By
Cornelia Seckel
By Cornelia Seckel
This
was quite a busy month as I made
the rounds from NYC to Peekskill, Poughkeepsie, Ellenville, and Kingston.
I
finally got to a production at Shadowland in Ellenville, NY and
saw “Glorious”, the true story of Florence Foster Jenkins, The
Worst Singer in the World, by Peter Quilter. This absurd comedy
was extremely well done with excellent acting and staging and a simple
set that worked well. The season at Shadowland is over, but will begin
again next May. The productions I’ve seen are very well done using mostly
equity actors and producing interesting plays. Check with them at www.shadowlandtheatre.org
Janet
Gurian Lippmann’s recent oils, pastels and a new book about her paintings
were at the National Arts Club, NYC. I always appreciate the quietness, gentle landscapes and colors
that she uses in her paintings and particularly loved her Apple Orchard
and Dahlias. Janet’s work can be seen at www.janetlippmann.com.
 Honoree’s: co-founders Susan Buckler and Jamey Wolff of Children’s Annex Barbara Cohen, Chair of Fall for Art at Jewish Federation Fall For Art event |
Fall
for Art is the annual “start of the season” art event in Kingston,
NY. This is the 12th year for the Jewish Federation of Ulster
County’s fundraiser. Each year an organization or individual is honored
and this year it was the Children’s Annex, a school designed for
children with Autism Spectrum Disorders opened in 1987. The money will
go towards a Photography Program, helping students to express themselves.
What
a treat to see so much of Kate McGloughlin’s work at the Art
Society of Kingston. Kate, a master printmaker and excellent painter,
showed her paintings and prints as well as sketches for the work in the
show called “Sketchbook Fruition”. You can see her work at www.katemcgloughlin.com.
 Flora Giffuni (seated-founder of PSA) with Friends of Pastel Maggie Price and Janie Hutchinson |
The
36th Annual Open Juried Exhibit For pastels Only had a great range of styles, all excellent work. 193 paintings
were selected from 896 entries from people all over the country It is
amazing to me how pastels (pigment from the earth) can be made to do such
intricate work. Top prize went to Abel Marquez for “The
Serenity of a Thought” and 2nd prize went to Bonnie Williams for “Shadows”. The ART TIMES Award went
to Susan Parmenter for “Bowl with Apples”. The Hall of Fame
Honoree was Doug Dawson and this year’s Friends of Pastel
were Maggie Price and Janie Hutchinson, founders of The
Pastel Journal now published by F&W Publications. Each year the medium seems to be pushed further along and I believe
that is one of the goals of the Society that was founded by Flora Giffuni.
After dinner numerous speakers went to the podium to thank Flora for her
work and express their appreciation.
 (L to R) Ira Glasser, President, Ethan Nadelmann, Exec. Director and Anthony Papa, artist at a fundraising auction for Drug Policy Alliance. |
I’d first come
in contact with Tony Papa when he was an inmate at Sing Sing on charges
of drug possession under the Rockefeller Drug Laws. He was having an art
exhibit and was looking for publicity. While in prison he discovered his
talent as an artist and since his release he has been working with
the Drug Policy Alliance – according to their website: “The
Drug Policy Alliance Network (DPA Network) is the nation's leading organization
promoting policy alternatives to the drug war that are grounded in science,
compassion, health and human rights. We work to ensure that our nation’s
drug policies no longer arrest, incarcerate, disenfranchise and otherwise
harm millions of nonviolent people.” The fundraiser, held at Cheim
& Read Gallery, NYC was well attended and paintings that
were donated by 50 visual artists raised more than $125,000. For more
information: www.drugpolicy.org
 Eleanor Steffen in front of her work at the Dog House Gallery, Saugerties, NY |
I
was so pleased to see work by Eleanor Steffen and Bernard Steffen at the Doghouse Gallery in
Saugerties, NY. Eleanor had large oils on canvas of animals - cows, cats
and dogs. She told me that Jon Katz’s “Katz on Dogs” and his belief
in the spirituality of dogs and humans influenced the work and the show.
The work of Bernard Steffen, who died in 1980, occupied one of the galleries
and it was a pleasure to see this powerful work and learn about his life.
Hudson
Valley Center for Contemporary Art (HVCCA), a non-profit arts and education organization founded by the Marc and Livia Straus family, is dedicated to the development and presentation of exhibitions
and interdisciplinary programs that enrich the understanding of contemporary
art, its contexts, and its relationship to social issues. Additionally,
HVCCA has temporary and long-term installations of contemporary art by
both well-known and emerging artists; Artist-in-Residence, which provides artists with the opportunity to create
long-term installations at the Center and in the community; lectures,
panel discussions and educational opportunities for students and adults;
and Special Projects, which presents unique, interdisciplinary
projects, events and collaborations.
 Current Exhibit "Origins" at the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, Peekskill, NY |
I
began my tour of Peekskill at the HVCCA viewing Origins, works
by 30 artists from 15 countries who used natural materials that “addresses
the value and beauty of our diverse ecology and its fragility.” I am always
impressed with the scope and magnitude of their vision. On October 4th,
the HVCCA will have a fundraising auction in NYC to raise money for their
educational programs. For more information go online www.hvcca.org.
HVCCA
is also committed to the enrichment of Peekskill, NY and the co-sponsor
of the Annual Peekskill Project, a citywide
public arts festival of cutting-edge contemporary art. Paintings, photography,
sculpture, video and performance art by over 80 US and international artists
that were selected by a committee of renowned curators. I took my car
rather than the art shuttle bus that brought people around Peekskill and
saw several of the 16 different venues of installations, exhibits and
performances. Priska C. Juschika, NYC gallery owner and long time
supporter of HVCCA, was one of the curators of the project and I saw her
curatorial work in several different places. Taking part in The Peekskill
Project is an excellent way to explore the art venues in town and be part
of an important annual community event.
Emily Morrow and Daniel Rubentein standing in front of their father
Lewis Rubenstein's work at the Barrett Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY |
My
visit to Poughkeepsie was to see the exhibit at The Barrett Center
The Artistic Legacy of Lewis Rubenstein,
an artist that Raymond profiled many years ago and in fact shows up as
a character in Raymond’s novel The Mountain and to see Frank
Mason whose work was part of the Hudson Valley Harvest Show
at the Arlington Gallery.
What
a pleasure to see Lewis Rubinstein's work and to meet
his son Daniel and daughter Emily. Lithographs, watercolors,
ink paintings of people and places, many from his travels, filled the
galleries as did many admirers, former students and old friends. In prominent
display was one of his works from The Creation Series. Lewis
taught at Vassar College for many years before retiring to Vermont. I’ve
known Frank and his wife Ann Mason nearly since we started ART
TIMES, and Raymond has written introductions for catalogues for him
as well as interviewing him extensively for The Art Students League
of NY: A History, published in 1999. The gallery was packed with collectors,
well-wishers and former students (Frank taught at the League for nearly
50 years). The show is well documented with wall notes and includes a
film of Frank teaching in Vermont. Before I left Poughkeepsie I visited
the student show at Mill Street Loft, Gas to see Michael
Sibilia’s gorgeous large format photographs of Portraits of America,
Cuneen-Hackett Art Center for Ellen O’Shea’s recent works
of bodies in landscapes — an intriguing show ending up at Jeep
Johnson’s Glass Studio. What a day. What a month.
 Michael Sibilia speaking about his work at gas |
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