Join us for a tour of the art studios of Kathryn Geismar and Wilhelm Neusser at Vernon Street Art Studios in Somerville. We will learn about their work and their creative process and you get a chance to talk to the artists directly.
The Vernon Street Open Studios will follow directly, from 12 pm - 4 pm and you are welcome to visit the other artist studios on your own.
The event is free. Space is limited. Please let us know that you are joining.
MORE INFO ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Kathryn Geismar is an artist and psychologist who lives and works in Somerville, Massachusetts. Her interest in identity and internal harmony infuses her professional life in both areas.
STATEMENT
My work explores the complex and often fragmentary nature of identity through portraits and abstract collage. My recent figurative series depicts adolescents ranging in age from 14-21. These young adults are claiming an identity in an age when binary definitions of self are under question. Materials include industrial Tyvek, canvas, translucent veils of Duralar, graphite, newsprint, inks and paint. Figures move in and out of focus; layers of mylar promote looking through; grommets pierce through layers like jewelry and at other times like windows into layers below.
My collages use newsprint “catchalls” as a jumping-off point. These are the paper drop cloths that catch unintentional marks and drips but also the ghosts of objects and paper shapes painted on top of them. Discarded newsprint, graphite marks, painted lines and unconscious marks, tracing paper scraps, and fragments of drawings become generative seeds for new works.
In each instance, faces, shapes, and materials are placed next to or on top of one another, asking, “what happens, who am I, what changes, when I land here?
Wilhelm Neusser was born in Cologne, Germany. From 1997 to 2001 he studied at the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Karlsruhe with Professors Gerd van Dülmen und Harald Klingelhöller. After his studies, Neusser lived and worked in Cologne until his relocation to the United States in 2011.
Wilhelm Neusser’s artwork has been widely exhibited and he has received numerous awards and fellowships. His work is represent byAbigail Ogilvy Gallery in Los Angeles. Recent institutional exhibitions include the Fruitlands Museum (Harvard, MA, 2019), and MASS MoCa (North Adams, MA, 2018). In 2020 and 2022 he was honored with a finalist grant in Painting from the Mass Cultural Council. Additional awards and recognition include the MASS MoCA Studio Program (2017), Vermont Studio Center (2013), Finalist, Wilhelm-Morgner-Prize, Soest (2010), International Artist in Residence, Boots Contemporary Art Space (St. Louis, MO, 2009), ZVAB Phönix Art Prize (2007). Neusser’s work has been included in notable publications, including The Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, Artscope Magazine, Boston.com, and Big Red & Shiny.
Neusser teaches painting at Boston University’s School of Visual Arts. He lives and works in Somerville, MA.