PIONEER
ARTISTS

Andrew Fish is a visual artist who lives and works in Somerville, MA. He teaches painting and drawing at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and Lesley Art + Design. Fish studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and is the recipient of a Somerville Arts Council grant, a NY Studio School Award, a Contemporary Arts Center-Woodside Award, a Distinguished Artist Scholarship from The Art Students League Residency at VYT and the Curators Choice Award from the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition.

Beth Galston is known for her immersive environments that combine nature, technology and light. Her multilayered installations create a sense of place, a moment of magic and transformation. Galston was born in Los Angeles and lives in Carlisle, MA. Trained in environmental art at MIT, she has created installations and public artworks throughout the country. Recent exhibitions include: Newport Art Museum, RI; Portsmouth Arts and Cultural Center, VA; and Peabody Essex Museum, MA. She has been awarded a Massachusetts Artists Fellowship in Sculpture/Installation, and residencies at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Sculpture Space.
Floating Garden is a glowing sculptural installation designed specifically for the Pioneer building. It cascades down from the 32-foot-tall ceiling of the entry atrium, transforming the space during the day and at night. The suspended environment of airy, luminous forms is made of cast resin acorn caps, LEDs, and a sinuous network of copper tubes and wires. The installation suggests a community of plants or creatures powered by light. Viewers can experience this immersive sculpture from multiple vantage points, as they enter and move through the lobby. Floating Garden creates a sense of wonder and encourages visitors to see the natural world in new ways.

Sharon Lacey is a painter who lives and works in Somerville, MA. She studied at the New York Academy of Art and the University of London. Her art training has focused on traditional materials and techniques for painting. Lacey has been a resident artist at The Studios at Mass MoCA (USA, 2019), Arteles Creative Center (Finland, 2013), Contemporary Art Center Woodside (USA, 2012), and Can Serrat (Spain, 2010). She has received grants from the MIT Council for the Arts (2014) and the Somerville Arts Council (2013, 2016). She teaches painting and drawing at MIT, Boston College, and Emmanuel College.
Sharon Lacey’s painting, Walk, is process driven. Rather than work from external sources — such as preliminary sketches — Lacey allows the mental and physical act of painting to drive the work. “I start my paintings with a particular formal concern, and the imagery develops in real time, as I paint, as I react, and as the material asserts itself,” says the artist. Built in many layers of oil paint, the completed work becomes a tangible record of the actions and decisions that led to its creation.

Susan Berstler is an artist and curator who has been developing innovative creative projects and spaces in Somerville for over 20 years. Susan founded the nonprofit Nave Gallery, which showcases local, national and international art in a variety of media and themes through a guest curatorial program. She created Project MUM, Squeezebox Slam Accordion Festival, Phone Art Box Project, and is contributing to the development of ArtFarm. She has partnered with other arts organizations including Washington Street Arts, Brickbottom Gallery, The Somerville Museum, The Photographic Resource Center, and the Griffin Museum to produce the annual international Somerville Toy Camera Festival.