‘Strange Trio’ by Karen Moss
(NORTH ADAMS, Mass.) – “What’s Next?,” an exhibition of artwork by Karen Moss, opens at MCLA Gallery 51 on Thursday, March 3, with a free, opening reception from 5 to 7pm. The show, on display through April 24, showcases Moss’s most recent work, which appropriates materials and imagery from everyday life. Moss created the pieces for “What’s Next?” using items such as CVS sales flyers, consumer catalogs, “Have a Nice Day” bags and low-brow fabrics.
Throughout her 40-year career, Karen Moss has created two-dimensional artwork that weaves a delicate line between narrative and social commentary. Often inspired by news items relating to problems in society – such as eating disorders, youth violence, homelessness, consumerism and environmental devastation – Moss engages her audiences through her use of pop imagery, delicate line, humor and fantasy.
Moss has been inspired by stories and illustrations from children’s books and animal life since her childhood. Drawing always has been a strong component of her work, and paper is her preferred medium. Combining these interests and inspirations helped to shape her involvement with narrative, art history and the natural world.
Moss’s work has been exhibited throughout the United States, and is included in numerous public and private collections such as the Graham Gund Collection, De Cordova Museum, Boston Public Library, Vassar College Art Gallery, Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Moss received her BFA in painting from Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, R.I., and an MFA from Tufts University/School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
‘Passing Through’ by Karen Moss
She taught drawing and painting for more than 25 years in Massachusetts public schools, as well as private schools, colleges, and universities, including Wheelock College, Massachusetts College of Art, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston University and Harvard University.
MCLA Gallery 51 is at 51 Main St. in North Adams. Gallery hours are Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
“What’s Next?” will remain on display through April 24. The gallery will be closed March 12-20 for spring break.
MCLA Gallery 51 is a program of MCLA’s Berkshire Cultural Resource Center. The Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. MCLA Gallery 51 is at 51 Main St. in North Adams. DownStreet Art, a cultural and economic development program, is organized by the team from MCLA Gallery 51 and the Berkshire Cultural Resource Center (BCRC).