped from lobster pots, knotted and tangled up with large clumps of seaweed. I couldn't stop myself from collecting, then did "rope laundry", using this half-submerged log as a drying rack. A bit of art in itself....though all the rope came home with me. Eventually, there will be another incarnation.

Another view at Fruitlands

Matt Rasmussen, a young man who is working at Fruitlands Museum this summer took these photos of my sculpture Falling. Not only a great photographer, Matt is also studying chemistry at Bowdoin College. Thanks for the great images, Matt!

When you visit Fruitlands, be sure to follow the Sculpture walk map far enough to enter Alicia Dwyer's Dryad Grove. It's enchanting!

Marriage

My son got married last month! Nick and Megan asked me to create an artwork that would hang in the sanctuary of the beautiful First Parish Church in Bedford, Massachusetts.

The size of the piece was limited to 5' x 3' so that it could also hang in their attic apartment in Somerville, a place with limited vertical wall space.

Here's the piece in progress in my studio.

I decided to also create an installation from birch branches that I cut from downed trees near Alewife in Cambridge -- "marrying" my current 2-D and 3-D art directions and filling the sanctuary space a bit more fully.

As I wrote for the wedding program: Marriage is a fiber art installation created by Margot Stage (aka Nick's Mom). The fabric trees represent Megan and Nick, while the surrounding white birch symbolizes their families and friends who support and celebrate their union.

It was a beautiful ceremony, shining with love, and filled with blessings for Megan and Nick!

Northeast Prize Show 2011

I'm thrilled that my piece Waters of March # 3 was accepted by juror Theodore Stebbins for the Northeast Prize show. Stebbins is curator of American Art at Harvard University's Fogg Museum, and selected 111 pieces from over 700 submissions. He wrote about the show, "I was, truthfully, amazed at the quality overall. I found more honesty, more love of art, more beauty than I had a week before among the five hundred booths at the Chicago Art Fair." High praise, indeed!

Northeast Prize Show 2011 can be seen through June 16th at the Cambridge Art Association's two galleries. Kathryn Schultz Gallery at 25 Lowell Street and University Place Gallery at 124 Mt. Auburn St. www.cambridgeart.org for more information. My piece is at the University Place Gallery.

Enjoy!

Art in Nature at Fruitlands Museum

From now until mid-November you can visit the fabulous Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, MA and enjoy this outdoor sculpture show on their 210-acre landscape. I'm thrilled to have 2 pieces in this exhibit -- Falling and Pod Veils.

It was a cold and windy day in March when David and I installed Falling.

Fruitlands curator Mike Volmar helped me install Pod Veils -- we were both on extension ladders leaning against the pine bough, so no photos of that act!

Here's a link to an article about Art in Nature in the Metrowest Daily News. And when you visit the show, don't forget to vote for your favorite sculptures!

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/arts/x511177534/Accentuating-the-excellent-at-Fruitlands-Museum

Fibrous Forms: Bereft

The sixteen pieces that comprise Bereft each represent a person I knew (or a person that someone I love knew) who passed away between February and July 2010. The title "Bereft" and the concept evolved from an email exchange with Gillian, who's partner Bobby died quite suddenly of pancreatic cancer. These pieces, created with fiberglass window screen, fabric,thread and beads, simultaneously commemorate and celebrate each individual spirit.

Fibrous Forms: Untied

After creating a commissioned piece entirely from silk neckties, I was left with a big pile of "tie innards" -- strips of cloth in shades of white, ivory, sand. In the middle of one night, an inspiration came to me to use accordian folds and then string the folded fabrics together on a piece of red embroidery thread. Once in a while a red bead snuggles in a fold. I made this piece with the hope that the shadows would add another element to the whole -- and it worked!