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Utopia Now: Contemporary New England Artists

Image: Caleb Charland, “A Color Spectrum with the Rising Sun”, Schoodic Peninsula in Acadia National Park, Maine, 2019, archival inkjet print (Color Separation with Three Black and White Paper Negatives), 20 x 24 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

New England’s culture has long been defined by radical, visionary, and mystical practices. The region’s history includes numerous examples of alternative ways of nurturing community, personal growth, and societal reform. In this panel discussion, curators Sarah Montross and Shana Dumont Garr will share the collaborative work of the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Fruitlands Museum, and Fitchburg Art Museum in connecting New England histories to contemporary artists’ practices. They will be joined by several artists from the exhibitions who will talk about their current considerations of the visionary, utopian, and spiritual in the midst of a global pandemic, as well as the ongoing movement for racial justice.

This talk will make reference to the following interlinked exhibitions – we encourage you to visit them online or in-person (as/how possible within COVID-related guidelines) :

After Spiritualism: Loss and Transcendence in Contemporary Art
Fitchburg Art Museum
February 8—September 6, 2020

Recruiting for Utopia: Print and The Imagination
Fruitlands Museum

Visionary New England
deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum
October 8–March 14, 2021

This event is part of a weekly Summer Art Talk event series in August, hosted jointly by Northeastern’s Center for the Arts (CfA) and Area Code Art Fair. Please RSVP below in order to receive the Zoom access information.


REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. If you have missed the deadline and still wish to join in, please email [email protected]