A Feedbag of Art, or How I Made a Pig of Myself at the BCAE Gallery Opening

I’m not usually one of those ‘rub your nose in it’ types, but… if you'd thought of attending the opening party for the new Art Everywhere Gallery at the Friday night and opted not to go? Well, you missed out on a seriously good time.

While there was plenty of eye-candy, both on the walls and in the crowd, I kept getting whiffs of this divine ‘something’s-afoot-in-the-kitchen’ smell that eventually rendered me helpless.

 I strapped on my snug-fitting vacuum attachment (tidier and somehow more demure than a regular old feedbag – I was in public, after all) and positioned myself at the waiter’s station where the delicious hors d’oeuvres were being plated. Not just any hors d’oeuvres, mind you… high-end, not-to-be-missed hors d’oeuvres from renowned chef Tony Ambrose.

As Ambrose and his staff of devoted minions fussed over the food’s preparation, an endless stream of mouth-watering morsels paraded by: salmon, Japanese tuna, sirloin, shrimp and baby rack of lamb dressed with soy-mustard-this, parsnip-that and potato-puree-the-other.

I realized I was just one in a multiplying throng of kitchen-side vultures. Soon we scrapped the formality of waiting for tray-wielding servers and just invaded the kitchen, snatching the artful creations off the table before they were completely dressed for delivery. 

I even caught a few like-minded individuals jealously eyeing my vacuum attachment which kept me hands-free and helped me avoid the whole what-to-do-with-this-plastic-fork-and-plate dilemma recurring every 90 seconds or so.

As you might imagine, it was all quite a sight. Apparently there were delicious wines and cocktails to be had as well, but I was too busy with the food (and yes, the art).  Dessert featured cubes of wine jelly with star anise, caramel squares with just a hint of salt on top (don’t knock it) and various fresh fruit concoctions.

While dessert is always fun, however, the entire building smelled like grilled lamb chops; I was bleating with heated anticipation until it was time to leave.

Oh, and about the gallery… the new Art Everywhere space is a joint project between the BCAE and Art New England magazine, which was recently acquired by New Venture Media Group, publishers of the Boston’s Playbill and also Panorama: The Official Guide to Boston.

The two artists chosen to christen the gallery walls, which extend beyond the designated space on the ground level into the building's hallways, stairwells and upper levels, are two of the South End’s own—Jacob Higginbottom and Marian Dioguardi.  Collectively, their work creates a stunning contrast of styles and viewpoints. Even still, they share wall-space well.

“I paint from life,” Dioguardi told the crowd of over 200 guests just before the official ribbon cutting.  “I cook a lot and do a lot of dishes,” she added with a giggle.

It’s true, the work she’s chosen to hang in the BCAE’s new space literally revolves around the kitchen sink. But in the process of studying these everyday items, she reveals their concealed beauty through the use of bold colors, thick, deliberate lines and curious shadows. There’s an unexpected grace coming through her still life images, elevating the oft-messy, normally mundane stuff of cups, saucers and dishes to new levels of meaning.

Higginbottom’s work is significantly less exact. In fact, he prefers watercolors, letting the relationship between paint, water and absorbent paper have a distinct hand in the outcome of his images.

Because he derives most of his subjects from landscape and the natural world, his pieces have an earthier feel than Dioguardi’s and his choice of color veers away from the vivid, primary look of her work. He spoke of watercolor painting as an unpredictable adventure he enjoys and said he was excited to have a show hanging so close to home.

Art New England head publisher Tim Montgomery summed up the new venture by saying that, “Education opens hearts and minds; we’d like to think art does as well.”

“The food and drink being served here tonight are also works of art,” said BCAE Executive Director Susie Brown before officially dedicating the gallery, surmising my feelings exactly.

BCAE's new Art Everywhere Gallery is free and open to the public Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The artwork on display will rotate quarterly and is all available for purchase.