Dislocated Landscapes

For Immediate Release

Darlene Gillan, Director of Communications
tel. 617 879 7050
e. darlene.gillan@massart.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 26, 2009

Dislocated Landscapes
September 24–November 13, 2009
President’s Gallery, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Reception: Thursday, September 24, 5–6:00 p.m. and 7–8:00 p.m.
Conversation with the artist: Thursday, September 24, 2009, 6–7:00 p.m.

Boston, MA: The President’s Gallery at Massachusetts College of Art and Design is pleased to present Dislocated Landscapes, an exhibition of prints by South African artist Kim Berman. The exhibition is on view from September 24 through November 13, 2009. The opening reception is scheduled for Thursday, September 24, 5–6:00 p.m and 7–8:00 p.m. A conversation with the artist entitled "How Can Art Transform Lives?" is scheduled from 6:00–7:00 p.m.

Dislocated Landscapes features new prints by South African artist, Kim Berman. Berman’s artwork addresses the politics and social conditions in South Africa through the metaphorical device of landscape. Her recent landscapes visualize the fractured spaces on the margins of Johannesburg where the victims of the 2008 xenophobic violence were placed. Despite the grim recent history, Berman writes of her hope for the future: "Landscapes in my work have always provided a metaphor for our transitions as a country; even in a poisoned, burnt, or smoke-filled landscape, the light on the horizon sparks the energy and hope for the cycle of change and imperative of renewal."

Kim Berman is the Executive Director of Artist Proof Studio (APS), a community-based printmaking center and an Associate Professor in Visual Art at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. She received her BFA from the University of the Witwatersrand and her MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts/Tufts University.

As part of the opening night reception, MassArt is hosting a panel discussion on the topic, “How Can Art Transform Lives?” Participants include Kim Berman, Linda Nathan, Chaz Mayivane-Davies, and Pamela Allara. Participants will discuss the transformative power of the arts and arts education, considering the ways that education in creative practice nurtures students not only as artists but as citizens who can imaginatively engage with social issues.

MassArt’s exhibition and panel discussion is in conjunction with other Kim Berman events occurring at Boston Arts Academy and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.

***High resolution images available upon request.

Exhibitions at the college are free and open to the public. The galleries are located in South Hall, 621 Huntington Avenue, Boston.

For current information, please log onto MassArt.edu, email galleryinfo@massart.edu, or call the automated information line at 617-879-7333.

Gallery Hours: Mon.–Fri. 9:00–5:00 p.m.
Free and open to the public. Handicapped accessible.
Address: 621 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MBTA: Green "E" line.
Information: 617 879 7333 or MassArt.edu

Massachusetts College of Art and Design, founded in 1873, is recognized as one of the premier colleges of art and design in the US. A public independent college, MassArt is known for providing broad access to a high quality professional arts education, accompanied by a strong general education in the liberal arts.  The college offers a comprehensive range of baccalaureate and graduate degree, continuing education, and K-12 programs, taught by outstanding faculty and designed to encourage individual creativity. A major cultural force in Boston, MassArt presents public programs of innovative exhibitions, lectures, and events.