Art exhibit

'Rolling Wave Atlantic' by Casey Chalem Anderson

We all know that Long Island is a special place to live. Over at the Reboli Center for Art & History in Stony Brook, a beautiful new summer exhibit, Coming Home, showcases our island in all its glory.

“This past year has given us all an opportunity to reflect upon what is most important in our lives. For most, this includes family, friends and nature. The Reboli Center is honored to present the work of three artists whose works epitomize the wonder and beauty of Long Island: Casey Chalem Anderson, Lynn Mara and Joseph Reboli,” said Lois Reboli, a founder of the Reboli Center and wife of the late Joseph Reboli. The new exhibit opened July 20 and runs through Sept. 26.

‘Wave Rider’ by Lynn Mara

According to the prolific painter, Lynn Mara, a Long Island native, “I like to capture the American spirit through my work. My impressionist style turned abstract expressionist was influenced by my friend and fellow Southampton artist, the late Jack Reggio, as well as Andy Warhol, Fairfield Porter and Bansky.” Her media includes acrylic paint, oil pastels, hand cut stencils, spray paint and photographic images. Mara’s work has been featured on the Hampton Jitney, at Met Life Stadium, and she was the 2017 Hampton Classic poster design winner. Her flag painting was a gift to each member of the LPGA Solheim Cup in 2019 in Scotland. She is currently working on a 10th anniversary piece for the NY Giants, which will be given away at Giants Stadium this season.

Casey Chalem Anderson divides her time between Greenwich Village and Sag Harbor, where she immerses herself in both natural and urban artistic worlds. “I am a landscape painter who is secretly an abstract painter. After years of living by the beach and observing the daily color variations provided by the tides, sunlight and weather, I’m making paintings that are boiled down to the essential elements that I care about,” said Anderson. Her newest works are a series using the colors of her Hampton’s palette in novel abstract forms that connect her realist works.

‘Lookout’ by Joseph Reboli

Joseph Reboli grew up and lived in the Three Village area. Many of his works were painted on Long Island, Greenwich Village, Block Island and Tuscany. “Joe was noted for his luminous rendering of everyday scenes and subjects, infusing the mundane with an aura of wonder. No object was too familiar or humble for his transforming touch. His canvases glowed with an unmistakable light,” said Lois Reboli.

The History Room features a new exhibit as well. Titled Legacy of Leslie Marchant, the exhibit showcases the noted Stony Brook and Long Island builder and is curated by designer and author Tricia Foley. 

“There is a certain look about Leslie Marchant’s work – classic and symmetrical in style, usually brick or stone in material, and usually American Colonial Revival. This timeless style is seen in churches and schools, post offices and community centers throughout the Town of Brookhaven and the East End. Marchant was the ‘go-to’ builder of his time – from Bellport High School to the Stony Brook Crescent, Marchant built structures to last in this enduring and familiar vernacular,” said Foley. 

Join the Reboli Center on Sept. 25 from 3 to 5 p.m. for a “Birthday Celebration for Joseph Reboli,” who would have turned 76 on that date. 

The Reboli Center, 64 Main St., Stony Brook is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission to the gallery is free. For more information visit their website at www.rebolicenter.org or call 631-757-7707.

As the world slowly reopens from the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions are lifted, the art world celebrates as well. Over at the Art League of Long Island in Dix Hills, a new exhibit is ready to be unveiled this weekend. Titled “Awakening,” the show is described as “an exploration of the world of the past 16 months as seen through the eyes of artists.” Juried by Kathleen Gurchie of Gurchie Designs, the exhibit opens on July 17 in a virtual gallery format and runs through Sept. 6. 

Artists were challenged to submit their best works “representing their expressions of our world as we re-awaken and acclimate to a new post-pandemic normal.” 

“The title, ‘Awakening’, reflects our joy at finally awakening from the long pandemic “sleep” and stepping slowly and carefully into public life again. But that is not all! We are awakening in many other ways, including social, political and environmental,” said  Susan Peragallo, Gallery Coordinator and Curator at the Art League. “Juror Kathleen Gurchie approached her task with thoughtful care and did a wonderful job selecting some of the most powerful and beautiful interpretations of that theme.”

Of the 221 works submitted by artists from across the United States, Ms. Gurchie selected 59 to show in the virtual gallery in a range of mediums including; oil, acrylic, watercolor, ink, collage, sculpture, digital, fiber, encaustic and monotype. Of those 59, six were singled out for awards. 

Awards of Excellence were give to Gerry Hirschstein of Old Bethpage for “Standing Twice as Tall,” pastel on canson paper; Margaret Minardi of Northport for “First Awake,” colored pencil drawing; and Beth Wessel of Huntington for her plaster sculpture titled “Joy.”

Honorable Mentions were handed out to Sooltan Madsen of Savannah Georgia for “Can You Spare a Fag,” oil on canvas; Regina Quinn of Gilboa, New York for “Salmon and Blue,” encaustic, oils and beeswax; and Philip Read of Long Island City for “On the Wings of a Dream”, drawing with watercolor.

“This skillful, wide ranging visual banquet can put a face to the complex mix of emotions from 2020’s extremes,” said Ms. Gurchie. “Sculptor Lloyd Lilly once told me ‘It’s in the tightest parameters of a system (ie: Awakening Theme) that our truest uniqueness shines forth.’ Additionally, it’s in viewing this, and experiencing that bond of commonality, that can help us to heal.”

“The timeliness and diversity of this show can do much more than entertain. It can lend you a perspective that you may not have considered. It can inform and help deepen your conversation,” she said. “It can show you that the indomitable human spirit, the timeless beauty and joy are very much present.”

The Art League of Long Island, 107 Deer Park Road, Dix Hills will present “Awakening,” a virtual gallery exhibition, from July 17 to Sept. 6 at www.artleagueli.org. For further information, call 631-462-5400.

Images courtesy of Art League of LI

 

When channeling their creativity, artists sometimes venture beyond the canvas and turn their attention to art that can adorn the human body. Such is the case with the Huntington Arts Council’s latest juried exhibit, Wearable Art 2.0. The show opened at the HAC’s Main Street Gallery on July 2. 

Back by popular demand, the exhibit features artwork that meets at the intersection of fashion and fine art through design, costume, or culture. Submissions are representative of the creative inspiration found in garments, accessories (art jewelry, masks, bags, etc.), and representational work (design boards, performance images, etc.). 

The show was juried by Dominique Maciejka, owner of Paper Doll Vintage Boutique in Sayville and Paper Doll Curiosity Shoppe in Patchogue.

“The work submitted showcased a beautiful range of what wearable art can mean to artists and how it can be interpreted. The works chosen exemplified a strong vision conceptually, technically or a combination of both. Some pieces were more traditional, while others had a modern and contemporary spin for a wonderful variety of works,” said Maciejka.

Participating artists include Lisa Cangemi, Oksana Danziger, Ciamara Donawa, Diane Godlewski, Steven Goldleaf, Nathaly Gomez, Jan Guarino, Veronica Haley, Drew Kane, Julianna Kirk, Allison Mack, Lorraine Manzo Angeletti, Meagan J. Meehan, John Micheals, Gail Neuman, Luda Pahl, Eileen Palmer, Athena Protonentis, Amanda Reilly, Cindy Russell, Jasmine Scarlatos, Meryl Shapiro, Danangelowe Spencer, Steven Tze, Ana Urbach and JoAnn Zambito.

Wearable Art 2.0 is a direct extension of the first version of this theme that took place in our Main Street Gallery three years ago. The creativity, technique, and artistry represented in this revival of Wearable Art has exceeded our expectations,” said Marc Courtade, Executive Director of the Huntington Arts Council.

The following participating artists received special acknowledgement from Maciejka at a private reception on July 9.

Best in Show: 
Covid Warrior by Ana Urbach
Honorable Mentions:
Bejeweled & Bedazzled Collection by Meghan J. Meehan
Unfinished by Luda Pahl
Hypnotic Bee Scarf  by Amanda Reilly
It’s a Trend DON’T SHOOT by Danangelowe Spencer
Fawl by Steven Tze

“The interpretation of the call is a true testament to how art can be designed and expressed in so many impactful and beautiful ways. Whether it be jewelry, quilted jackets, existing items that have been customized or hand painted silk, the exhibit is a show stopper. All are invited to stop by our gallery and experience the work in person,” said Courtade. 

The Huntington Arts Council’s Main Street Gallery, 213 Main St., Huntington will present Wearable Art 2.0 through July 31. The exhibit is also on view online. Hours for the gallery are Tuesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For weekend hours, visit www.huntingtonarts.org or call 631-271-8423.

**This article was updated on July 13 to announce Best in Show and Honorable Mentions.

Photo by Michael Zotos

ART IN THE PARK

Visitors to the Port Jefferson Village Center and Harborfront Park this summer will be treated to a unique art installation by Holtsville artist Michael R. Zotos. The exhibit is currently on view on the front lawn of the Village Center. 

“I call my free standing characters ‘Spontaneous Entities’ because the initial figure is made spontaneously as a free stroke of the hand,” said Zotos. “Those I like I redraw onto a piece of thin plywood. I cut it, sand it, prime it and paint it. Then I usually add eyes and other facial characteristics and I embellish the piece.” 

 Zotos, whose curious creatures have been popping up all over Suffolk County lately,  says his artwork is influenced by his experiences as a child growing up in the Catskills’ Blue Mountain near Saugerties.

“There I played in the pond by my house, reaching into the water to pull up various aquatic living creatures. There were minnows and fish, frogs and lots of pollywogs. And then all around the landscape were all kinds of bugs and insects, toads and rodents [along with] lots of plant life of all variations. Somehow all of this seems to work its way into my art pieces.

Send your Photo of the Week to [email protected]

 

Photo from Heckscher Museum

The Heckscher Museum of Art, 2 Prime Ave., Huntington invites children ages 5 to 10 to stop by the museum on Thursdays from July 8 to Aug. 12 to take part in their Drop In & Create program from 11 to 11:30 a.m.

Create fun works of art in a variety of materials inspired by artwork in the Museum’s Collection! Each week’s project will be exciting and different! Held outside on the Museum Terrace, this program is weather-permitting. In the case of inclement weather, the program will be held the following day. Families are invited to come into the Museum following the program at 11:30 am to explore the galleries!

Fee is $10 per child, adults free payable at the door. No registration necessary.
Fee includes all art supplies and general admission to the museum from 11:30  to noon.

Rain dates are Fridays, July 9 to Aug. 13.

For more information, call 631-380-3230 or visit www.heckscher.org.

'Feeling Blue,' acrylic, by Cheryl Cass-Zampiva Image courtesy of Mills Pond Gallery

Smithtown Township Arts Council’s Mills Pond Gallery highlights the talents of 67 of its artist members with its annual Member Artist Showcase exhibit of original fine art for sale from June 19 through July 18. Exhibiting artists hail from 40 communities across Long Island as well as New Jersey, Maryland, North Carolina and Florida.

A wide variety of media is represented including acrylic, digital art, ink etching, mixed media, oil, pastel, photography, plaster & found objects, silk dyes on silk, solar plate etching, torn paper collage, and watercolor.

‘Christmas Cactus’
Photograph
By Kathee Shaff Kelson, Stony Brook
Image courtesy of Mills Pond Gallery

“The Member Artist Showcase is an important show to me. We have such an abundance of talent in our membership,” said Allison Cruz, Executive Director of the Mills Pond Gallery. “I love to give artists the opportunity to choose a piece of their work to exhibit. I know artists are usually under many constraints of Juried Exhibits due to requirements of style or medium or size. It is great to give them an opportunity to show something that maybe they haven’t had the opportunity to exhibit due to those constraints or maybe something they have created using a new medium or style. I am always excited to see what they enter!”  

This year’s juror is freelance art consultant and curator Pam J. Brown, the Director and Curator of The Anthony Giordano Gallery at Dowling College for 16 years. Brown will choose four winning artists to participate in a future Winners Exhibit at the gallery.

Participating artists include Marsha Abrams, Lucia Alberti, Tina Anthony, Ross Barbera, Shain Bard, Ron Becker, Renee Blank, Kyle Blumenthal, Joyce Bressler, Alberto Jorge Carol, Cheryl Cass-Zampiva, Linda Ann Catucci, Carol Ceraso, Rocco Citeno, Donna Corvi, Teresa Cromwell, Tania Degen, Julie Doczi, Beth Drucker, JoAnne Dumas, Karin Dutra, Paul Edelson, Ellen Ferrigno, Donna Gabusi, Vivian Gattuso, Maureen Ginipro, Jan Guarino, Margaret Henning, David Herman, David Jaycox, Jr., Modern Fossils: Judith Marchand & David P. Horowitz, James Kelson, Kathee Shaff Kelson, Myungja Anna Koh, Susan Kozodoy Silkowitz, Ann Legere, Frank Loehr, Terence McManus, Paul Mele, Margaret Minardi, Karen George Mortimore, Annette Napolitano, Diane Oliva, Catherine Rezin, Robin Roberts, Robert Roehrig, Lori Scarlatos, Gia Schifano, Anita G. Schnirman, Joan Schwartzman, Kenneth Schwartzman, Hillary Serota Needle, Faith Skelos, Gisela Skoglund, Mike Stanko, Madeline Stare, John Taylor, Tracy Tekverk, Oxana Uryasev, Nicholas Valentino, Daniel van Benthuysen, Mary Ann Vetter, Pamela Waldroup, Don Weber, M. Ellen Winter, Patty Yantz, and Theodora Zavala.

“This show is about celebrating the talents of our artist members and I feel it does just that,” said Cruz.

The Mills Pond Gallery, 660 Route 25A, St. James presents its Member Artist Showcase from June 19 to July 18. The public is invited to an opening reception on Saturday, June 19 from noon to 2 p.m. or 2 to 4 p.m. (reservations are required) to meet the exhibiting artists and view their work. Admission to the gallery is always free. The gallery is open Wednesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. The gallery is closed Mondays and  Tuesdays and July 3 and 4. Please call 631-862-6575 or visit www.millspondgallery.org for more information.

'Poquott Beach'
‘Boy Juggler’ by Paul Edelson

Through the month of June, the Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, 120 Main St., Setauket presents an art exhibit titled Mostly Still Life by Paul Jay Edelson.

This exhibit includes paintings from late 2019 through the present. There is a range of subject matter, including landscapes and seascapes, all in an abstract style with strong imagery and intense color.

Recognized at the 2014 Gallery North Outdoor Art Show for his “Outstanding Paintings in Oil,” the top prize in that category, Edelson also won awards presented by the North Shore Art Guild (2016, 2020), the Southold Historical Society (2017, 2018) and the Mills Pond Gallery (2020). In Fall 2017 he was awarded “Best in Show” by the Long Island Museum (LIM) for his painting “Yellowstone Bison.”

The exhibit is on view during library hours. For more information, call 631-941-4080.

Smithtown Township Arts Council is pleased to announce that the works of Brookhaven artist Lynn Kinsella will be on view June 14 to August 12, 2021 at Apple Bank of Smithtown, 91 Route 111, Smithtown. The exhibition, part of STAC’s Outreach Gallery Program, can be viewed during regular banking hours Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Lynn Kinsella attended Phoenix School of Design in Manhattan, and went on to work in book publishing specializing in layout and illustration. After retirement, she decided to expand her creativity by taking watercolor classes. Lynn’s watercolor paintings have been exhibited in galleries across Long Island and her work has been selected for exhibition in juried exhibits across Long Island.

“I paint primarily in watercolor with a focus on nature. I enjoy painting scenes reflective of the local environment here on Long Island,” she 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!

Smithtown Township Arts Council is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization.

Pixabay photo

The Whaling Museum, 301 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor seeks artists for its 85th Anniversary Juried Exhibit titled 10x10x85.

How does one interpret 85 years of maritime history? By inviting local artists to share their vision on a 10×10 canvas for a juried exhibition to celebrate and inspire, 10x10x85 will feature creative works using a 10×10 inch canvas provided by the museum as a starting point. From there, artists have the choice of painting directly on the canvas, creating a mixed media piece, assemblage, sculpture, or anything else that interprets “85” or “8” or “5,” as long as the finished piece can be hung on a wall. All works will be on sale for $100 each during the exhibition period. There will be a 50/50 split on proceeds with the artist.

All funds raised will support museum education programming. Jurors include Northport artist and former Northport High School art teacher Margaret Minardi, and botanical artist and instructor at The Art League of Long Island and The Atelier at Flowerfield, Elizabeth Fusco.

The exhibit will run from October to December. Deadline to enter is Sept. 1. $20 entry fee includes a 10″ by 10″ canvas. For more information, visit www.cshwhalingmuseum.org/85art.

By Tara Mae

It’s time to celebrate! In honor of the Heckscher Museum of Art’s 100th anniversary, the museum will present a centennial exhibit, The Heckscher Museum Celebrates 100: Tracing History, Inspiring the Future from June 5 to Jan. 10, 2022. 

The exhibit is both a retrospective and a promise of future endeavors. Grouped chronologically by year, it encompasses the entire museum and features art and artifacts, including paintings, sculptures, and mixed media, acquired as part of its collection over the years.

“The work in our collection belongs to us. Because of the size of the museum, our permanent collection includes 2300 objects and at any one time we can only show about 100 things. It fills the entire museum; one big show,” said curator Karli Wurzelbacher. “I looked at the museum’s 100 year history and identified four key moments that are important to who we are as an institution.”

These elements are the museum’s founding, its relationship with local artist George Grosz, the influence of Long Island artists Arthur Dove and Helen Torr, and the largest donation ever received by the museum ­— a 363 piece Baker/Pisano collection of American Modernism in multiple forms: sculpture, watercolor, paintings, and pastels.

Founded in 1920 by Anna Atkins Heckscher and August Heckscher, the museum’s original collection was donated by the couple, who built it from scratch and gathered artwork with the museum in mind, according to Wurzelbacher. 

Having emigrated from Germany to escape the Nazis’ rise to power in the 1930s, Grosz lived in Huntington from 1947 until his death in 1959 and became very involved in the work of the Heckscher. 

“He visited the museum, served as a juror for contemporary art shows, taught private art lessons for adults in the community, and then the museum started collecting his works. [Our] collection didn’t start growing until the 1960s when we started adding works, slowly … He is one of the first artists we started collecting,” said Wurzelbacher.

Grosz’ most famous painting, Eclipse of the Sun, is featured in the centennial exhibit and serves perhaps as a symbol for both the artist and museum’s ties to the local community. 

After Grosz painted Eclipse in 1926, it was shown once at a European exhibition. It was then lost to the public for the next 40 years, until a visitor to the museum disclosed that they were in possession of it. The Heckscher’s art director at the time, Eva Gatling, launched a campaign to acquire the painting.

“…Gatling was one of the first female [museum] art directors in the country. She saw the painting and mobilized the community to pitch in and buy the work. About 200 people donated money to purchase work,” Wurzelbacher said. “Students at Huntington High School took up a collection. It’s a fantastic story about the community coming together collectively to buy one of the most important works of the 20th century by a local artist.”

Like Grosz, Arthur Dove and Helen Torr made Long Island their adopted home. The museum, which has the largest collection of Torr’s work, will display archival materials such as paint brushes and paints used by the couple, as well as their artwork. 

Peers of Georgia O’Keefe and figures of American Modernism, they lived on a boat docked in Huntington Harbor during the 1920s to 1930s and purchased a cottage in Centerport that was acquired by the museum in 1998.

“Their artwork, while abstract, distills their experiences living on the Long Island Sound. They are so important in the history of American Modernism and the history of Long Island art. Dove is considered the first American artist to work with abstraction in the 1910s … In 1972, Eva Gatling [organized] the first ever museum exhibition of Helen Torr, whose work is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,” said Wurzelbacher. 

Unlike many other museums, the Heckscher owns its entire collection, built up over the years largely through acquisitions and donations. The Baker/Pisano collection, featuring work by O’Keefe and Florine Stettheimer, was donated in 2001. It also contains work by Long Island artists and reflects a connection to the area.  

“In doing this process, it has been remarkable in seeing these deep local ties. We show Long Island and local art, and are able to put it in a national and international context,” Wurzelbacher explained. 

The scope of the exhibit, however, embraces and extends beyond these motifs. “We also have outstanding acquisitions that don’t relate to these themes,” she added. 

“A lot of the show is masterworks of collections … things we exhibit rarely but that we wanted to get out for this occasion, as well as historical ephemera: old photos of previous exhibits and photos of the museum as it looked soon after it opened.”  

In September, about two dozen objects will go off-view and other art will go on-view. Originally intended for 2020, the museum’s centennial plans were postponed due to the pandemic. “I am happy to have the extra time; it allowed us to end the show with recent acquisitions. Had we done the show a year ago, we wouldn’t have been able to include them,” Wurzelbacher said. 

Tickets are available for purchase online at www.heckscher.org. Timed ticketing is required. The museum is open Thursday to Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call 631-380-3230.