About

Hero Cowboys at the Hynes

www.keithmaclelland.com

Award winning artist Keith MacLelland announced that his mixed media hero monster cowboy collages were selected for a solo exhibition at the Hynes Convention Center, Boston.

February - May, 2014 - Artist’s reception to be held on March 24th from 5-7PM

INTRODUCTION:

MacLelland’s work has been recognized internationally and exhibited nationally. The South Rotunda Gallery in the Hynes Convention Center will display MacLelland’s work starting the first week of February and continuing through the end of May 2014, with an artist’s reception scheduled for March 24th from 5-7PM.

MacLelland states “When Sue Merritt, curator of the MCCA Arts Program first approached me regarding a solo exhibition in the Hynes Convention Center, I was utterly thrilled and jumped at the chance. What a truly awesome opportunity to share my work and passion on such a grand scale.”

ABOUT THE ART:

The cultural source of Maclelland’s work is Hollywood’s heroic singing cowboys of the 1950’s, MacLelland’s cowboys have all the magical showmanship of Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. They are happy and fun-loving, with the strength and energy to be fierce when necessary. They can turn in an instant to become powerful, robust, and monstrous. However, these are contemporary heroes who, unlike their 50‘s counterparts, must be larger than larger than life. They are up against even more diabolical enemies like the Boston Marathon bombers, school shooters, violent offenders on our streets and in our psyches. They can no longer simply be romanticized 1950’s sing-a-long cowboys. They must be sentries, guardians, superheroes – monster cowboys.  

MCCA Community Arts Program Curator Sue Merritt states, “Over the next several months, MacLelland's art will put a smile on the faces of thousands of convention attendees. His cowboy super heroes are adorned with colorful, intricately designed costumes that transform the ordinary figure into one of myth and legend, protectors of our planet, our country and our selves. What a welcome and timely reminder to this American culture fraught with such collective insecurity about the future.”

MacLelland’s street and eco-conscious contemporary cowboys are built from everyday discards - cracker boxes, scratch tickets, juice cartons, business cards, candy wrappers, and junk mail. His color palette is dominated by primary colors, echoing the innocence and purity of the singing cowboy while speaking to today’s technologically amped–up audience. As a nod to the costuming of the 50’s era icon, MacLelland embellishes his brightly colored pieces with elements such as rhinestones, glitter and silver studs – an equally contemporary fashion consciousness.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Keith MacLelland splits his time between studios located in Boston, and Cape Cod, and is an Assistant Professor at the Lesley University College of Art and Design. MacLelland has talked about his work at the Maryland Institute of Contemporary Art in Baltimore, MD, Laguna College of Art & Design in Laguna Beach, CA, The Art Institute of Boston, and at The New England School of Art & Design at Suffolk University in Boston, MA; he has been an Artist in Residence at St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH; he is a contributing artist published in the last five editions of The Painter WOW! Book. In addition to having exhibited nationwide, MacLelland has earned professional accolades from The Society of Illustrators in Los Angeles, American Illustration, Creative Quarterly, Applied Arts and HOW Design. His website can be found at www.keithmaclelland.com and he can be reached by email at keith@yourillustrator.com or by phone at 802-558-7399.

ABOUT THE GALLERY:

The South Rotunda Gallery is both prominent and prestigious, awarding only 3-4 artists per year opportunities for solo exhibition. Approximately 400,000 attendees of various conferences at the Hynes will view the exhibit over the course of the four-month installation. The general public is welcome and encouraged to visit. The building is open seven days a week from 8-8PM, though visitor badges are required. Viewing reservations can be made at: artprogram@massconvention.com

ABOUT THE MCCA:

In 2007, the MCCA created the Community Arts Program using shared resources from the Boston Mayor’s Office of Art, Culture and Tourism: Open Studios Coalition. Since its debut, the Community Arts Program has featured work from more than 14 different Greater Boston communities and showcased over 700 local artists at the BCEC and Hynes. They've hosted more than 30 public art receptions, and sold more than $65,000 worth of art to visitors of the centers.