New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
Trinidad-born, New Bedford Artist Alison Wells, captures the essence of Downtown New Bedford in her solo exhibition “COLLAGE 02740”. Her recent offerings of paper collages will be on view at Colo Colo Art Gallery, 29 Centre St. from May 3 – May 21
Wells depicts a side of Downtown New Bedford life and history that is tactile, memorable and alluring through the medium of paper collage. “DowntownNew Bedfordhas been my home away from home for the past 7 and a half years” says Wells who came to the city from Trinidad to pursue a MFA in painting at The University of Massachusetts,Dartmouthin 2004.
“I wanted to depict downtown in a way that expressed the sweet and sometimes bittersweet facets of the things that make this quaint and quirky part of the city what it was yesterday and is today.”
Wells examines how downtown New Bedfordserves as a source of inspiration throughout her career in the United States, at first subconsciously and now quite consciously. She is influenced greatly by its rich architecture, its fascinating hidden histories, its multicultural and ethnic backbone and of course the rich artistic veins that pumps the city with life and vitality.
Wells manipulates this versatile medium of collage to transform her works into mesmerizing shifts in color, value and dimension by incorporating a wide variety of cut and torn papers to her palette. Each collage forms a bridge across time and culture to express her unique artistic vision and narrative.
Alison’s paintings have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in galleries and museums in theUnited States, the Caribbean andEurope. Wells was selected to exhibit her work at the 2010 World Exposition inShanghai,Chinaand in 2011 she was awarded an artist grant from the Brookline Commission for the Arts, (under the Massachusetts Cultural Council). Some of her most recent shows have been at The Narrows Center for the Arts,Fall River,Massachusetts, The Brookline Art Center Gallery,Brookline,Massachusettsand Clover Fine art Gallery, BrooklynNew York.
Wells is also an Adjunct Art Professor atBristolCommunity Collegeand she teaches after school programs in downtownNew Bedfordto kids and teens. Some of these include the Historical Society’s “Hidden History” programs; The Friends of the New Bedford Free Public Library together with theNew BedfordArt Museum’s “Art in Words” program and Artworks’ Cool Kids summer programs along with Art therapy classes with war Veterans at the Veterans Transitional House. Alison gives private lessons at her studio located in theCummingsBuilding,96 William St., Studio #3,New Bedford. Wells is also a Board Member of the New Bedford Historical Society.
Collage 02740 runs from May 3 – May 21 2012.
Opening Reception: Saturday May 5, 2012 5:00pm – 8:00pm.
Meet the Artist – Aha Night May 10, 7:00 – 9:00pm.
For further information please contact:
- Luis Villanueva, owner, Colo Colo Gallery colocologallery@gmail.com or (508) 642-6026
- Alison Wells at alisonwe@gmail.com or 774-526-6550
- Alison’s work can be viewed at www.alisonwells.com
Collage 02740 Samples
