May 7, 1995

New York Times Review

ART; In Bridgeport, More Than a Touch of the 60's Revisited (Abbreviated Review)

By VIVIEN RAYNOR

THIS year at the Discovery Museum in Bridgeport has metamorphosed into the Year of the Connecticut Artist as well as the 30th anniversary of the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, grounds for further celebration. It takes the form of "Roots and Reality," a show that, given its cast of 16 black artists, has more than a touch of the 60's revisited. Mr. Hendricks may be the star of the show but he gets competition, notably from the sculptor James L. Buxton Jr., whose large gate stands by the entrance to the show. Within a frame made of sharpened saplings are rows of sticks, spheres and wood elements resembling bottles in outline. Because it is painted black, the piece automatically evokes Louise Nevelson, which is a pity because Mr. Buxton has little but the use of black in common with his predecessor, being less a manipulator of found wood objects than a carver of the raw material. His unpainted relief consisting of a shield shape stuffed with twigs also repays attention. Befitting its title, "Roots and Reality" includes items that refer to the black American past. As one of Connecticut's struggling urban museums, the Discovery seems exactly the right place for these issues. The show is hardly agitprop but it leaves a viewer wondering if black American aspirations can survive, given the present climate in which everyone, everywhere seems to be getting theirs.

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