THU 6/9
If you venture into the Coral Springs Museum of Art (2855 Coral Springs Dr., Coral Springs), don't be frightened by the coven of witches staring back at you -- they're as safe as paper tigers. Or is that paper roosters? This is, after all, the Year of the Rooster, and the exhibit "Rooster Crowing Auspice: Celebrating the Year of the Rooster" currently shares museum space with a paper-sculpture exhibit and a collection of monoprints.
According to the Chinese Zodiac, people born in the YOTR have the power of foresight, so you already know that the exhibit has more Thai-made crafts than Wal-Mart. Works range from woodcarvings and bamboo crafts to stone inkstands and lacquerware.
The witches you see are from Nicole Eisenman's Witch Hunt, part of "The Paper Sculpture Show." The interactive exhibit allows viewers to construct sculptures from a set of components. Following the artists' printed instructions, viewers can build and add touches to any of 29 sculptures, including Eisenman's -- warts and all.
Katherine Allen's "Gestures Captured: Stitched Monoprints" consists of randomly splashed patterns of ink on cotton or silk.
The exhibits run through July 29. Call 954-340-5000. -- Jason Budjinski
Canvas Cuts
Paint scratch fever
SAT 6/11
Modernist. Minimalist. Abstractionist. You could use any of these terms to describe Hollywood-based painter Selene Vasquez. But that says nothing about the artist's method -- it doesn't even scratch the surface. To supplement her distorted brushstrokes, Vasquez treats the canvas like it's a piece of stone, carving away at the black-gessoed exterior with random objects. Some paintings are colorful, linear compositions of human heads that fill the canvas; others crowd toward the center, as if buried beneath the carvings. It's like a scratch-and-win game with a painting underneath. The prize? A free wine-and-cheese reception for Vasquez's exhibit "In No Strange Land," which opens Saturday at Art Expressions (1212 NE Fourth Ave., Fort Lauderdale). The reception starts at 7 p.m.; the exhibit runs through July 1. Call 954-527-7700. -- Jason Budjinski
