Monday, January 2, 2012

PRESS RELEASE: Bryce LeVan Cushing and Rik (Wave) Kapler at BLCARTGRP Gallery in Chester



Bryce LeVan Cushing (Sculptor, Performance Artist, Chef, Garden Designer & Curator) has been busy for the past two decades working in the arts across a multitude of disciplines coast to coast in the United States and in Europe. He is thrilled to announce his latest undertaking, opening a modern art gallery in the new capital of contemporary art for Southern Vermont: Chester, VT. The gallery will feature cutting edge work from artists around the U.S. and abroad and is called BLCARTGRP Gallery. It is located at 297 Main Street in the MoonDog Cafe Building. The first show to open in the space is titled: Contempo-Take-O and features the dynamic polaroid transfer prints of Rik (Wave) Kapler and the mixed media sculptures of curator Bryce LeVan Cushing. This show opens with a gala event on January 22nd from 3-9 PM and runs through March 15th.

BLCARTGRP is proud to host Provincetown, Massachusetts - based fine artist Rik (Wave) Kapler for our inaugural event showcasing a retrospective of his polaroid transfer prints of Provincetown Carnival imagery. It is rare to see this type of groundbreaking work in a rural setting. "This body of work began with the hand-manipulation of images that have worked through the Polaroid transfer process and culminates with Poetic Prints that are made with Archival Pigmented Ink,” says Kapler.

This venue will offer an art experience not available anywhere else in Vermont with legendary NYC performers bringing their far left edgy grit to the pastoral New England countryside. The first in a series of performers coming to the gallery offering performance art during our openings are Needles Jones and Moonfire Tower. Needles has been a regular at the NY Times critically acclaimed Pussy Faggot perf art marathon as of late and he has been on the scene since the late 70's when he graced the stage of the Pyramid Club. He also hosted the Monday Night Club for several years in Philadelphia in the past decade.

MoonFire Tower is best knows for his work with "The Goddess" Joey Arias and has produced an homage to Joey including his underground hit single: "The Night I Fell For Joey Arias." MFT helped give rise to the gender-bending performance art style which flourished in the early 90's in Philly and other urban centers while he worked with artists such as Earl Dax, Raven O, Sherry Vine and John Kelly. These groundbreaking performers are now the impresarios of the genre.

At the opening of Contempo-Take-O MoonFire Tower will debut his new live guitar act of original songs as he opens for the fantastic local trio: The Break Maids. The Break Maids will play an extended set of rural carnival punk to round out the evening. Please join us for a night full of art, song and celebration.

Visitors to the BLCARTGRP Gallery, in the rear of the MoonDog Cafe Building at 297 Main Street in Chester, Vermont will experience a true modern art experience. The gallery will be open to the public Wednesday thru Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM and by appointment. For more information please visit www.brycelevancushing.com, or call 802 843 1162. Contempo-Take-O runs from January 22nd to March 15th.

Images: Bryce LevanCushing, Blackbird; Rik (Wave) Kapler polaroid transfer prints