Ria Brodell: Butch Heroes
Opening January 13, 2024

Ria Brodell’s ongoing Butch Heroes series is a revelatory project of historic excavation and Queer reclamation. Since 2010, the Boston-based artist has conducted archival research to find records of people with whom they could recognize a personal kinship—people who were assigned female at birth, but presented as more masculine than feminine and didn’t abide by heterosexual norms. Drawing upon descriptive accounts and primary sources, Brodell creates real or imagined portraits of their subjects in the style of Catholic holy cards.

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Coming Soon

On Her Terms: Feminine Power Embodied
February 3-June 2, 2024

On Her Terms: Feminine Power Embodied features New England artists who foreground the human body in their work to engage contemporary issues around women’s rights. Taking inspiration from concepts including the Woman Life Freedom movement, modern rap, historical gynecological tools, and Victorian hair weaving, these artists identify the body as a site of empowerment.

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Pictured by Eakins: Ella Crowell as Model and Student
February 3-June 2, 2024

Ella Crowell (1873–1897) was an important figure in the art and life of her uncle, the renowned American artist Thomas Eakins (1844–1916). He famously painted her as a toddler in Baby at Play (1876) but was later held responsible for her mental decline and early death.

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Closing in January

Rania Matar: Oceans at My Door
Closing January 7, 2024

This exhibition celebrates FAM’s recent acquisition of Rania Matar’s portfolio SHE by placing it into the context of Matar’s recent work. Matar is a Lebanese-American photographer internationally renowned for her explorations of cross-cultural identity and femininity.

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Dialogues, Diasporas, and Detours Through Africa
Closing January 14, 2024

This exhibition, guest curated by Dell Marie Hamilton, features work by seven artists—Archy LaSalle, George Annan, bashexo, Digi Chivetta, Sharon Dunn, Reginald Jackson, and Lou Jones—in conversation with works from FAM’s Permanent Collection of African Art. These artists participated in the Black Artist Residency at FAM over the past year, which was created by a partnership between the Museum and artist-collective WHERE ARE ALL THE BLACK PEOPLE AT (WAATBPA).

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Now on View

Capital Vice: Politics of the Seven Deadly Sins
Now through June 2, 2024

Capital Vice highlights a variety of artforms in the Fitchburg Art Museum’s Permanent Collection (including street photography, silverware, and weaponry) to question how outdated notions of archetypal sin fit within a modern sensibility.

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Community Gallery

Islamic Arabian Art From the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
Through January 7, 2024

Islamic Arabian art focuses on the depiction of patterns, calligraphy, animals, and figures. Objects including paintings, jewelry, metal art, and clothing were gathered by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in hopes of bringing about a deeper understanding and appreciation for Middle Eastern themed objects and the rich history that encompasses them.

The Community Gallery is supported by a generous gift from Dr. Roderick and Donna Lewin.

Atomic Artistry Open Call for Artists

Eco-Nuclear Solutions is inviting artists to submit works of art for their exhibition in the FAM Community Gallery in March. Atomic Artistry will feature works at the intersection of art, science, and climate activism. The open call for artists is available at www.eco-nuclearsolutions.org. Cash prizes will be awarded in two age categories: 18 and under and over 18. Eco-Nuclear Solutions is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council for this international competition.

La bodega de mis suenos
(The bodega of my dreams)  

Also on view

In this inaugural installation of public art on the museum’s façade, Cuban-American artist and educator Gabriel Sosa considers the stories of Spanish-speaking residents in Central Massachusetts, contemporary visual culture in downtown Fitchburg, and the complexities of the American Dream.

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Ari Montford’s Freedom Arrows
Also on view

Ari Montford’s Freedom Arrows amplifies the arrow’s symbolism as tool, weapon, and message to explore Indigenous Black themes through the lens of the Native American experience of genocide. Within the museum lobby, a volley of hand-beaded arrows is suspended midair (as if just unleashed from unseen bows) and embedded in the walls. Dual concepts of protection and service, aggression and power blend with the arrows’ spiritual presence to create a space that provokes conversation about racial justice and narrative-making. Montford’s installation engages with the impact of structural racism, Indigenous trauma, and the process of creating safe spaces for restorative justice through their own voice as a Black Two Spirit Indigenous cultural practitioner.

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Programs

Conversation Café

Virtual through Zoom
Thursday, January 4
6:30pm

Join us for this unique opportunity for exhibiting artists to share the stories behind their work and provide insight into their broader artistic practice. Participants are welcome to ask questions, make observations and new connections during these dialogues. This conversation will feature artists from the Dialogues, Diasporas, and Detours Through Africa exhibition: Bashexo, Sharon Dunn, and Reginald Jackson, moderated by guest curator Dell M. Hamilton. This event is free to attend.

For the Zoom link, click register below, or email us at [email protected]

Register

Free First Thursdays and the Farmers Market
Thursday, January 4, 2024
12:00 – 7:00pm

Every first Thursday the museum is FREE for all visitors, 12-7 pm.

In January, we will have Fitchburg Farmers Market from 3- 5:30 pm.

Hosted by Growing Places, the market offers both SNAP and the Healthy Incentives Program.

Free First Thursdays is supported by an endowment given to the Fitchburg Art Museum in memory of Martha Malm.

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Curator's Tour
Saturday, January 6 at 2:00 pm

Guest Curator Dell Marie Hamilton will lead visitors through the genesis of the Dialogues, Diasporas, and Detours Through Africa exhibition as well as the larger processes and histories of Black art that informed her curatorial process. Special attention will be paid to the interplay between each of the artist’s works and the selection of African works of art that make the show a site-specific conversation with FAM’s contemporary galleries.

Free with Museum entry

Please let us know you are attending so we can prepare for your visit by registering below, calling 978-345-4207, or emailing [email protected]

Register

Yoga in the Galleries

Tuesdays 6:15-7:30 PM
January 16 – April 30, 2024

Wind- down your evening with a relaxing yoga flow. Learn to see the beauty within yourself while practicing yoga in a beautiful, supportive environment. Join instructor Dianne Tousignant who will guide you through breath awareness, warm-up poses, strengthening, and relaxation. All levels are welcome.

Instruction can be adapted for beginning students as well as those with more experience. Bring your own yoga mat and dress comfortably. $15 drop-in per class payable in class. Multi-class discount for 16 dates $208 or $176 FAM members.

If you prefer to register in advance call 978-345-4207 or email [email protected]

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Volunteer Opportunity: FAM Museum Guide

Museum Guides lead educational tours of FAM exhibitions for school and adult groups.  Becoming a Museum Guide is a great way to learn about FAM exhibitions and meet people with similar interests in a stimulating art environment. If you like interacting with people and have a love of learning, please contact Suzanne Hauerstein, Manager of Education Programs by phone at 978-424-4542 or by email at [email protected]

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