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Gallery North

'Fading Shallows' by Kathleen Masssi

Gallery North, 90 North Country Road, Setauket kicks off the new year with an exciting solo photography exhibit titled Transcendences by artist Kathleen Massi, on view from Jan. 9 to Feb. 16. 

The exhibition features a selection of abstract and impressionist photographs from Massi’s various series, including her Otherworldly series, her Life Imagined series, as well as her Traces, Land Spirits, Nightfall and Discourse series. 

Massi’s photographs transport the viewer just beyond our reality into hidden realms. Each series varies from vibrant, bold compositions reminiscent of otherworldly landscapes, to serene, ethereal spaces defined by soft hues and gentle movement. Her use of color and movement, and her shortening of the pictorial space highlight the influences of artists such as Kandinsky and Rothko on her work. Her painterly images are created by applying intentional camera movement, soft focus and multiple exposure to local landscapes and her own found object arrangements.

Based on the north shore of Long Island, Kathleen Massi discovered her interest in photography in 2017 after retiring from a career in management at an aerospace corporation. Massi is self-taught and works with a range of photographic processes and styles. Her work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums across Long Island and New York City.

The community is invited to an opening reception on Thursday, Jan. 9, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. As a complement to the exhibition, Gallery North will host an ArTalk with a demonstration on Saturday, Feb. 8 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibition, reception and ArTalk are free and open to the public. For more information, call 631-751-2676 or visit www.gallerynorth.org.

This exhibition is generously sponsored the Field Family, Jefferson’s Ferry, and Suffolk County’s Department of Economic Development and Planning. 

By Tara Mae

The holidays are a time to celebrate community, both big and small. Local holiday markets abound with opportunities for festive fun and merry memories in the making. 

Whether singular excursions or weeks-long endeavors, these holiday affairs are designed to foster a jovial mood. More than just shopping sites, they enable attendees to forge new traditions as they support local craftspeople and discover one-of-a-kind items. 

Upcoming celebrations include the Holiday Market Wonderland at the Reboli Center in Stony Brook, Winter Holiday Market at Setauket Neighborhood House, and Holiday Gift Bazaar at Gallery North in Setauket, Station Yards Ronkonkoma’s Holiday Market and Holiday Markets of the Huntington Holiday Spectacular.

Set up in a large heated tent behind the Reboli Center for Art and History, 64 Main St., Stony Brook and organized by Tracey Balaker of Freebird Events, the third annual Holiday Night Market Wonderland will be held on Saturday, November 30, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.  Reboli’s gallery and gift shop, which normally close at 5 p.m., will stay open for the duration of the occasion.

“I am excited to bring this event to the Reboli Center, right in the heart of magical Stony Brook Village; it is such a great location. I was trying to create a Bryant Park village, Christmas market feel — everyone comes dressed and adorns their spaces with lights,” said Balaker. 

Approximately 55 vendors — both inside and outside the tent — will offer items such as baked goods, handmade crafts, unique gifts, and clothing. A food stand will provide sweet treats, including cider and hot chocolate, for visitors to  enjoy as they are serenaded by carolers, the Celestial Singers. Frosty the Snowman, the Gingerbread Man, and other holiday characters will make cameo appearances, and a pony from Peaches Pony Parties will be decked out as a reindeer and pose for photo opportunities. 

“Everyone who has come to it the past few years says it feels like a Hallmark Christmas movie,” said Balaker. 

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From a film scene to a historic setting, Three Village Historical Society’s (TVHS) fourth annual Winter Holiday Market will take place at the Setauket Neighborhood House, 95 Main St., Setauket on Sunday, December 1, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Displaying an array of evergreen accent pieces, edible artistry, and artisanal craftsmanship, 32 vendors will be situated throughout the building and on the porch. 

“We have stunning greenery displays and floral arrangements, New York cheese, balsamic glazes, local honey, decorated cookies, delicious baked goods, spices and seasonings and soups, farm fresh preserves, and a brand new distillery with a Culper Spy theme,” said TVHS Community Engagement Manager Kimberly Phyfe. 

Other participants will be offering their artisanal products: jewelry, soaps, candles, pottery, knitwear, clothing, personalized drinkware, and artwork. TVHS will likewise have a pop-up gift shop with trinkets, books, and other selections from its inventory. 

“We are so looking forward to giving our guests a place to shop small & support local,” Phyfe said. 

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Located at 90 North Country Road in Setauket, Gallery’s North’s fourth annual Holiday Gift Bazaar is another celebration of communal appreciation as well as artistic expression. On Saturday, December 14, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., it will highlight the work of 12 artists displaying their jewelry, ceramics, wood craft, fiber art, candles, and printmaking. 

“The Gallery North Holiday Gift Bazaar is a special indoor holiday gift market that provides an alternative to online and department store shopping. Artists will display their work on tables in both the Gallery and the Studio,” Gallery North Director of Development Erin Smith said. 

Patrons will also be able to choose works from the gallery’s current exhibition, Deck the Halls, and choose from an array of handmade, local goods in its gift shop. Level Up Kitchen will be onsite, selling food and drinks. 

“The Bazaar is an excellent opportunity to support local artists and businesses,” Smith said. 

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The newly opened Station Yards at 3 Hawkins Avenue in Ronkonkoma and the Holiday Markets of the Huntington Holiday Spectacular will give audiences multiple chances to embrace the joyful camaraderie of the season. 

On Saturdays, November 30 to December 21, from noon to 4 p.m., Station Yards will premiere its first Holiday Market around the Village Green. Shop from a curated selection of local vendors and artisans, offering unique gifts, handmade goods, and seasonal treats—perfect for holiday gifting.

Available every Friday and Sunday in December, from noon to 5 p.m., except Friday, December 6, when it turns into a night market from 5 to 9 p.m., the Holiday Markets along Wall Street in Huntington will be multi-sensory spectacles presenting a collection of shopping and social conveniences. 

At the heart of these five holiday markets is the enticement of strengthening existing  human connections and forging new ones while promoting common interests. 

“When your holiday gifts come from small business owners and local vendors, the money stays within the neighborhood. It’s more than purchasing the perfect present, it’s building up our own community,” Phyfe said. 

'Journey' by Markee Sullivan will be on view from Nov. 14 to Dec. 21.

In perfect tandem with the season of giving, Gallery North in Setauket presents Deck the Halls, its annual group exhibition of small original works for the holidays, from Nov. 14 to Dec. 21. The community is invited to an opening reception on Thursday, Nov. 14 from 6 p.m. to 8 pm. 

Enjoy artworks by over 50 local and regional artists in a range of media, including painting, printmaking, works on paper, sculpture, glassware, and more. 

The exhibition offers an excellent opportunity to support local artists, and features a diverse selection of affordable, exciting, original artworks for everyone on your list. 

In addition, Gallery North also features a large assortment of artisan-created jewelry, handmade crafts, and decorations within the Shop at Gallery North, as well as clothing and artist-made greeting cards produced in the Studio at Gallery North. They also offer the gift of an art class or workshop to an aspiring artist, child, or adult. 

As a complement to the exhibition, Gallery North will also host a Holiday Gift Bazaar inside the Gallery and the Studio on Saturday, Dec. 14 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

The purpose of the Holiday Gift Bazaar is to provide the community with a way to “buy local” this holiday season instead of shopping in malls and shopping centers. 

The Holiday Gift Bazaar will offer an excellent opportunity to support local artists and businesses, complete with warm beverages and treats from LevelUp Kitchen.

Shoppers will find a diverse selection of affordable, exciting, original paintings, prints, photography, ceramics, pottery, woodwork, glassware, artisan created jewelry, handmade crafts, decorations, and clothing — perfect gifts for everyone on your list. ‘Tis the season to shop local!

The Deck the Halls exhibition is generously sponsored by WFC Architects, The Field Family, Suffolk County’s Department of Economic Planning and Development, and Jefferson’s Ferry. 

Located at 90 North Country Road in Setauket, Gallery North is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call 631-751-2676 or visit www.gallerynorth.org.

Up next for Gallery North , 90 North Country Road, Setauket is a solo exhibit titled Scott McIntire: Energyscapes. The show opens on Aug. 15 and runs through Sept. 29.  

The exhibition features large, medium, and small paintings and sculptures. 

McIntire constructs dynamic compositions in enamel which form a repository of information. Each vessel of data includes the sounds, smells, forces, electromagnetic and thermal energies that make up the environment. Each space seamlessly merges natural and man-made artifacts. 

McIntire uses his mastery of the optical properties of color to create the illusion of movement and vibration. Dazzling patterns and vivid concentric circles combine to form a dramatic Op Art world in which references to flora and fauna ground the work in a reality just out of sight from the human eye.

Born and raised in the fertile Willamette Valley in Oregon, McIntire’s artistic perception is rooted in his love of nature. At the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, McIntire studied color under the master colorist Albert King, giving him a lifelong understanding and love of color. McIntire is currently based in Greenport. His work has been exhibited both nationally and regionally including the Nassau County Museum of Art.

The community is invited to an opening reception on Thursday, Aug. 15, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. As a complement to the exhibition, Gallery North will host an ArTalk on Sunday, August 25, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibition, reception, and ArTalk will be free and open to the public.

This exhibition is generously sponsored Jefferson’s Ferry, and Suffolk County’s Department of Economic Development and Planning. 

'Swallowtail' by Lorena Salcedo-Watson will be on view at Gallery North through Aug. 11. Image courtesy of Gallery North

By Tara Mae

So much of nature exists in the balance of tension and release: the unrelentingly gray palette of winter gives way to the expansive vibrancy of spring blooms; birds sit on their nests for weeks in the hopes that their young will be strong enough to crack through their shells; and, people dare to dream of brighter tomorrows.

Morpholgies: Recent Works by Lorena Salcedo-Watson, on view at Gallery North, 90 North Country Road, Setauket from June 27 to Aug. 11, explores this interplay. Featuring 30 pieces including large-scale charcoal and pastel drawings, lithographs, and first drafts, the exhibit is a meditation on how the environment and nature merge with human experience.

‘Let It Go’ by Lorena Salcedo-Watson

“Having her do a solo exhibit here has been a goal for a while…This exhibit examines our symbiotic relationship with nature, our reliance on it, how we communicate with it,” said Gallery North Curator Kate Schwarting who met Salcedo-Watson while a student at Stony Brook University, where the artist is an art professor. 

Many pieces implement chiaroscuro —contrast between shadow and light — as a means by which to address ideas about the tenacity of life, the inevitability of death, and the determination of survival.

“Working in chiaroscuro — I want the drama, sense of falling into a black hole, you can stick your hand in there; I don’t want you to think in pretty terms — [do] not want color to add any other information. So, color is used to evoke mood in really specific moments,” Salcedo-Watson said.

Elements of color are deliberate contrasts; audacious vibrancy in stark relief. The art’s openness represents the vastness of the outdoors. “The abstract world she creates in her work is very singular; it is a celebration of beauty, nature, and curiosity,” Schwarting said. “The language Lorena creates with her art invokes organisms and structures that inhabit a totally unique space.”

It speaks to an understated grandeur that commands attention as it revels in the more abstract details of an exact image. For Salcedo-Watson, artistic scope and medium reflect the majesty of her subject matter. 

“Large scale gives you a sense of magnitude and awe. There have to be awesome things in your life. I encourage students to work large — it is liberating — keeping your drawing restricted to your wrist can be kind of sad since your experiences are life sized or larger,” she added.

Working in this manner enables Salcedo-Watson to create her own domain, in which she can guide and develop the narrative as she tracks its evolution. 

“I have always loved to draw, which is necessary to be a good printmaker. Lithography is a natural way of drawing, but you have multiples prints from the matrix, which allows you to see how you function as a problem solver. You have a record of your progress the whole way through,” Salcedo-Watson said.

The exhibit illuminates this process while also immersing its patrons in Salcedo-Watson’s interpretation of how nature nurtures. Her work is an invitation to envelop oneself in the wonder of the world while remaining rooted in realism.

“I always draw from observation, take what’s interesting to me, and play around with that,” she said. 

A longtime collector, Morpholgies features items from the artist’s cabinet of curiosities that have inspired her such as leaf fossils and root formations unearthed while gardening; insect exoskeletons gifted by friends; and other found objects that influence Salcedo-Watson’s work. 

Her fascination with nature’s detritus and remnants began at an early age and inspired her artistic practice.   

“I started drawing insects because the possibilities were huge with different varieties, but I also made stuff up and it was okay,” Salcedo-Watson said. “Not feeling like you have to follow the rules or always be accurate gave me permission to enjoy it more.”

Likewise, freedom of thought is what she seeks to convey to her audience. The ability to invoke the imagination is an ultimate endeavor of her art. 

“It’s not what I am trying to show you; it is what you think you are getting out of it. I try to put things forward and make you make sense of it. I could have a title to prompt you that this is what I am thinking about, but I want to actually engage you and make you think,” Salcedo-Watson said.

An opening reception will be held on Thursday, June 27, from 6 to 8 p.m. Salcedo-Watson will give an ArTalk and Print Demonstration on Saturday, July 20, from 3 to 5 p.m. These events are free and open to the public. For more information, call 631-751-2676 or visit www.gallerynorth.org.

By Katherine Kelton

For the 20th year, Gallery North of Setauket, held its Wet Paint Festival at the Tyler Homestead, located on Main Street in Setauket, on June 1‒2. The festival attracted 70 artists who set up in areas around the homestead, including Frank Melville Memorial Park, Patriots Rock, the Caroline Church, Emma Clark Public Library, the Factory Worker Houses, the Red Barn and the Setauket Green. The different scenery resulted in greatly varying works of art. Admission to the festival was free to all those who wanted to observe artists, eat good food and listen to music.

One artist, Christie Jones, from Patchogue, stated, “Most of my work is inspired by nature, so to be actually immersed in it enhances the work.” She has been painting plein air for a while, and the weekend event was the first time she was able to do it with an audience. Jones invited friends and family and welcomed feedback on her work, stating, “I enjoy chatting with people about my work and I know that everyone who’s talked with me has said I’m the only artist to work without an easel. So that has been interesting to hear.”

The goal of the festival was to showcase plein air art. As Ned Puchner, executive director of Gallery North, characterized, “It’s outdoor painting. It is artists working on-site doing landscape or outdoor subject matter paintings. Plein air means plain air.” He wanted to attract anyone interested in art and history to explore the area and see something unique.

The work created during the festival will also be displayed at the Reboli Center for Art & History on Main Street in Stony Brook from June 25 to July 7 in its own exhibition. 

Artist Debbie Foglia had previously worked closely with Joe Reboli before his passing. She shared her emotional story about her connection to Frank Melville Memorial Park, where she elected to paint. “I grew up in the area. When I was a teenager, I took lessons with Joe Reboli, and this was one of the places that we painted.” For her, the day meant not only enjoying nature and painting with an audience but also reminiscing on the memories she made with the famous painter.

Gallery North, a not-for-profit organization, aims to promote fine local art.

The Tyler Homestead, where much of the festival occurred, is owned by the Three Village Community Trust, which promises to “protect the places you love.” While the food, tents and check-in were stationed there, people surrounded the home with easels to capture its “American farmhouse” style, which is why it gained popularity. The trust also provided tours of Patriots Rock and explained the significance of Setauket in America’s fight for independence.

Gallery North also partnered with Level Up Kitchen, which catered the event, and WUSB 90.1 FM/107.3 FM for live music.

Many artists, if not the majority, set up in Frank Melville Memorial Park for the picturesque views of the water and trees. The weather attracted many people to come and stroll the park while watching professional artists create work in real time. With the local roads lined with cars for the entirety of the event, it was a clear success for Gallery North.

Photo by Jay Gao

PLEIN AIR MASTERPIECE

Stony Brook resident Jay Gao snapped this photo of artist Denise Franzino creating a beautiful work of art at Frank Melville Memorial Park while attending Gallery North’s 20th annual Wet Paint Festival in Setauket’s historic district on June 1. The well-attended two-day event featured over 40 artists, plein air art tours, nature and history walks, a visit from Sweetbriar Nature Center and live music.

Send your Photo of the Week to [email protected]

Artist Stuart Friedman paints at Frank Melville Memorial Park during a previous Wet Paint Festival. Photo courtesy of Gallery North
Two-day plein air painting event combines art, history and nature

By Rita J. Egan

Gallery North’s 20th annual Wet Paint Festival will take place in what was once considered a Setauket hub.

Held on June 1 and 2, the plein air painting event, featuring more than 40 artists, will be held on the grounds of the Tyler Homestead. Located at 97 Main Street, the mid-1700s home sits across the street from the Setauket Post Office and Frank Melville Memorial Park. Right in the homestead’s backyard is the Patriots Rock Historical Site, where the Battle of Setauket was fought.

For the 2024 event, Gallery North has partnered with Three Village Community Trust (TVCT), which owns the Tyler home. Erin Smith, Gallery North’s director of development, said they were pleased that the land trust was willing to make the Tyler Homestead available for the event.

The property will serve as the center point, where artists can explore around and near the property to decide the subject of their paintings. Choices include the house and property, Frank Melville Memorial Park, Patriots Rock, the Setauket Green, Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, nearby churches and the three Factory Worker Houses located less than a mile down the road.

“You bring your easel, and whatever vignette or view that moves you, you paint,” Smith said. “It’s nice because the whole idea of plein air painting is that it captures the light really well, and it gets you outside. You can really capture the historic beauty of the area in a unique way.”

Smith added that, during past festivals, some artists have chosen to paint objects such as an ice cream truck or bench. As for the Tyler Homestead and the area, it was chosen for “its historical significance and natural beauty.”

“It’s a highly visible central location for the community,” she explained.

Herb Mones, TVCT president, agreed that the Tyler house is the perfect location.

“It not only has the expansive yard, but it’s on Main Street, and it’s so close to so many other historical sites, parks and venues that the artists could spread out, and yet the Tyler house is the central focus,” he said.

In addition to various activities set up in the Tyler Homestead’s back and side yards, Mones said TVCT will provide tours of the Patriots Rock site and discuss the role early Setauket residents and British occupiers played during the American Revolution.

Artist Angela Stratton, who has participated in past Wet Paint Festivals, said she always looks forward to being outside and choosing what to paint.

“When you go out to paint, and you’re looking around, it’s kind of what hits you in your heart,” Stratton said. “One day, to some, a certain spot can look beautiful. The next day you can go and that doesn’t intrigue you.”

The artist added that she welcomes spectators’ questions and appreciates children being exposed to art at the festival. How quickly an artist completes a painting, she said, depends on the person and the canvas size. She said many base how long they spend on a painting on how the sunlight hits a subject during a certain time of day or some will stay despite the light passing.

For Three Village Historical Society Historian Beverly C. Tyler, the homestead is more than a landmark; it’s the home he grew up in. The historian said for a time the property had flowers all over, from front to back, that his stepfather, Lou Davis, cared for. Tyler described the flowers as “absolutely gorgeous.”

“Having the Wet Paint Festival there is sort of a continuation of his efforts to use the property,” Tyler said.

The historian fondly remembers playing on the grounds.

“Everything was very interesting around there, and I would sometimes sit on the front porch and just watch the cars go by and count the number of Chevys and Fords and other types of cars that were going by, and I could see everybody that came into the post office.”

Tyler added the area appeared in several postcards, and the Neighborhood House next to his family home was once a summer boarding house his grandfather ran in the late 1800s and the early 1900s.

In addition to viewing artists at work, attendees can participate in wildlife and plant life lectures or go on a guided tour of plein air paintings with regional artists Doug Reina and Christine D’Addario. WUSB 90.1 FM/107.3 FM will present live musical performances each day. Visitors will also be able to purchase food from LevelUp Kitchen and enjoy a delicious picnic in an idyllic setting.

Later in the month, from June 25 to July 7, art lovers can enjoy an exhibition at the Reboli Center for Art and History, 64 Main St., Stony Brook featuring the participating artists’ paintings. An opening reception will be held on June 25 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Schedule of Events

Saturday, June 1

11 a.m. History Walk with members of the Three Village Community Trust

Noon to 2 p.m. Music by Tom Killourhy

12:30 p.m. Meet local wildlife from Sweetbriar Nature Center

2 p.m. Take part in a plein air art tour with artist Christine D’Addario

Sunday, June 2

11 a.m. History Tour with Margo Arceri of Tri-Spy Tours

11:30 a.m. Nature Walk with the Four Harbors Audubon Society

Noon to 2 p.m. Music by Kane Daily

1:30 p.m. Plein air Art Tour with artist Doug Reina

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Generously sponsored by the Village Art Collective and Suffolk County’s Department of Economic Development and Planning., the Wet Paint Festival will be held on the grounds of the Tyler Homestead, 97 Main St., Setauket from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, and Sunday, June 2. The event is free of charge for spectators. A rain date is scheduled for June 15 and 16. For more information, call 631-751-2676 or visit gallerynorth.org/pages/wet-paint-festival.

Gallery North, 90 North Country Road, Setauket presents its annual Winner’s Circle exhibition  celebrating the award-winning artists of the 2023 Outdoor Art Show and Music Festival from May 16 to June 23. An opening reception will be held Thursday, May 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. 

The exhibition features recipients of the Best in Show award and best in categories including mixed media, fiber art, glass art, jewelry, painting, photography, and pottery at the 2023 Outdoor Art Show and Music Festival hosted by Gallery North. 

The 2023 festival judges, Tasha Boehm, Director of the Reboli Center for Art and History in Stony Brook, Julianna Kirk, a Long Island jeweler, multimedia artist, and educator, and contemporary artist Loretta Oberheim evaluated over 50 exhibitors to present the 13 available awards.

The Winner’s Circle exhibition includes artists Melanie Wulforst, Denise Aneke, Renee Brown, Jane Irvine, Flo Kemp, Joanne Liff, Susan Nagel, Lori Rosen, Paul Speh, Marlene Weinstein, Ally Liff, Dan McCarthy, and artists of the Brick Studio. These artists are all exceptional representatives of Long Island’s creative community and are an essential part of the Outdoor Art Show and Music Festival’s importance to the cultural offerings of the region. 

“Gallery North is proud to celebrate their significant achievements within their respective mediums,” read the press release.

This exhibition is generously sponsored by Jefferson’s Ferry and Suffolk County’s Department of Economic Development and Planning. The exhibition and reception will be free and open to the public. For more information, call 631-751-2676 or visit www.gallerynorth.org.

Photo from Gallery North

By Tara Mae

Beach trash becomes community treasure when Gallery North partners with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island, Atlantic Marine Conservancy, and Center for Environmental Education and Discovery (CEED) to sponsor beach cleanups at the Flax Pond Tidal Wetland Area, 15 Shore Drive, Old Field on Saturday, April 27, and Smith Point Beach, 1 William Floyd Parkway,  Shirley on Sunday, April 28. 

Each clean-up will be conducted in two shifts starting at 9 a.m. and 10:30 am each day. Atlantic Marine Conservancy will provide 50 buckets and trash pickers to volunteers on a first come, first serves basis. 

The cleanups are the brainchild of artist Jack D’Ambrosio, a native of Shirley, who will upcycle gathered plastic garbage into a found object sculpture. With the presentation of repurposed refuse, he hopes to bring awareness to the ongoing dangers of plastic pollution.

“Art is a great way to spread a message and support a cause,” he said. 

Primarily a printmaker, beach cleanups are just one element of D’Ambrosio’s interest in supporting communities through artistic expression. His artistry is immersed in an awareness of illuminating social issues by centering often overlooked subjects. While previous print projects have incorporated found plastic, he has never worked on a sculpture of this scale before. Such an undertaking of reinvention offers D’Ambrosio the chance to create poetic permanence out of problematic potential, an outcome that intrigues Gallery North. 

“The beach cleanup is an opportunity for Gallery North to impact and beautify the community in a different way,” Executive Director Ned Puchner said. “We have never done anything like this before…beyond that, we will be helping to preserve the ecology of the area, making the waterways and beaches cleaner.”

Once the trash has been amassed, D’Ambrosio will sort it and share the loot on Gallery North’s social media. After properly disposing of the non-plastic items, he will clean the plastic articles for the sculpture, the design of which has yet to take shape. 

“I am waiting to see what we find,” D’Ambrosio explained.  Intended to be a permanent installation, the sculpture’s final home is also yet to be determined. “This is a project of many partners, and once plans are drawn up, I will collaborate with one of them to find a location for the piece,” he added. 

A recipient of Gallery North’s 2023 Carmela Kolman Fellowship in Fine Art, in his application D’Ambrosio initially proposed the cleanup and its culmination. 

“Jack shared his desire to involve the community in a beach clean up when he applied for the fellowship and that excited the committee…We were moved by the conceptual aspect of Jack’s work. His idea to use art to educate the community on stewardship interested us,” Gallery North Education Director Larissa Grass said. 

At its core, the beach cleanup/sculpture exercise underscores the need for individual engagement and interpersonal cooperation to ensure the environment and art do not just survive, but thrive. 

“During the pandemic, I went to the beach seeking inspiration. Instead I found garbage. This experience made me want to do something with it, since it will never, ever go away,” D’Ambrosio said. “…I really encourage people to come join us on this journey.”

The clean-ups will be a rain or shine event. Pre-registration is encouraged by visiting www.gallerynorth.org. For more information, call 631-751-2676.