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March 21, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BLINK AND YOU'VE MISSED
IT
One-day, open-air exhibit
to feature handmade coasters
from artists working around the globe
NORTHAMPTON, Mass.-An international
exhibition as ephemeral as it is colorful will occupy the Elm
Street construction fence of the Smith College Fine Arts Center
site for a single day-Monday, April 1-before its components are
distributed free of charge to interested members of the public.
"The Coaster Project," an installation composed of
99 handmade coasters designed by artists around the world, is
an initiative of the international artists collaborative known
as TransCultural Exchange. TransCultural Exchange launched the
first Coaster Project at the 2000 London Biennial, followed by
a second project in New York. In both cases, the coasters were
exhibited and then distributed, free of charge, under the drinks
of unsuspecting bar, café and restaurant patrons.
The current Coaster Project, whose theme is "Destination:
The World," is on exhibit through May 19 at the Fuller Museum
of Art in Brockton, Mass. It's the largest of the projects to
date.
Each contributing artist has the opportunity to host a Coaster
Project in his or her community. Smith College Assistant Professor
of Art Roger Boyce, a widely exhibited painter and a member of
TransCultural Exchange since 2001, is the host for the Northampton
event. Boyce teaches painting and drawing and has had solo exhibitions
in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Paris. His
work is represented in the collections of the San Francisco Museum
of Modern Art, the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the De Young Museum,
San Francisco.
In keeping with tradition, the coasters will be distributed,
free of charge, to interested patrons at La Veracruzana Mexican
Restaurant, 31 Main St., Northampton, on Thursday, April 4.
"Using such unconventional means," the organizers note,
"artists are working together to bring international art
directly to the life of their communities."
More information, and images of the coasters, can be found at
www.transculturalexchange.com/coasterproject.
The installation is part of Smith College Museum of Art's "On
the Fence: Public Art in Public Spaces" initiative, which
aims to keep art alive on the campus and in the community during
the two-year renovation of the college's Fine Arts Center.
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