Beth Fein – 70th A·ONE Exhibiting Artist

Silvermine’s A•ONE Exhibition celebrates its 70th year with a dynamic array of work exploring a wide spectrum of forms and ideas. Barbara O’Brien, independent curator and critic and former Executive Director of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, served as Juror for the 70th A•ONE Exhibition, now on view at the Silvermine Galleries through October 16.
“The spring and summer of 2020 have been like no other time in our collective memory,” O’Brien writes of this year’s competition and exhibition. “A confluence of dramas has challenged our sense of equilibrium: a global pandemic, righteous cries for social justice, a demoralizing political environment, and fears for the future of the planet. The board, staff, and members of Silvermine can be proud of the opportunity that A•ONE creates for a dialogue regarding the challenges and ideas of our time as understood through the lens of a national community of artists.”
For nearly three decades Barbara O’Brien’s curatorial practice has focused on the art and artists of our time. She was Executive Director of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, Missouri, from 2012–2017, after serving as chief curator and director of exhibitions since 2009. In 2018 and 2019, she was a consulting curator for the Housatonic Museum of Art in Bridgeport, CT. From 2003–2006 O’Brien was editor-in-chief of Art New England magazine. She earned an MFA from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and in 2006 was awarded the RISD national alumni award for professional achievement. O’Brien is an elected member of AICA-USA, the international organization of art critics.
Throughout its history, Silvermine’s signature exhibition has featured the work of many prominent artists including Louise Nevelson, Elaine de Kooning, and Milton Avery, and jurors have included major critics, curators, and directors from influential art institutions. A•ONE was established in 1949 as the New England Exhibition, a regional exhibit. It was known most recently as Art of the Northeast and is now national in scope.