For Immediate Release:
Contact: David Kuehn, Executive Director
Cotuit Center for the Arts
Phone: (508) 428-0669
Email: David@cotuitcenterforthearts.org
Website: ArtsOnTheCape.org
“He Saw, She Saw, We Saw, They Saw” August 30 to October 6
Cotuit Center for the Arts will present four dramatic art exhibits, August 30 to October 6, 2013 in a
show titled “He Saw, She Saw, We Saw, They Saw,” comprised of four diverse, but interrelated art
exhibits.
“He Saw, She Saw” is an exhibit of photographs by husband-and-wife artists Mikael Carstanjen and
Mary Doering; “We Saw” will give visitors a chance to participate either by printing photos in real
time while visiting the gallery, or by submitting video projects to be projected on one wall of the
gallery; and “They Saw” is a collaboration between ninety-six Cape Cod artists in the creation of one
work titled “Piece by Piece”.
The participating artists in “Piece by Piece” met at the center on April 22 where they received a twofoot square white panel and a four-inch-square randomly selected piece of an iconic painting. The
artists were instructed to replicate their part of the puzzle in any medium, but to be very careful not
reveal their section to anyone.
The 96 separate pieces will be installed on the gallery wall at the opening reception, which begins at
5 PM on August 31. As the panels are hung, a masterpiece of grand proportions—16 feet high by 24
feet wide—will be revealed, reflecting the talent, creativity, and imagination of the participating
artists, as much as that of the original artist.
Raffle tickets for individual art panels will go on sale at the opening reception and will continue to be
sold throughout the exhibition. Winners will receive a random panel at the close of the exhibition.
Proceeds from the raffle will benefit both the Center and the artists who participated in the show.
The show is funded in part by the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod and will help to raise awareness of
the large number of working artists on the Cape.
Choosing the art masterwork took considerable effort. “We wanted to pick a piece that would have
some energy in all 96 segments,” said David Kuehn, executive director of the center. “We didn’t want
any of the segments to be a solid color. It took three months for the committee to decide on the
piece, but we are very excited about the results.”
Upstairs the theme is continued in an exhibit of intriguing photographs by husband and wife artists
Mikael Carstanjen and Mary Doering. Both award-winning artists, they often photograph at the same
locations—a Provincetown playground, local beaches and fish piers, Maine boatyards, an abandoned
train station, and their own garden.
The inspiration for “He Saw, She Saw” comes from the idea: “it’s not what you look at, but what you
see.” While sharing one another’s work after a shoot they would often asd “Where did you see
that?”
Carstanjen conveys a sense of place with his complex and detailed compositions. He uses a technique
called HDR (high dynamic range) which approximates the way the human eye sees. Each photo is
comprised of eight-to-ten separately exposed images combined on the computer.
Like a scientist collecting specimen samples, Doering photographs rust, peeling paint and textures—
the micro parts of a location. “I like to create a new identity coaxed out of the separate parts,” said
Doering.
Carstanjen has a clear idea of his goals when he sets out to make a picture. Doering plays in
Photoshop until an image coalesces into its final form. Each process requires a different kind of
patience, varied personal preferences, and individual skills honed over the years.
Doering and Carstanjen both say they could not do what the other does and that they each
appreciate each other’s differences.
Carstanjen is an award-winning marine photographer. He has operated Sea Shell Pottery in Orleans
for over thirty years and has made model ships and musical instruments. Doering taught ceramics, is
a published poet, and has won awards for printmaking and photography.
Rounding out the exhibit is “We Saw,” an installation of photos taken by visitors to the Center with
smart phones, printed on site via a wireless printer located in the gallery. Thus, the whole community
is encouraged to take part in the exhibit, and the images become a graphic collage—visual memories
of the exhibit itself.
On the back wall of the gallery, “We Saw” is continued, this time in moving images—videos taken on
cell phones and tablets by students in the center’s mobile phone/tablet movie-making class and
others.
Cotuit Center for the Arts is at 4404 Route 28 in Cotuit. For more information, visit artsonthecape.org
or call 508-428-0669.
# # # #
What:
“He Saw, She Saw, We Saw, They Saw”
Where:
Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Route 28, Cotuit
When:
Opening Reception and Installation, Saturday, August 31, 5 to 7 PM
Exhibit: August 31 to October 6, Daily, 10 AM to 4 PM
Admission:
Free
END