Contemporary Scene: ArtPalmBeach 2014

   From January 24-28, the Palm Beach County Convention Center will transform into a contemporary art gallery for Palm Beach’s preeminent art fair, ArtPalmBeach. Considered one of the most “influential art fairs to come to the Gold Coast,” APB has helped mold the aesthetic of the region, prompting and promoting a “trickle down” effect to the eclectic spots around town.

ArtPalmBeach 2013 - Marta Klonowska - Berengo Studio, Italy
Marta Klonowska
Berengo Studio, Italy

   Now in its sixteenth year, this year’s festival is billed as the most extensive and encompassing program ever. More than 80 regional, national and international galleries and exhibitors will showcase the latest forward-thinking and groundbreaking artists in all contemporary art media, including painting, sculpture, design (graphic and otherwise), photography, fine art glass, installation and video. As part of the festivities, APB will host a milieu of programing, from premiere events like the special preview January 24 and exclusive VIP events, to special exhibitions, topical lectures by artists, curators and gallery owners, special museum tours, site-specific art installations and art performances.

   This year, APB will honor the lifetime achievement of Italian master artist Lino Tagliapietra, whose work in studio glass has heralded a new renaissance in the form and exhibited in museums around the globe. Hailing from Murano, Tagliapietra reached the rank of maestro at the age of 25, making a name for himself with his striking, bold and vibrant three- and two-dimensional pieces steeped with a modern sensibility. His one-man exhibition of his major works at APB presented by Schantz Galleries pays homage to Tagliapietra’s vision and his impact on the art community as a whole.

ArtPalmBeach 2013 - Nick Gentry - Eye of Hours - Robert Fontaine Gallery, U.S.
Nick Gentry
Eye of Hours
Robert Fontaine Gallery, U.S.

   Along with Tagliapietra’s one-man show, the schedule for APB’s 2013 showcase is sure to earn its billing as the most extensive. The four-day festival will present the works of more than 500 artists from 13 countries. Among the fair’s highlights is Indianapolis-based Long-Sharp Gallery’s exhibit “Politics, Peace and Passion, Reprise,” which explores the influence of renowned twentieth-century masters on a group of contemporary artists. The Leslie Smith Gallery of Amsterdam will hold an exhibition of internationally renowned artist Simon Ma of Shanghai. Ruth Lawrence Fine Art of Rochester will present a preview and special exhibit of Albert Paley’s upcoming Park Avenue Project, set to debut in June and run through November, accompanied by a lecture. West Palm’s own Whitespace Collection will present “Lyte Bytes,” an exhibition showcasing emerging video artists Jacek Gancarz, Eren Kocabasi, Lucia Leahy and Sam Perry. Art Vitam of Paris and Miami will present an interactive installation from French light painter and photographer Jadikan LP. Renowned Cuban artist Sandra Ramos’ work will be featured in a site-specific installation presented by Mayer Fine Art from Norfolk, whose work movingly depicts daily life in Cuba with social strife and inequality, both racial and political, taking a prominent role.

   Accompanying APB’s multiple gallery shows will be a full slate of lectures and panel discussions on topics such as collecting, artistic process museum practices, art criticism, art history and today’s art practices. Below is a quick roundup of the lecture schedule by date and time:

 

Friday, January 25:

  • 1 p.m.: Life staff photographer Bill Eppridge will hold a discussion about the golden era of photojournalism in “Fifty Years in Photojournalism.” Eppridge will present some of his most famous photographic work form the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy to the Woodstock Music Festival.
  • 2-3 p.m.: Glass artist Marlene Rose will present “Rough Glass: My Adventures in the Sand,” a look into ancient metal-casting techniques used to create glass sculptures.
  • 2:30 p.m.: Master glass artist Lino Tagliapietra will be on hand for an interview and lecture.
  • 3:45 p.m.: Artists Binh Pho and Joey Richardson and curator Paul Richelson will lead a discussion about contemporary art and collaboration in the panel discussion “Shadow of Turning: The Art of Collaboration.”

 

Saturday, January 26

  • 9 a.m. to noon: Whitespace Collection will host a breakfast with artist Maximilian Toth.
  • 2-3 p.m.: Hot off the heels of its fiftieth birthday, studio glass is the topic of the panel discussion “The Next 50 Years: The Future of Studio Glass.”
  • 2:30 p.m.: Rosanne Somerson, the provost of Rhode Island School of Design, will discuss the evolution of studio furniture in the lecture “Studio Furniture in Contemporary Art and Design.”
  • 3:30 p.m.: Bonnie Clearwater, executive director and chief curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art (North Miami), will lead the lecture “The Times They Are A-Changing,” delving into the subject of where contemporary art is headed.
  • 3:45 p.m.: Artist and innovator Stephen Knapp will lead a lecture discussing his work with “Lightpaintings,” a merger of “painting, sculpture and architecture.”

 

Sunday, January 27

  • 9a.m to noon: Whitespace Collection will host a breakfast with a performance by Beatriz Millar.
  • 1 p.m.: Pavel Zoubok will lead a discussion tracing the evolution of collage work and its import in the world of contemporary art in the lecture “The Collage Aesthetic.”
  • 2:30 p.m.: Anthony Haden-Guest will discuss the power of epherma and performance art in the panel discussion “Ephemera Forever.”
  • 3:30-4:30 p.m.: Chris Boot, director of the Aperture Foundation, will lead the discussion “Aperture and the Changing World of Photography,” talking about the role photography plays in the published world in a digital age.
  • 3:45 p.m.: Gallery owner Jim Kempner will discuss his Web series, “The Madness of Art,” a humorous recollection of his days as a stand-up comedian in Los Angeles and his career as a gallery owner.

 

Monday, January 28

  • 2 p.m.: Boca Museum of Art Director Steven Maklansky will discuss the American tradition of the art of fashion in the lecture “IMPACT: 50 Years of the CFDA—the Artistry of American Fashion Design.”
  • 3:30-4:30 p.m.: Closing the lecture series, an interpretive discussion of ZEV Street Artists will round out the 2013 APB.

     

General Info:

  • ArtPalmBeach runs from January 25-28, from noon to 7 p.m. (until 6 p.m. on January 28). There will be a special “First View” preview on January 24 from 6-7 p.m. followed by a Collectors Invitational from 7-10 p.m.
  • One-day pass tickets cost $15 in advance, $20 at the door; multi-day passes cost $20 in advance, $25 at the door.
  • For additional information, visit artpalmbeach.com or call 239-495-9834.

 

Palm Beach County Convention Center

650 Okeechobee Blvd.

West Palm Beach, FL 33401

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