Full Circle: Ten Years of Radius
November 28, 2008, to June 7, 2009
Curator: Regine Basha
Exhibition Reception December 14, 2008; 3 to 5 pm
Radius, the successful professional artist development program presented by The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum and the Ridgefield Guild of Artists, has been instrumental in jump-starting the careers of many area artists. Now, the partners are pleased to announce Full Circle: Ten Years of Radius—a special anniversary exhibition which will celebrate the first decade of Radius.
The exhibition is curated by Regine Basha, an independent curator who has worked on a variety of projects in the United States and Canada over the past fifteen years. It is the first Radius presentation to be hung in The Aldrich’s galleries and surveys a diverse selection of recent works—including paintings, works on paper, sculpture, video, and collage—produced by alumni from the Radius: Emerging Artists from Connecticut and Southeastern New York exhibitions of the last decade.
All of the eighty-one outstanding artists whose work was shown were invited to submit samples of their latest work for review to Regine Basha. From these submissions, Basha selected fourteen artists to participate in the exhibition.
The artists whose work has been selected for the anniversary exhibition are: Kelly Bigelow Becerra (Bridgeport, CT), Jaclyn Conley (Brooklyn, NY), Paul Favello (West Haven, CT), Robert Federico (Mahopac, NY ), Beth Gilfilen (Jersey City, NJ), Jim Hett (Darien, CT), Bryan Jones (New Haven, CT), Nathan Lewis (New Haven, CT), Christopher Mir (Hamden, CT), Mari Ogihara (Mamaroneck, NY), Alyse Rosner (Westport, CT), Joseph Smolinski (New Haven, CT), Thuan Vu (Hamden, CT), and Benjamin Weiner (Long Island City, NY).
Curator Regine Basha commented, “When the artists submitted work for inclusion in Full Circle, I was pleased to learn how accomplished they are in their chosen mediums and surprised by the diversity of their approaches to art-making. I decided to allow that diversity to show through in this ten year survey and curated an exhibition that focuses on the power of the visual image.”
additional images | click to enlarge
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Full Circle: Ten Years of Radius
Kelly Bigelow Becerra, Grandma whackin’ me with a yellow hoe, 2008
Courtesy of the artist
Full Circle: Ten Years of Radius
Jaclyn Conley, Parched of Reason, 2008
Courtesy of the artist
Full Circle: Ten Years of Radius
Paul Favello, Radial Mapping—Aerial 1, Radial Mapping—Aerial 2, 2007
Courtesy of the artist
Full Circle: Ten Years of Radius
Robert Federico, Blue Plasma (video still), 2008
Courtesy of the artist
Full Circle: Ten Years of Radius
Beth Gilfilen, The Big Hunch, 2008
Courtesy of the artist
Full Circle: Ten Years of Radius
Jim Hett, They’re All The Same Except They’re All Different (detail), 1998–2008
Courtesy of the artist
Full Circle: Ten Years of Radius
Bryan Jones, Untitled 1 (from Untitled Series), 2008
Courtesy of the artist
Full Circle: Ten Years of Radius
Nathan Lewis, Till We Find the Blessed Isles Where Our Friends Are Dwelling, 2008
Courtesy of the artist
Full Circle: Ten Years of Radius
Christopher Mir, Day One, 2006
Collection Malcolm and Gini Nicholls
Courtesy of the artist and Rare Gallery, New York
Full Circle: Ten Years of Radius
Mari Ogihara, Garosello the Galloper, 2008
Courtesy of the artist
Full Circle: Ten Years of Radius
Alyse Rosner, With Wood Grain XXV (from With Wood Grain Series), 2008
Courtesy of the artist
Full Circle: Ten Years of Radius
Joseph Smolinski, Apple Tree, 2008
The West Collection at SEI, Oaks, PA
Courtesy of the artist and Mixed Greens, New York
Full Circle: Ten Years of Radius
Thuan Vu, Journey (Home), 2005 Courtesy of the artist
The Program:
Organized by The Aldrich and the Ridgefield Guild of Artists, Radius is a juried exhibition open to any artist
resident in Connecticut, or Westchester, Putnam, or Dutchess counties in New York, who does not have
commercial gallery representation in a major market. Works in all mediums are considered. There is no entry
fee. More information concerning the program, eligibility, important dates, and the application process are
available online at http://www.aldrichart.org/about/radius.php. Radius also includes networking opportunities,
workshops, and a public forum to address important issues for professional advancement so as to identify and
support under-recognized regional artists. For more information please contact The Aldrich at 203.438.4519.
The Aldrich:
The Aldrich is one of the few non-collecting contemporary art museums in the United States. Founded on
Ridgefield’s historic Main Street in 1964, the Museum enjoys the curatorial independence of an alternative
space while maintaining the registrarial and art-handling standards of a national institution. Exhibitions
feature work by emerging and mid-career artists, and education programs help adults and children to connect
to today’s world through contemporary art. The Museum is located at 258 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877.
All exhibitions and programs are handicapped accessible. Regular Museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday,
12:00 noon to 5:00 pm. For more information call 203.438.4519.
The Guild:
The Ridgefield Guild of Artists is a regional and community-based art organization that promotes the visual
arts and arts education by providing high-quality gallery space for exhibitions, art classes for children and
adults, opportunities for artist-in-residency programs, and art lectures on-site and in collaboration with other
cultural organizations. Gallery Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 12 noon to 4 pm. http://www.rgoa.org/.
Aldrich exhibitions are supported, in part, by the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Image: Ben Weiner, The Great New Wave, 2007. Collection of Tonya and Thomas Nicholson.
