Smithtown Township Arts Council has announced in a press release that the works of East Setauket artist Robert Roehrig will be on view at Apple Bank of Smithtown, 91 Route 111, Smithtown from September 19 to November 17. The exhibition, part of the Arts Council’s Outreach Gallery Program, can be viewed during regular banking hours Monday – Thursday 9 am – 4 pm; Friday 9 am – 6 pm; Saturday 9 am – 1 pm.
“From the time I was growing up in Queens and then Hicksville, I always loved to draw. I would sketch airplanes, cars, people – pretty much anything that caught my fancy. An important early influence was an artist named John Nagy, who had a TV show in the 1950’s that provided lessons on how to draw. I really enjoyed the program so my parents bought me his instruction booklet and kit. In it, the artist showed you step by step how to complete a picture. I still remember the pictures; a railroad train with smoke billowing, a young boy wearing a sombrero, and others. I completed every one,” said Roehrig.
“I took some art courses in high school and at Hofstra University, but I decided on social studies education as a career path. After college, I married my lovely wife Joan, and we raised our two children. Throughout those busy years, I did some sketching and watercolor painting for fun and relaxation. When I retired from teaching and counseling at Commack High School, I decided to try oil painting, something I had not done since high school. I soon found the versatility and rich colors of the oil medium to my liking. I have been oil painting ever since,” he added.
Many of Rob’s paintings try to capture the beauty of the natural world. “I feel fortunate to live on Long Island with its scenic beaches, coves, wetlands and farms. It is a challenge – and fun – to paint a spectacular cloud formation or a pretty reflection in a lake or pond. I tend toward realism and I often choose subjects that highlight the contrast between sun and shadow. Buildings or structures attract me as well and often make for an interesting scene. When traveling in the US or abroad, I am always on the lookout for a potential painting. The completed paintings help to rekindle wonderful memories,” he said.
“STAC is grateful to Apple Bank for its continued support of culture in our communities. We are so happy to feature the talents of Long Island artists in this space!” said the press release.
Above, the Vanderbilt Marine Museum. Vanderbilt Museum Archives photo
Why should we care about historic houses that have been turned into museums? How can these inert structures speak to us and how, a century or two later, might their histories and the lives of their famous inhabitants be relevant to contemporary life, and to museum visitors?
These are a few of the questions raised by Preserving Eagle’s Nest: Labor and the Aesthetics of Stasis, the newest exhibition at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, which opens to the public on Sunday, September 18, in the Lancaster Gallery. The presentation explores the preservation of Eagle’s Nest, the summer estate of William K. Vanderbilt II (1878-1944) one of the heirs to a powerful railroad and shipping empire.
Paul Rubery, the Vanderbilt Museum’s Director of Curatorial Affairs, created the exhibition after considering the purpose and future of historic house museums and examining hundreds of artifacts and documents, as well as the century-old buildings under his care.
Vanderbilt curator Santo Vitale, circa 1980. Vanderbilt Museum Archives photo
Preserving Eagle’s Nest explores the architectural significance of the estate and considers the skill, labor, expertise, and care invested in maintaining the appearance of the property and emphasizes the processes and outcomes of preservation initiatives.
“If historic house museums hope to communicate their value to contemporary society,” Rubery said, “they must develop a new language to describe their activities.
“Specifically, these institutions must articulate how, in remaining static, the buildings under their stewardship convey something essential about the historical process. To do so, they must direct their attention to the basic unit of historical experience and understanding: time.”
Questions about temporality present conceptual issues for the interpretation of house museums. In the mid-twentieth century, many private estates were converted into museums when social historians popularized a historiographic method centered on the role places played in forming the biographies of “great individuals,” Rubery said.
These scholars believed that, if the public was presented with the life of a person at a specific moment in time, they would form an intimate connection with the past in a way that supports the development of character and virtue. Today, our fondness for explaining historic events through biography has largely waned — and with that, the school of social history — leaving behind countless mummified homes, farmsteads, and other structures that no longer serve their intended purpose.
Preserving Eagle’s Nest explores this theme through artifacts and documents. It examines the historic house museum’s language of time by concentrating on the broken, damaged, and decayed aspects of the Vanderbilt Museum’s collections and grounds. The exhibit also examines the time and labor invested in preserving the historic appearance of the Museum and finds value in the multigenerational care and expertise given to the project.
By focusing on the tension that develops between degradation and preservation, Preserving Eagle’s Nest directs our collective interest toward questions of temporality, effort, and historical stasis, Rubery said.
This exhibition is made possible by the generosity of Eric and Laura Gerde, Milcon Construction Corporation, Farrell Fritz, P.C.; People’s United Bank; PFM Asset Management; and H2M Architects + Engineers.
The Suffolk Cound Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport presents Preserving Eagle’s Nestthrough Dec. 4.
Viewing hours for the fall are Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 631-854-5579 or visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.
Over 20 framed waterscape & wildlife photographs on display and for sale
By Susan Peragallo
When stepping into the Daniel Gale Sotheby’s office of Northport, to focus on the photographs by John P. Cardone is to be transported into our natural world. One can almost hear the wind rustling in the trees and the crickets creating their musical rhythms as you walk around the room. John says that he tries “to capture the beauty and spiritual magnificence of nature… a moment in time through unique natural setting and the amazing personalities of wildlife.” The subjects include hummingbirds, egrets, owls, eagles, and moose – to name just a few! In Sprague Lake at Dusk, moose are seen taking an evening sip of water, the lake reflecting the magnificent colors of the setting sun, bringing the viewer to a peaceful, tranquil vista.
Most of these amazing photographic captures were taken by John while kayaking and hiking on Long Island. But not only do these photographs capture the beauty and peace of nature, they are also wonderfully composed. This is especially true of Egret in Darkness: the soft white curves of the the egrets neck echo the angular white and gray tree branch beside it. In Frog Swimming, the frog is popping it’s head up in the water, it’s large eye repeating the circular ripples in the cool green water. Eagle Looking Down is another example of John’s sensitivity to form and composition. The eagle’s horizontal body mimics the tree branch it stands on, while it’s head and beak point downward, just as a branch below points down. These captured repetitions of line and form create wonderful compositions and add to the sense of peace and tranquility that John strives to communicate.
There are also captured moments of humor. In Amazing Turtle Pose, one can almost hear the turtle saying “I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille!” as the turtle coyly turns it’s head and smiles! In a moment of tenderness, Swan Portrait shows the swan’s neck bent back over it’s body, which forms a soft pillow for it’s head.
We can all use a moment to escape into nature and John P. Cardone has provided us with a perfect opportunity!
Author Susan Peragallo is the Gallery Coordinator and Curator Jeanie Tengelsen Gallery, Art League of Long Island in Dix Hills
The Northport Arts Coalition presents Nature Photography by Long Island Author/Photographer John P. Cardone at Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty, 77 Main St., Northport through October 5. The show is free and open to the public during office hours. All artwork is on sale. For more information, call 631-754-3400.
The entrance to Cedar hill Cemetery. Photo by Chris Ryon
By Tara Mae
From slightly spooky to sublimely serene, the Port Jefferson Village Center’s latest exhibit captures the majesty and tranquility of Port Jefferson’s historic Cedar Hill Cemetery.
Titled Cedar Hill Cemetery: Hidden Sanctuary of Our Past, the exhibit of approximately 60 photos offers insight into the still-operational, non-denominational cemetery as seen through the lens of Port Jefferson Historian Chris Ryon and historic photographs from the Library of Congress.
The Hulse family plot at Cedar Hill Cemetery. Photo by Chris Ryon
Located on the second floor mezzanine of the Center, the show, which opens Sept. 5, features black and white, color, and near-infrared photographs, evoking different emotions and transcending different periods of time.
The photos trace the seasons, years, and decades of the cemetery, which was established in the mid-19th century and houses the grave markers for some of the area’s most prominent and historic names, including members of the Woodhull, Roe, and Mather families.
Ryon, who began regularly photographing the cemetery about ten years ago, curated the exhibit and contributed most of the images, including all of the near-infrared pictures, which require a specially outfitted camera. He said he is fascinated by the distinctive, haunting images it can yield.
One striking example is the Mather family marker, a 41-ton obelisk that is the largest memorial in Cedar Hill. Standing high above its neighbors, a focal point in any photo, it features the names of John R., prominent shipbuilder, and his son, John Titus, founder of Mather Hospital.
With the near-infrared, details such as snow covered tombstones and skylines framed by trees and awash in clouds, the hint of the harbor in the background, take on a gothic luster. The cemetery’s gates appear stark and imposing. Names and details of the gravestones are frequently in sharp focus, names clearly visible.
“I just keep going back to infrared; it is just so ominous looking … green turns white, shadows become more pronounced, etc,” Ryon said, adding that he was drawn to the cemetery as a subject because of his dual appreciation of photography and history. However, he sees the exhibit and cemetery appealing to more than photography and history buffs.
The gates of cemetery came from the 71st regimental armory on Park Ave. in NYC. Photo from Library of Congress
“This cemetery has everything: photographic interest, history, insight into the lives of people in Port Jefferson … I return because it is a serene, moody place different from our everyday lives,” Ryon explained. “Through this exhibit, we are trying to encourage people to visit the cemetery; they will be rewarded for it.”
Situated on 23 acres of carefully tended rolling hills (the highest point is 271 feet above sea level), grass roads, and reimagined sheep pasture at the end of Liberty Avenue, Superintendent of the cemetery Ken Boehm described Cedar Hill as “an oasis in the middle of suburbia.”An additional few acres of untouched wooded property enhances the feeling that the cemetery complements and almost sprouts from the natural world.
Architectural details, such a somewhat squat, “brick house” that once housed the deceased awaiting burial and now holds landscaping equipment, are testaments to the cemetery’s evolution from privately owned land to publicly accessible final respite. And, of course, historic Cedar Hill Cemetery continues to function as originally intended.
“Not to sound corny or anything, but we are helping people at the worst time in their lives, so to be able to maintain this place, make it a sanctuary any way we can, is very rewarding,” Boehm said.
In April of 1859 Hubbard Gildersleeve sold 13 acres of his land to the Cedar Hill Cemetery Association, which had been established on March 30, 1859, with the express purpose of establishing a public cemetery. Prior to this, residents had largely continued the long held custom of burying loved ones in family plots on private property.
“These larger cemeteries were all established around the same time; there was a change in the way we thought about the dead, and how we wanted to respect them,” Ryon said.
The Association still exists today and oversees the cemetery’s operations.
Back row, from left, Nick Hartmann, Will Hatfield, Spencer Woolley, Tom Cove and Ken Boehm. Front row, from left, Nick Koban and Dennis Jourdain. Photo by Chris Ryon
Cedar Hill’s first official burial was of Mary B. Hulse, wife of Charles L. Hulse, who died March 27, 1859. Gravestones, belonging to people who predeceased her, soon joined Mrs. Hulse.
Since it was considered both disrespectful and unwise to disinter the actual bodies from their more informal resting places, bits of soil from those locations were moved with the markers to their new homes. Families who visited would often picnic and tend the gravesites; photographs from different eras may show them sitting among the graves or looking towards the water.
People still come to visit their loved ones, do some plantings at the family plots, and take in the views, though they rarely picnic, according to Boehm.
Other modifications, not just in behavior but appearance, have been made over the years. The tall gates, somehow both welcoming and austere, which greet or guard the entrance to the cemetery depending on the time of day, were purchased from a salvage yard in 1971. They once protected the 71st Regiment Armory on Park Avenue in New York City, and need some TLC after so much time on the job.
“The gates will be restored; people want to restore them. Fundraising and other efforts are in development,” Ryon said.
This ties into the larger goal of Hidden Sanctuary: to bring more public awareness to its existence and garner more support for its preservation and maintenance. The Cemetery Association and Village of Port Jefferson are discussing plans to create QR codes, implement cemetery tours, and generally invite people to take advantage of all the cemetery has to offer.
“The exhibit is important to make the public aware of this beautiful sanctuary right in our village. Many do not know it exists. We are hoping to share our cemetery with everyone and take some of the stigma out. We are non-denominational, all are welcome,” President of the Cemetery Association Gail Tilton said.
The Port Jefferson Gallery at the Village Center, 101 E. Broadway, Port Jefferson presents Cedar Hill Cemetery: Hidden Sanctuary of Our Past from Sept. 5 to Oct. 31.Join them for an opening reception on Sunday, Sept. 11 from 1 to 3 p.m. Viewing hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. For more information about the exhibit, call 631-473-4778 or visit www.portjeff.com/gallery. To learn more about Cedar Hill Cemetery, call 631-371-6113 or visit www.cedarhillcemeterypj.com.
Bold colors, rich compositions, lush imagery. Gallery North invites individuals to immerse themselves in the resplendent renderings and impactful art by late contemporary artist Stan Brodsky with Recastings: Stan Brodsky, a memorial retrospective on view from Aug. 11 to Sept. 18. An opening reception will be held on Aug. 11 from 6 to 8 p.m.
“Stan is a very influential artist to many artists practicing right now in our area. We felt it was important to show his work, keep it being viewed by the public and continuing to influence other artists. He has a great collection of work that is still available. The work itself is timeless and it’s important for it to be out there,” said Curator Kate Schwarting.
‘Edge of Summer’ by Stan Brodsky
Brodsky, who died in 2019 at the age of 94, was an artist and educator based out of Huntington. Recastings, the third solo exhibit at Gallery North of the artist’s work, is a cultivated exploration of Brodsky’s more abstract art.
Through his 75 year career, Brodsky created both representational and abstract art. The 1960s and 1970s were mainly periods of representational art, but by the 1980s, Brodsky was incorporating different texture, tones, and styles — developing the abstract techniques he would continue to cultivate for the next 40 years.
Recastings primarily highlights the pieces he created during this era. The exhibit includes approximately 15 oil on canvas paintings of various sizes as well as large framed works on paper, unframed works on paper, oil on paper, and mixed media pieces, reflecting three hallmarks of his career: a powerful command of color, a profound connection to nature, and the support he provided to other artists.
Color is a dynamic and defining character in Brodsky’s art, recognized by each individual interviewed for this article, while nature is a recurrent catalyst and muse.
“Stan Brodsky was renowned for his use of color. One critic called his colors ‘unnameable.’ The paintings change with the light, and so provide endless fascination,” Jeanne Hewitt, Brodsky’s widow and Trustee of the Stan Brodsky Trust, said.
‘Sun and Soil’ by Stan Brodsky
The artist’s distinct use of color showcases the power of his brushstrokes and indicates the impression of the natural world on his work. According to Schwarting, these traits allow a larger audience to relate to Brodsky’s art and are part of what drew her and Gallery North’s Executive Director Ned Puchner to the art that they chose to display.
“There are all different ways to connect with [Brodsky’s] work His use of color is really incredible —the color just vibrates, it is so vibrant and electric; his inspiration from nature; and his mark making is exquisite. There are so many details in his pieces, the push and pull, the layering, each one is very complex,” Schwarting said.
The exhibit is the continuation of a nearly 50 year relationship between Brodsky/his estate and Gallery North. Brodsky exhibited his work nationally and internationally but always maintained and nurtured his ties to the local artistic community of Long Island, including acting as teacher and mentor to many working artists in the area.
“He encouraged and taught other artists up until a few months before his death…Stan was beloved for the encouragement he offered to other artists, and for the help he offered,” Hewitt said.
Delving into Brodsky’s imprint on artists, “Stan Clan: Discussion on Brodsky’s Influence,” a panel talk with six of Brodsky’s former students reflecting on how he affected their creative development, will be held on Aug. 31 at 6 p.m.
When asked about this event, Puchner said he was most looking forward to the stories about Brodsky and his philosophy.
“It seems like he was such a charismatic, emotional person. When watching some of the videos of his previous talks, you see he was not afraid to talk about things like love and the more heightened emotional aspects of the creative process. What elements of his creative process have been picked up by the next generation of his students? How that was imparted to his students and how they and whether they continue to do that themselves will be really interesting,” he added.
Artist Doug Reina, who recently had a solo exhibit at Gallery North and will be one of the guests at the panel discussion, views Brodsky’s roles as artist and educator to be lasting gifts. “For those who know and appreciate his work, Stan Brodsky will always be remembered as a great painter who combined gorgeous colors, shapes, and compositions in a truly unique way,” he said. “For those lucky to have been his students, he will be remembered for his deep knowledge of painting that he always shared so generously. Perhaps the most important part of his legacy is how he helped so many artists grow, to take chances, to push beyond their limits.”
Reina will be joined at the discussion by fellow artists Susan Rostan, Peter Galasso, Marceil Kazickas, Ellen Hallie Schiff, and Alicia R. Peterson, each of whom studied and/or worked with Brodsky.
As a complement to the exhibit, on August 24 at 6 p.m., Art of NYC and Long Island, in conjunction with Brodsky’s estate, will provide a presentation at the gallery about art conservation techniques: identifying and treating condition issues in paintings, works on paper, and also sculptures. The exhibit, panel discussion, reception, and presentation are free and open to the public. A photo catalogue with a short essay about Brodsky and his art will be available to visitors.
Gallery North, 90 North Country Road, Setauket, is open Wednesdays to Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Recastings: Stan Brodsky is sponsored by Nancy Goroff, Jefferson’s Ferry, bid Architecture, and Suffolk County’s Department of Economic Development and Planning. For more information, call 631-751-2676 or visit www.gallerynorth.org.
"Horseshoe Crab Rising" 48" w x 34" h, by Hank Grebe
An artist’s little black book is often a secret stash of intimate expressions, innermost thoughts, and experimental techniques that lay the groundwork for their final piece. Now some of those secrets will be revealed at the next art exhibit at the Smithtown Township Arts Council’s Mills Pond Gallery in St. James. The juried show,titled Little Black Book, opens July 23.
‘Eva and the Socks’ by Kyle Blumenthal. Images courtesy of STAC
Juror Carol Fabricatore invited artists to enter works that captured the spirit, movement and emotions of their subject. When selecting the pieces for the show she looked for “works inspired by life…works that conjured narratives…that took us to places we had never seen… or introduced us to people and places.”
Artists build their work through inspiration, references, sketches, models, underpaintings and other modes of planning. Entrants were required to submit writeups digital images, sketches, etc. that showed the evolution of each piece they entered into the show.
The result is 60 works of art by 40 artists created using a variety of mediums including acrylic, charcoal, collage, colored pencil, gouache, graphite, ink, oil, pastel and watercolor.
Exhibiting artists include Amal, Ross Barbera, Shain Bard, Nancy Bass, Hema Bharadwaj, Kyle Blumenthal, Renee Caine, Nan Cao, Benjamin Cisek, Caryn Coville, Yunyi Dai, Kirsten DiGiovanni, James Dill, Jacob Docksey, Amanda Dolly, John Edwe, Ella Emsheimer, Nicholas Frizalone, Ayakoh Furukawa-Leonart, Hank Grebe, Susan Guihan Guasp, Stefani Jarrett, Roshanak Keyghobadi, Myungja Anna Koh, Mark Levine, Yuke Li, Edward Mills, Adam Mitchell, Amuri Morris, Patricia Morrison, Eddie Nino, Moriah Ray-Britt, William Reed, Melanie Reim, Marie Roberts, Dominick Santise, Fang Sullivan, Tracy Tekverk and Nina Wood.
Little Black Book will be on viewat theMills Pond Gallery, 660 Route 25A, St. James through Aug. 27. Gallery hours are Wednesdays to Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and weekends from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is free. The public is invited to an opening reception on Saturday, July 23 from 1 to 4 p.m. For more information or directions, visit www.millspondgallery.org or call 631-862-6575.
Who doesn’t love sunflowers? The Night Heron Artists are offering their large group painting “Sunflowers” for sale. Currently on view on the second floor of the Port Jefferson Village Center, thebeautiful unframed watercolorpainting was created by over 22 artists and measures 22″ by 30.” Fifty percent of the proceeds on the sale of the painting will be donated toward the Ukranian cause. All offers will be considered. For more information, call Leslie at 631-744-3794.
'June' by Emily Martin is on view at the HAC's Main Street Gallery. Photo courtesy of Huntington Arts Council
Currently on view at the Huntington Arts Council’s Main Street Gallery is a fiber show titled Uncommon Threads.The juried exhibition opened on July 15 and runs through August 27.
The exhibition focuses on fiber arts in all its forms. Juror Patty Eljaiek invited artists to provide entries that included either fiber-based materials or unconventional materials used in typical fiber art techniques such as crochet, weaving, sewing, felting, embroidery, etc.
‘Sattva’ by Luda Pah is on view at the HAC’s Main Street Gallery. Photo courtesy of Huntington Arts Council
As a mixed media artist, Eljaiek exhibits nationwide, in galleries from New York to California. Her work reflects her experience as a first generation American immigrant focusing on themes of belonging and identity. She continues to explore traditional fiber arts to create new and evolving work incorporating repurposed materials.
“I am so very excited about this exhibit,” said Eljaiek. “The original concept was to highlight contemporary works that celebrate fiber, in all its forms. The selected works show a wide variety of techniques, subjects and materials. It is thrilling to see artists creating work specifically for this show and also inspiring to know that there are artists who are working with fiber arts today in so many different ways. The Uncommon Threads exhibit is a perfect example of why fiber arts is fine art.”
Exhibiting artists include Mara Ahmed, Eileen Bell, Mary Brodersen, Amanda Burns, Kathy Cunningham, Oksana Danziger, Sherry Davis, Barbra Ellmann, Alicia Evans, Josefina Fasolino, Veronica Haley, Marilyn Hamilton Jackson, Conor Hartman, Andrea Larmor, Samantha Lopez, Emily Martin, John Michaels, Claudia Monnone, Luda Pahl, Eileen Palmer, Bernadette Puleo, Lauren Singer, Lisa Stancati, Devlin Starr, Robert Stenzel, Kim Svoboda, Rebecca Vicente, Debra Fink Bachelder, Ann Marie Miller, Deborah Monteko and Cindy Russell.
“Huntington Arts Council prides ourselves in providing opportunities that inspire artists to showcase their work. Uncommon Threads is an exhibit that features the work of both up and coming and seasoned artists; many new to HAC,” said Kieran Johnson, Executive Director of Huntington Arts Council. “The use of fiber to convey a story, feeling or message is at its best in this exhibit. I hope you will stop by to experience the unique and impactful medium of fiber art.”
The Main Street Gallery, 213 Main Street, Huntington is open from Tuesday toFriday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 631-271-8423 or visit huntingtonarts.org.
Smithtown Township Arts Council has announced that the works of St. James artist John Hunt will be on view now through Sept. 9, 2022 at Apple Bank of Smithtown, 91 Route 111, Smithtown. The exhibition, part of the Arts Council’s Outreach Gallery Program, can be viewed during regular banking hours Monday – Thursday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Friday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
A St. James resident for 45 years, John Hunt spent the majority of his life on Long Island with time away for military service and education. John holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from SUNY New Paltz and a Master of Fine Arts from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago.
“I have always had an interest in representational art and our surroundings,” said Hunt. “From the first time I flew in a plane and looked down at the landscape from a high altitude I became fascinated by the views I was seeing. Our normal relationship to the earth is from the ground and limited by our personal elevation. The view from a high altitude reveals patterns of man’s imprints on the earth as well as nature’s own from erosion or geological events or under ocean formations.”
“I have been able to travel to many areas in our country, especially in the western part of the states. The landscapes and topography are fascinating and prompt me to look at those areas from a greater elevation, so I refer to Google earth to explore the places I have visited from a vantage point way above the normal view. From that elevated position I search for patterns or formations that I find interesting and zoom in to select a view and adjust to arrive at a composition that I want to paint,” he said.
“STAC is grateful to Apple Bank for its continued support of culture in our communities. We are so happy to feature the talents of Long Island artists in this space!” said the press release.
'Victoria' by Philip Grausman will be on view at the Long Island Museum through July 2024. Photo by Heidi Sutton
'Victoria' by Philip Grausman will be on view at the Long Island Museum through July 2024. Photo by Heidi Sutton
'Eileen' by Philip Grausman will be on view at the Long Island Museum through July 2024. Photo by Heidi Sutton
'Eileen' by Philip Grausman will be on view at the Long Island Museum through July 2024. Photo by Heidi Sutton
By Heidi Sutton
They say two heads are better than one. How about two really BIG heads?
Two sculptures by artist Philip Grausman were unveiled on the grounds of the Long Island Museum (LIM) in Stony Brook last week. Grausman’s “Eileen,” 1993-1996, fiberglass, 10 feet high by 7.5 feet wide by 9 feet deep; and “Victoria,” 1999-2000, fiberglass, 14 feet high by 6.5 feet wide by 7.5 feet deep, will call the LIM home for a two year loan.
“The museum is thrilled to be able to bring fresh new art to our grounds, something for our visitors to enjoy and also something new to take in by the thousands of people who drive by our campus daily on Route 25A. Philip Grausman was prioritized as a great American figurative sculptor that we have wanted to work with for years, so we are so pleased to make this dream a reality. Budco Enterprises, Inc., from Hauppauge, donated their expertise and talent and did an amazing job installing these pieces,” said Long Island Museum’s Deputy Director Joshua Ruff.
‘Eileen’ by Philip Grausman will be on view at the Long Island Museum through July 2024. Photo by Heidi Sutton
Grausman’s earliest sculptures represented germinating buds and seeds, and this eventually led him to explore the underlying structure and form of the human head. A student of José Mariano de Creeft, a renowned sculptor of female heads and figurative forms, he trained at the Art Students League of New York and received his MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan.
Grausman has participated in over 80 solo and group exhibitions at prestigious venues throughout the world and his work is included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, CT.
His artist statement reads, “Since the early 1980’s, I have completed a number of monumentally scaled sculptures inspired from portrait heads originally modeled from life. These large-scaled heads are not portraits in a conventional sense. Rather, I view them as landscapes, an association expressed through a shared sense of scale. Fiberglass allows me to create and exhibit on a large scale. The whiteness of the forms appeals to me and suggests a drawing experience where the white page is transformed by line and contour. Creating each portrait sculpture is like sight-reading an unfamiliar musical score. It is the hidden geometry and interlocking volumes that inspire me.”
You can visit these impressive sculptures and others on the museum’s sprawling 9-acre campus at 1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook Thursdays through Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www. longislandmuseum.org.
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