Fern Berman, Architecture 101, detail, 1999, C-Print on Somerset Velvet 330 gsm paper, 30 x 20 in., New Britain Museum of American Art

NEW/NOW: Fern Berman
Sept. 21, 2013–Jan. 5, 2014
Opening Reception
2-3:30 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013
Remarks at 2:30 p.m.

Brilliant color, almost meditative compositions and illusory textures reveal a photographer who “paints” with her camera. Connecticut-based photographer Fern Berman finds beauty in unexpected places: a swatch of flaking paint, a splash of Venetian red, words of faded graffiti or an ancient weathered rooftop. Approximately twenty of her photographs, whose emotive color owes a “great debt” to painters such as Franz Marc, Mark Rothko, Vasily Kandinsky, and Paul Klee, will be on view in NEW/NOW: Fern Berman.

Berman’s interest in abstraction, color relationships and expression through de-materialization and decay rests on patient observation and extended contemplation of her chosen subject. Whether viewed as a group or individually at close range, her photographs pose the question: does Berman imbue the subject with mystery and emotion through her distinctive vision, or is she simply revealing the layers of what is already there? As Tracey O’Shaughnessy of Republican-American has observed, “Perhaps that’s [her] way of reminding us how each of us lays a thin layer of ourselves which ultimately erodes to reveal something earlier and more atavistic. Or perhaps it’s a reminder that corrosion itself is a kind of beauty. More than likely, though, it is the photographer’s gentle nudge to encourage us to look a little closer to see radiance in the neglected, moldering architecture that defines our lives.”

Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1958, Berman studied photography at the Art Institute of Boston and the School of Visual Arts in New York City. In addition to the New Britain Museum of American Art, her work is represented in the collections of Wesleyan University, the Buhl Foundation, WNPR New Haven, and numerous other private collections.

Jacob Collins, Overcast Fire Island, detail, 2012, Oil on panel, 13 x 24 in., Collection of the artist and Adelson Galleries

Jacob Collins: Recent Work
Aug. 24–Nov. 24, 2013
Opening Reception
2-3:30 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013
Remarks at 3 p.m.

The works of Jacob Collins form that rarest of unions where classic beauty and striking originality meet as harmonious equals.

The Museum is thrilled to present Jacob Collins: Recent Work as part of a continued effort to make prominently visible the work of contemporary representational painters. The exhibition will feature the studiously crafted portraits, landscapes, and still lifes in oil and graphite by Collins, a leading figure in the revival of classical style of academic painting. Celebrated for his careful draftsmanship and finely-tuned eye, Collins invites viewers to appreciate meticulously recorded moments and details of daily life: the texture of hair, the softly rumpled bed sheet, the hardness of stone, the reflective nature of polished wood.

Collins studied painting at the New York Studio School, the New York Academy of Art, and the Art Students League. He has been commissioned to paint many luminaries, including J. Paul Getty, Jr. and President George H.W. Bush, and to paint the Forbes family properties in Normandy, France. He lives and works in New York City where he has founded the Water Street Atelier, The Grand Central Academy of Art, and the Hudson River Fellowship, all aimed toward classically training artists through rigorously painting from life, as well as studying technical perspective, anatomy, figure structure, painting methods and materials, and art history. As an artist, teacher and role model, Collins stands to preserve and advance the kind of painting that—while set in the present—exudes a sense of timelessness.

Funding provided by John and Jasie Britton.

Jason Huff, The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, Google Search Suggestions, 2010–13, Book cover, 9 x 7 in.

New Media: Jason Huff
July 27–Dec. 8, 2013
Opening Reception
5:30-8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 6, 2013
Remarks at 6 p.m.

Jason Huff’s the road not taken highlights the hidden systems and processes that underlie our routine use of the web and other digital tools.

Brooklyn-based artist, writer and designer Jason Huff is intensely interested in how our interactions with new media technologies shape our daily experiences and affect the creative process. Huff’s multi-media installations critically examine the validity and usefulness of innovations in digital publishing and other mainstay Internet features, weighing the ability of new digital tools to effectively replace “old media.”

The Road Not Taken playfully explores the effects of the Internet on literature and art. The project takes Robert Frost's seminal 1916 poem, The Road Not Taken, and re-envisions it five times by feeding it through Google's auto-complete search function. Of the work, Huff says the following: “As technology automates suggestions and routes data algorithmically, our decisions about the information we navigate to become increasingly important.” On view will be a traditionally bound and printed collection of Huff’s iterations of Frost’s poem as well as an audio recording of Huff’s tongue-in-cheek poetry being recited.

Meet Lexi Lee Sullivan, Assistant Curator at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts, who will be the juror of this year's Members Exhibition.

Members Exhibition
Oct. 12–27, 2013
Reception and Awards Ceremony at NBMAA
1-2:30 p.m., Sunday Oct. 13, 2013

Click here to download the flyer

Important Dates:

Open to NBMAA members 18 years and older, this year’s exhibition will be juried by Lexi Lee Sullivan, Assistant Curator at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, MA. The Annual Juried Members Exhibition is a prime opportunity for the Museum to highlight the exceptional work of emerging artists in all media and expose contemporary visual arts to a wide audience.

PRIZES: First Prize: $1,000, Second Prize: $500, Third Prize: $250, Juror’s Award: Upgraded NBMAA
Membership and NBMAA Blog interview; Visitors’ Choice: NBMAA Blog interview and write-up on
the website.

NEW THIS YEAR: Digital entries (up to three per artist, $10 per entry) will be accepted through CaFÉ, the online application and jury management system, at www.callforentry.org. Two CaFÉ “How To” Help Sessions are planned or by appointment with This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Exhibition visitors will be able to vote for their favorite artwork to win the Visitors’ Choice Award via an in-gallery ballot box.

Check nbmaa.org/membership/member services for
details or contact Development Associate Jenna DeNovellis at (860) 229-0257, ext. 231 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . For questions regarding artwork guidelines, contact Keith Gervase, Collections Assistant, at (860) 229-0257, ext. 217 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Over the years, this longstanding NBMAA tradition has seen an increase in the quality of submissions, earning a slot in the Museum’s McKernan Gallery for changing exhibitions. “With this year’s improvements, we seek to elevate the exhibition even further, making it a prominent showcase in the Northeast region, attracting a greater number of artists from further afield and opening it up to cutting edge media and genre,” commented Director Douglas Hyland. “Our long-term goal is to endow the Members Exhibition prize pool. Toward that end, if you value the artists in our midst and want to encourage their advancement, and the NBMAA as a hub for this artistic output, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Members Exhibition Advancement Fund, see Front Desk for details or contact Jenna.”