Art Exhibits

Art empowers learning

ALTERED HABITATS | Fran Forman, Early Work

November 14, 2024 – January 14, 2024

Open during regular library hours

Reception, open to the public: Sunday, November 24, 5-6 PM

Acclaimed photographer Fran Forman exhibits some of her early work in the solo show ALTERED HABITATS at the Bedford Free Public Library from November 14, 2024 to January 14. 2025. Her images blur the boundaries between the real and the unreal. They are visual narratives that evoke a sense of transience, longing, memory, and dislocation.

In the early 1990’s Fran Forman began using Photoshop to push her interest in combining photography and mixed media. She employs old and new photographs, scanned objects, paintings, and drawings, to create visual narratives untethered to time and place.

In merging photography with painting and portraiture with dreamed landscapes, her image-making leverages the richness of color and the patina of textures to rearrange reality.

Her process is an act of intuition and investigation. She constructs these dreamy visions and altered habitats with found or borrowed disparate sources. She mines and transforms contemporary and antique photos to create a mosaic from her imagination and pays tribute to the collage artists and the Pictorialists of the late 19th century.

Fran Forman’s work is in many permanent collections including MFA Boston, The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the MFA Houston, and more. She has mounted solo exhibitions at venues including The Fox Talbot Museum, Massachusetts State House, The Griffin Museum of Photography, AfterImage Gallery, and Pucker Gallery, Boston. She is represented by Pucker Gallery (Boston), Afterimage Gallery (Dallas), Susan Spiritus Gallery (Newport Beach, CA), BBA Gallery (Berlin), Photo/Graphica (Mexico).

The public is invited to view the exhibit during regular library hours.

This exhibit would not be possible without assistance from the Friends of the Bedford Free Public Library.

The public is invited to view the exhibit during regular library hours.

Community Art Wall

The Library offers exhibit space for emerging artists on the wall across from the Children’s Room. We encourage students to apply. Each exhibit generally is up for two months, though there is some flexibility in dates. If you are interested in showing your work, please contact Library Director Richard Callaghan [email protected] 781-275-9440.

All work submitted must be original and not previously shown at the Bedford Free Public Library.

Arts Steering Committee

Jean Hammond
Astrid Reischwitz
Carol Rissman

Exhibit Hours :

Monday-Thursday 9-9
Friday 9-6
Saturday 9-5
Sundays 1-5 (September to May)

Special thanks…The exhibits and the receptions are sponsored by the Arts Steering Committee, the Friends of the Library and the Bedford Free Public Library.

Library Art Exhibit

Art in any medium is welcome. Applicants may apply for an individual or group show, or the Art Steering Committee may pair artists based on theme or medium. Shows run for two months, beginning mid-month in January, March, May, July, September, and November. They are usually scheduled twelve to eighteen months in advance. Submit this application along with photographs, images attached to email or a link to your website. Notification of acceptance is via email. Wall work must be able to be displayed on hooks, using our hanging system. (If you're uncertain, come in and check.) Pieces must be wired and ready to hang. No sawtooth hangers. The BFPL Art Steering Committee hangs shows. A member of the Committee will act as the artists’ liaison for the show and will be available to answer questions and provide guidance. Your artist statement, bio/resume will be included in a guest book for the exhibition. You may include a price list in the book, but no prices will be posted on the walls. The library does not take a commission from sales, nor does it participate in selling. Potential customers may contact the artist through information in the guest book. (Business cards may be placed in the guestbook also.) The Bedford Free Public Library does not hold insurance for artwork and is not responsible for loss or damage.

Thank you for your interest in exhibiting at the Bedford Free Public Library. Please take a tour of the Library to familiarize yourself with configuration and size limitations. Artwork may be displayed on the first floor along the outside wall, in the second-floor atrium, and along the corridor on the second floor across from the non-fiction shelves.
Name*
First Last
Address*
Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code
Phone*
Email*
Artist Statement
Max. file size: 50 MB.
A paragraph to a page about yourself and your work
Share your work*
- File Upload
- Website URL
We need to review your artwork either by file upload or by reviewing your artwork on your website.
File*
Drop files here or

Max. file size: 50 MB.
Five to ten images- photographs or images attached to email as 1024 pix and 72 dpi jpegs or a link to your website. Each image should be labeled with your name, number, medium and dimensions. Ex.: Smith1, pastel, 30" x 26". Smith2, terra cotta, 24" x 8".
Website*
Disclaimer: The Library (inclusive of staff, volunteers, and patrons) is not responsible for artwork exhibited in any show. The Library is not liable for lost, stolen or damaged work. The Artist will be solely responsible for timely delivery and pick up of art work.
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- I acknowledge that I have read and understand the above discalimer.
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