artSTRAND, a group of nine artists who came together in 2005 to create a jointly-owned gallery in Provincetown, will be showing an exhibition of new works at Fort Point’s hottest new art space, the FP3 Gallery. The exhibition, which runs from March 1 through April 30, features work by artSTRAND members Bailey Bob Bailey, Paul Bowen, Breon Dunigan, Maryalice Johnston, Irene Lipton, Francis Olschafskie, Jim Peters, Anna Poor and Bert Yarborough.

artSTRAND’s members work in a variety of mediums and the show at FP3 will be an exciting representation of their artistic range, both from material and content perspectives. Breon Dunigan uses traditional upholstering techniques and familiar objects such as chair legs and furniture parts to create quizzical animal trophy heads that the viewer experiences as an ironic twist on the familiar, exhibited here with “Ball and Claw”. In his photograph “On the Origin of Species,” Francis Olschafskie creates a thought-provoking juxtaposition of images that is simultaneously linked to an historic narrative. Jim Peters’ mixed media piece of oil on canvas, photo and glass, “Blue Bath”, is part of a new series of works done in Paris and Provincetown and is inspired by French poetry and fiction. And the bronze sculpture “Bird on Chest” is part of Anna Poor’s ongoing exploration of questions about what happens when objects that have become linked to a cultural, religious or personal identity are removed from their context or deliberately destroyed.

The exhibition also features Bailey Bob Bailey’s foam and steel sculpture “Foam Chair”, Maryalice Johnston’s mixed media on paper “Walking Target Three”, Paul Bowen’s wood sculpture “Buggy”, Irene Lipton’s “Untitled (LP701)” oil on canvas, and Bert Yarborough’s oil on canvas “Birdman”.

The centerpiece to the exhibition will be artSTRAND’s 2009 artWINDOW Portfolio. artWINDOW is a stunning collection of nine original, three-dimensional pieces of artwork, all housed in a handmade wooden box. Each signed piece can be removed from the box and displayed individually, or the entire collection can be hung in its display case. Only nine boxes were created, each filled by one of the 2009 artSTRANDers, and then mixed up to make nine distinctly unique collections. artWINDOW includes sculpture in wood, plaster, paper and foam, as well as paintings and photography. It is a collaboration as well as a collection, and a wonderful representation of each of the artists’ different styles and visions. Past artSTRAND Portfolio Projects are in the collections of the Provincetown Art Association and Museum and the Cape Cod Museum of Art.

 artSTRAND will be on exhibition at the FP3 Gallery from March 1 through April 30, 2010, with an opening reception on Thursday, March 11 from 6 to 8 pm. FP3 Gallery is in Fort Point at 346 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02210. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 to 6, and Saturday and Sunday, 10 to 4. For more information about the gallery, go to fp3boston.com or call 617.261-7425. For more information about artSTRAND, please visit artstrand.com.

About artSTRAND

artSTRAND was formed in 2004 by a group of artists with longtime connections to the Provincetown art community. Several of the artists’ connections to Provincetown go back several generations, and some were introduced to Provincetown by the Fine Arts Work Center. To achieve one of the group’s goals “to take more control of their artistic and professional lives”, the group opened its gallery space in Provincetown in 2005. What began as “an experiment in art and community” has grown into a well respected gallery which regularly has ambitious and exciting shows that include not only the artist/owners of artSTRAND, but many artists from the local community and beyond. At its core, artSTRAND is a group of artists committed to keeping the arts in Provincetown vital, as well as supporting the ambitions and creativity of each other.

About FP3 Gallery

The FP3 Gallery is a vital part of the award-winning collaboration between developer Young Park of Berkeley Investments, Boston architect David Hacin, and famed restaurateur Barbara Lynch. When the group of buildings at 346 Congress Street was being transformed into the vibrant lifestyle destination you see today, maintaining the rich cultural history and artistic integrity of the Fort Point neighborhood was of paramount concern. In addition to housing four live-work studios for working artists, FP3 features a stunning gallery that is dedicated to showcasing work by emerging artists, members of the Fort Point Arts Community (FPAC) and other artists from around New England.

The Magazine of The Institute of Contemporary Art recently called the FP3 Gallery “the coolest little place that no one knows.” That’s hardly the case any more, with the gallery playing host to some of Boston’s most talked about events, from a VIP reception with Mexican artist Damian Ortega, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s cast party with Broadway sensation Anthony Rapp, and a Fashion Week runway show to benefit the AIDS Action Committee.

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For high-res photos and/or additional images contact Angela Smalley, Kortenhaus Communications, 617.778.5754, asmalley@kortenhaus.com