art

Join The Chamber in Celebrating March as Arts Awareness Month in Genesee County!

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center is pleased to share in celebrating Arts Awareness Month in Genesee County! Our tourism website calendar currently features nearly 100 musical events, artisan workshops, exhibits, and more for you to enjoy! Whether you want to dig in and create something yourself, or be inspired by those who do, our community offers something for everyone!  We invite you to join us in supporting our local arts community. Read our latest blog for more information!

Find a full list of locations and cultural events on our website!

Press Release:

Genesee Valley Conservancy is seeking 100 painters for this year’s Genesee Valley 100: Community Painting Project.

Painters will be given a 12x12 canvas upon which to create a piece inspired by the Genesee Valley landscape. The project aims, through art, to celebrate the diversity and importance of the
Genesee Valley landscape that the Conservancy works to protect. The subject and style of the painting is up to each individual artist. Paintings are due October 14 in preparation for the in-person and online show. Signups will be accepted until all slots are filled.

In person signup and pickup of canvases is taking place in Perry at the Silver Lake Brewing Project, 14 Borden Ave., on Sunday February 6 from 1-3.p.m. After that, artists can visit the
Conservancy website for details on signing up and receiving their canvas. All paintings will be pulled together at the end of the year for a show at the Silver Lake Brewing Project in Perry where the paintings will create a mosaic that represents the diversity and beauty of the Genesee Valley. The works will also be online for viewing and purchase.

There is a $10 fee to participate, but school classes are encouraged to reach out to Ben at the Conservancy to waive this fee as part of a class project. The Genesee Valley 100 is proudly underwritten by Steed Energy.

The TableTop ArtShow is a one-of-a-kind art show that runs yearly in the month of March. The show was conjured up during a brainstorming session involving Melissa Flint and Brian Kemp. The duo was talking it up about how to bring art to the people during the height of COVID when no shows were taking place.  With Galleries being closed due to the pandemic, the duo came up with the idea of placing the show right in front of an audience. Restaurants had just re-opened with guidelines that were prohibitive to a traditional gallery show of any kind. "Put it on placemats," Melissa says. And, Boom!!! The TableTop ArtShow was conceived.

The show now consists of area artists submission of up to 3 pieces of art. All artwork submitted is featured in the virtual portion of the show that can be viewed on the worldwide web. 15 of the submitted pieces are selected by the TableTop ArtShow crew to be featured in a gallery show located on the walls of Eli Fish Brewing in Downtown Batavia. Cash Prizes will be awarded to the 1st ($200), 2nd ($100), and 3rd ($50) place winners from the TableTop ArtShow pieces. There will also be a Cash Prize for the Peoples Choice Award selected from all entries: online voting will take place from March 1st - March 31st.

This March, we invite you to take part in this unique event. Visit our site to view the virtual show, visit a participating restaurant to check out the TableTop ArtShow, and/or swing by Elif Fish Brewing to view the 15 actual pieces of art.

If you're an artist or know any, please submit to the show and/or spread the word about this opportunity. Visit our Facebook (@TableTopArtShow) page or our website @ https://tabletopartshow.secure-decoration.com/contact  

We also have sponsorship opportunities available.  Please email Brian at sales@myTshirtsEtc.com if you’re interested in sponsoring this unique event.  Sponsors will have an ad on the TableTop ArtShow, a linked logo on our website, and a logo on any swag that can be purchased through the site as well.  

If you own a restaurant and would like to take part, please send a message to Brian at sales@myTshirtsEtc.com and we can add you to the list of over 20 participating restaurants. Restaurant participation is at no cost.  We just ask that you display the TableTop ArtShow on your tabletops for the month of March.  

We would love your support as events like this do not happen without the support of our community. Thank you and Enjoy the Show! 
https://tabletopartshow.secure-decoration.com/

Submitted photos and information from Mary Alice Loucks.

An Attica artist will be carving an abstract totem from a tree in Genesee County and the work starts tomorrow.

Jeffrey Loucks was given an Individual Artist Award by the Arts Council of Wyoming County to carve the totem into the shape of an obelisk on Maplewood Road in Alexander.

The project will take approximately one week. The public is welcome to come and see the sculptural carving and watch the tree transform and take its shape. Look for the safety cones and scaffolding surrounding the tree.

Loucks uses a chainsaw and burns the wood to preserve it using a Japanese Shou Sugi Ban technique. His work is remarkable and beyond surprising to everyone who sees it, according to Mary Alice Loucks.

The artist award grant is made possible by the NYS Council of the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the NYS Legislature; administered in Wyoming County by the Arts Council for Wyoming County.

Top photo: Jeffrey Loucks with the tree on Maplewood Road in Alexander that he will carve with a chainsaw into an obelisk.

Below, a completed carved obelisk by Attica artist Jeffrey Loucks.

Submitted image by Batavia artist Jill Pettigrew and press release:

Tops Friendly Markets and the Taste of Buffalo are pleased to announce that Jill Pettigrew, a talented artist from Batavia, is the Grand Prize Winner of the 2021 Taste of Buffalo Tops Poster Art contest.

Pettigrew was the winner for artists in the 18+ year old age group. Her artwork will be featured on the festival poster and in the event’s marketing materials. In addition, she will receive a $1,000 prize.

Anna Valece Bauer, a 17-year old resident of Williamsville, was the winner in the 13-17-year-old age group and will be presented with $500.

The prizes are courtesy of Tops Friendly Markets and The Taste of Buffalo.

“As is always the case, we were incredibly impressed with the talent of Western New York’s many artists who sent in entries for our poster contest,” said Amber Hartman, 2021 Taste of Buffalo chair.

“The Taste of Buffalo presented by Tops looks forward to sharing this year’s winning poster inside all of our participating restaurants and on the cover of our digital festival guide, which will be available on TasteofBuffalo.com.”

This year’s festival taking place July 10-11, will be back as a live event and is planned to take place in Niagara Square and on a portion of Delaware Avenue. This year’s festival will be modified to comply with any COVID-19 restrictions that may still be in place in July. 

About Taste of Buffalo presented by Tops

It is the nation's largest two-day food festival. The 38th annual Taste in 2021 will take place on July 10 and 11. The Taste is a not-for-profit organization with more than 1,000 volunteers helping to put on the annual event.

Approximately $541,000 has been raised at the festival for local charities including three $1,000 scholarships awarded last year to local high school seniors pursuing a culinary or hospitality-related degree. For more information, visit tasteofbuffalo.com, and find us @tasteofbuffalo on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

From Teresa Tamfer:

The Batavia Society of Artists is having a virtual hands-on watercolor art demonstration by artist Shauna Blake at 7 p.m. on Tuesday May 11th.

Members will get an email with sign-in info.

There is a $5 fee for nonmembers and they need to go to our Facebook page to sign up.

To participate in this hands-on demo on painting with watercolors you will need:

• Watercolors
• Watercolor brushes -- (Blake uses mostly rounds size 4, 6 & 8)
• Watercolor paper
• Board or plastic mat to tape watercolor paper down
• Masking tape
• Pencil

About Shauna Blake, Artist

She started painting in her early teens and has devoted her entire working life to her artwork. She has a love for nature and the outdoors and uses the inspiration and energy it provides to create her art.

She paints in a wide variety of mediums including, watercolors, acrylics, pen and ink, and silk dyes.

In 1994 she graduated from The Art Institute of Pittsburgh with a major in Graphic Design and Illustration.

She worked in the Graphic Design field for seven years before joining her husband, Brendan, in his glass art business in 2001. Here she expanded her art by studying and creating lampwork glass beads.

Shauna currently sells her hand painted silk scarves, silk ribbons and art prints worldwide on her website -- www.QuintessenceSilk.com -- and on the popular online Etsy handmade crafts site.

Top image, submitted by artist Shauna Blake, is her whimsical rendering of the early spring fuzzy catkins of the genus Salix, aka pussy willows.

Submitted photos and press release:

As part of their Black History Month studies, Byron-Bergen fourth- and fifth-grade students created art projects with, and inspired by, acclaimed Rochester public artist Shawn Dunwoody (on classroom monitor above).

While Dunwoody has visited the school in past years, this year his presentation took place on an online meeting platform to maintain health and safety guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic.

In his presentation to the fourth-grade classes, Dunwoody discussed murals and public art. In his own work, he has used murals to inspire in a variety of community spaces, from donut shops to waterfall viewing platforms.

“The murals I’ve done in communities, I’ve wanted to get people excited about their community,” Dunwoody said. “I want to make people feel good about themselves and the environment they are in.”

Dunwoody then created a collaborative mural design with the students, discussing the artistic process as well as font design and placement. The completed design featured the words “U R Wonderful” in bright colors.

Students then designed their own murals, using Dunwoody’s work as inspiration. Their finished projects included messages of support for environmental and social causes, as well as simple words of kindness such as “You got this,” “Love yourself,” and “You are awesome.”

In a similar presentation to fifth-grade students, Dunwoody discussed his original comic characters, the Legion of Legends, which includes local historical figures Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass and George Eastman. His Legion of characters fight villains like Trinity, a character encompassing racism, miseducation and poverty.

After creating a collaborative character with the fifth-grade classes, students created their own super heroes with special powers to fight for social justice. Among the heroes were those with the powers to fight for freedom and create peace. Their collaborative hero was “Super Miss Stephen” with the power of writing and the ability to make drawings come to life.

Dunwoody’s presentations were part of a Black History Day of Learning organized by fourth-grade teachers Jenna Carney, Colleen Hardenbrook, Alyson Tardy, and fifth-grade teachers Taylor Haupt, Ken Rogoyski, (Super Miss) Kelly Stephen, Diane Taylor, Erin Varley, and Special Education teacher Lisa Haller.

“Shawn uses art to uplift urban communities and discuss social justice,” Tardy said. “I’m extremely excited grateful that he takes the time to share his talents with our students.”

 

A new mural was commissioned for the dining room of the Alabama Hotel, located at routes 77 and 63 in Basom.

Owner Bonnie Woodward says, the mural in the main dining room was painted as a display of gratitude for all the hotel’s guests, and it encompasses many the highlights of the local area. The theme of the mural is “All Roads Lead to the Alabama Hotel.”

Bonnie explains the elements in the mural:

• The Alabama Hotel -- The painting of the hotel is a depiction of the structure dating back to the 1840s when it was first built. The entire section of the wall is a time capsule originating from the inception of the building, moving forward into the 1950s when the Woodward Family bought the Hotel, then forward to 2019 when Bonnie Woodward purchased it, and then finally to you -- the viewer at present.
• 1957 Buick Convertible – Bonnie wanted to embody the time period when the Hotel was acquired by the Woodward Family – 1956.
• Gas Pump – The building across from the Hotel, on the southwest corner, was at one point in time a gas station. The gas pump is from the 1950s and indicates the price of gas for that time period ($0.29/gallon).

• Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge – A very short drive west is this habitat which supports approximately 266 species of birds, 42 species of mammals, as well as fish, reptiles, amphibians and insects;
• Giant Wheel – Representing Six Flags Darien Lake in the Town of Darien. The real Giant Wheel propels riders 165 feet in the air.
• Darien Lake Amphitheater – Hosting performances from all your favorites with a capacity of 21,600 people.
• Steam Engine Tractor – The steam engine is a great way to represent the nearby Town of Alexander, which has hosted the Western New York Gas and Steam Engine Association and their respective annual rally since 1967.

​

• Old Lockport Locks – Running 524 miles with 57 locks, 17 lift bridges, and 13 movable dams, the Erie Canal is yet another designated National Historic Landmark. The Canal was fully operational in 1825. There is an elevation change from Albany to Buffalo of 571 feet. Although the mural depicts the Lockport locks from their historical perspective, the locks have been reconstructed and now are the only double set on The Erie Canal. They raise boats 50 feet using three million gallons of water.

• Buffalo City Hall – Just a short distance from here is Buffalo – the second largest city in New York State. Buffalo City Hall is a historical Art Deco masterpiece that is at the center of what's happening in Buffalo today.
• McKinley Monument – The obelisk painted in front of City Hall is the McKinley Monument. This 96-foot tall structure defines the center of Buffalo where all the main roads converge. The monument was dedicated to the memory of President William McKinley who was fatally shot in Buffalo. On Sept. 14, 1901, following McKinley’s death, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was inaugurated at the Ansley Wilcox House in Buffalo. He became the 26^th President of the United States.

• Niagara Falls – Niagara Falls is considered the Eighth Wonder of the World. This major tourist destination is the result of Lake Erie dumping into Lake Ontario and it straddles part of the border between New York and Canada. You may find it interesting to know that the rate of water traversing the falls is controlled by employing a weir with movable gates upstream from the Horseshoe Falls. Peak tourist season as well as hydroelectric facilities are determinants of such control measures, as well as the extreme importance of erosion control. Niagara Falls, with its hydropower, is the largest electricity producer in New York State.
• Wine Barrel – Since 1850 more than 5,000 people have either intentionally or accidently gone over the falls. The first person, in 1901, to survive was 63-year old school teacher, Annie Edson Taylor. She successfully performed the stunt in an oak barrel. Of the thousands of subsequent attempts, only 16 others have reportedly survived. Stunting at Niagara Falls has been illegal since 1951 and surviving such a feat could still cost a daredevil up to $25,000 (USD) in fines. 

• Fresh Produce – Agriculture is a major component of the local economy. The Hotel is positioned in Genesee County, which is part of the Finger Lakes Agricultural Region -- the center of NY agriculture. This region hosts the largest amount of farmland in the State and ranks first in total amount of farm sales. The neighboring Western New York Region comprises of 5,100 farms and 870,000 acres of farmland (2012 U.S. Census Report).
• Maple Tree – The maple leaf is the chosen emblem of Canada. We are grateful to our friends to the north who have always contributed to the culture and tradition of the Alabama Hotel.
• Apples – At one point Western New York was the leading apple producing area in the country. Today, NY State farmers grow 40 varieties of apples – more than any other state. The state is currently the second-largest apple producing state in the nation (USDA). 
• Onions – Neighboring Elba is known as the Onion Capital of the World in large part to the fertile mucklands. This title is upheld by the town’s annual Onion Festival and the crowning of its Onion Queen.
• Cary Seminary – Consistent with the theme of the other landmark structures, the artist captured the historic essence of the Cary Collegiate Seminary in neighboring Oakfield. The Seminary was opened in 1844 as a select boarding school and later became Oakfield High School. The building is now School House Manor – 27 apartments for the elderly.
• Milk Can – This is a symbolic homage to the local dairy industry; which is a major part of the economy. “The state has more than 4,000 dairy farms, is the fourth largest producer of milk [in the Nation], and is the largest producer of yogurt, cottage cheese and sour cream. The dairy community includes both large dairy operations and small, family-run farms. It also boasts processing of various types and sizes, from major global processing companies to small artisanal dairy product makers.” 
• Holding Lantern – Homage to the Underground Railroad. The entire area of Western New York was filled with stops or stations with major stations in Buffalo and Rochester. At the stations, weary slaves were given food, rest and a change of clothing before continuing the last leg of the journey to freedom in Canada.

• Holland Land Office – Located in Batavia, the image is of the third and last office of The Holland Land Company. In 1960, the building was declared a National Historic Landmark, the first one in Western New York. If you’re keeping track, that is the third National Historic Landmark on the mural tour. 
• Kodak Building – Nearby Rochester is known for the cultural icon of Eastman Kodak. With the slogan "you press the button, we do the rest" George Eastman put the first simple camera into the hands of a world of consumers in 1888. In so doing he made a cumbersome and complicated process easy to use and accessible to nearly everyone. Eastman’s Company has been at the center of most milestones in photography and digital imaging ever since.” 

Signatures of artists Susan Weber from Alden and Daniel Riggs originally from Elba

Submitted images and information.

The Batavia Society of Artist is hosting a Virtual Art Demonstration at 7 p.m. on Tuesday Dec. 8th.

Adrian Morris is an Irish artist from Ireland. He has lived in Batavia for 12 years. He was a pencil artist for many years before becoming a full-time painter. He will be demonstrating acrylic portrait painting via a virtual Zoom meeting.

Tickets are available on the BataviaSocietyofArtists facebook page for $5 for non-members.

For more info check out our facebook page or call Karen Crittenden, the facilitator of the Zoom meeting, at (585) 584-3296.

Above, "Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse" by Charles Malone, of Oakfield, who uses soils from the area to color his work.

Submitted images and press release:

This week marked the opening of the "Genesee Valley 100: A Community Painting Project" of the Genesee Valley Conservancy.

The project had only two simple directives for artists: use the provided 12X12 canvas, and paint something inspired by the Genesee Valley.

Organized by Genesee Valley Conservancy, a nonprofit celebrating 30 years of protecting habitat, open space, and farmland within the Genesee Valley, this project aims to capture the beauty and undefinable essence that the organization has been working to protect.

The Genesee Valley 100 exhibit of paintings is viewable online on the Conservancy’s website and in person during regular business hours at the Silver Lake Brewing Project in Perry (Wyoming County) through the end of the year. It is located at 14 Borden Ave.

Online is where all sales take place, which benefit both the local artist and the Conservancy.

This year, three Genesee County artists participated and one close by in Attica: Charles Malone, of Oakfield; David Burke, of Bergen; Susan Kinney, of Oakfield, and Linda Fix, of Attica.

In creating such a collection of work and exhibiting them to the public, the organization hopes to inspire people to recognize the importance of the local lands and natural resources that surround and benefit us. Lands that future generations will be grateful if we properly care for them today.

Agricultural lands provide jobs and local food, supporting a large part of our rural economy. Lakes providing drinking water depend on the open spaces and forests surrounding them to naturally filter runoff so it is clean and safe to drink. Thriving habitat provides unique places to explore, recreate and enjoy fresh air while breaking from screens and devices.

A range of diverse styles are on display and artists of all levels of experiences participated. High school students and amateurs have pieces hung next to lifelong and professional painters. This is another unique part of this show. No one is juried to get in. Everyone interested is welcome to submit their painting, no questions asked.

The goal is to see what inspires people about the Genesee Valley and, in turn, present those images to the public to inspire others to recognize what a beautiful and special place we live.

While each individual piece warrants up close inspection, hung together at the brewery the collection is an impressive mosaic that is a work of art itself.

In trying to reach a broad audience for the project, the show is intentionally hung in a nontraditional space for art, that is to say, not in a gallery. The hope is people not seeking art out will be confronted by the project and be exposed to some great local artists and to images of our beautiful landscape. 

Paintings represent locations within the Genesee Valley from the headwaters of the Genesee River in Pennsylvania all the way to the shores of Lake Ontario, and everywhere in between.  

Forty-three communities are represented by painters this year. Fifty-one artists are first-time participants in the Genesee Valley 100. Thirty-four return from 2018, the first year of the project, that also featured original paintings. Eighteen artists this year are returning from last year’s project, which was oriented just to photographers, but held the same 12x12 requirement and that the work be of the Genesee Valley.

About Genesee Valley Conservancy

It is a nationally accredited nonprofit conservation organization working to protect the habitat, open space and farmland in the Genesee River watershed. Over 21,360 acres of natural habitat and productive farm and forest land have been conserved by Genesee Valley Conservancy and private landowners. The organization also owns nature preserves open to the public year-round for recreation and education.

For more information visit www.geneseevalleyconservancy.org

Below, "Bergen Swamp Trail" by David Burke, of Bergen.

Below, "Rainy Morning at Armson Farms" by Susan Kinney, of Pavilion.

Below, "Nature's Wonder" by Linda Fix, of Attica.

Below, a portion of the 12" by 12" works in this year's "Genesee Valley 100: A Community Painting Project."

Submitted images and press release:

The Batavia Society of Artists is hosting its debut Virtual Art Demonstration at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10th. Shauna Blake will demonstrate painting on silk with dyes via a virtual Zoom meeting.

Tickets are available on the Batavia Society of Artists Facebook page for $5 for non-members. For more info check out the Facebook page or call Karen Crittenden, the facilitator of the Zoom meeting, at (585) 584-3296.

About Shauna Blake, Artist

Shauna Blake started painting in her early teens and has devoted her entire working life to her artwork. She has a love for nature and the outdoors and uses the inspiration and energy it provides to create her art.

She paints in a wide variety of mediums including, watercolors, acrylics, pen and ink, and silk dyes.

In 1994 she graduated from The Art Institute of Pittsburgh with a major in Graphic Design and Illustration. She worked in the Graphic Design field for seven years before joining her husband, Brendan, in his glass art business in 2001.

Here she expanded her art by studying and creating lampwork glass beads.

Then in 2009 she discovered silk painting. She found that painting on silk was the perfect fit for her creative and expressive artistic style.

Shauna currently sells her hand-painted silk scarves, silk ribbons and art prints worldwide on her website. www.QuintessenceSilk.com and on the popular Etsy handmade crafts site online.

Press release:

Reality Check programs of Western New York are getting creative to honor this year’s Great American Smokeout. As communities continue to grapple with the challenges of COVID-19, the youth coordinators in the GOW Region decided the safest (and fun) way to help young people demonstrate their leadership is through an art contest.

The deadline to submit entries is Nov. 13. Winners will be announced on Nov. 19, the date of this year’s Great American Smokeout.

“We miss doing group events like cigarette butt pickups, educational events, and watching our young people champion issues they believe in,” said Brittany Bozzer, GOW Reality Check coordinator. “This art contest will build awareness on the impacts of tobacco use and help ensure that youth voices are a part of the solution for healthier communities.”

The American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout is an annual event that encourages and offers support to smokers to make a plan to quit smoking or to quit smoking on the day of the event – Thursday, Nov. 19. By quitting – even for one day – smokers will be taking an important step toward a healthier life and reducing their cancer risk. 

Contest Details

Creative Western New Yorkers between the ages of 12 and 18 are encouraged to virtually submit a piece of artwork that highlights the dangers of tobacco use or why they want their community to be tobacco free. Artwork can be a poster, poem, comic, photo or video. Winners will be chosen in two age groups: 12-14 years old and 15-18 years old. 

Youth are asked to submit their masterpiece, along with their name, age, school name, phone number and guardian’s name, to:   rcofwny@gmail.com

About Reality Check

Reality Check is a youth-led movement in New York State that empowers youth to become leaders in their communities in exposing what they see as the manipulative and deceptive marketing tactics of the tobacco industry. The organization’s members create change in their communities through grassroots mobilization and education.

Reality Check groups work in their communities by trying to limit the exposure of tobacco marketing in stores, help make smoke/vape-free public, work, and housing spaces, and limiting the exposure to smoking/vaping in movies.

These initiatives are to help discourage young people from becoming new daily smokers and encourage current smokers to quit. More information can be found at realitycheckofny.com and tobaccofreenys.com

Above: "Inspiration -- Miranda the Tempest," a 9-inch by 12-inch painting in soft pastels by Linda Miranda Fix, based on the painting by John William Waterhouse.

From information provided by Holly Gordon:

Attica artist Linda Miranda Fix, 66, is proud to announce that her artwork is among 100 pieces chosen for exhibit by the Islip Arts Council and the Islip Art Museum at Historic Brookwood Hall.

Their virtual statewide art exhibit "Art at 50 Plus: New Beginnings" -- A Virtual Exhibition 2020 opened on Sept. 15 and runs through Nov. 7. It is billed as "a stunning orchestration of hope and inspiration." Click here to watch the virtual exhibit and here for the gallery exhibit.

"I have always loved the art of John William Waterhouse and this particular painting (above) is my favorite," Fix said, adding that his works are now in public domain. "I work with several different mediums; watercolor, acrylics, oil, alcohol ink, and soft pastels."

The exhibit Fix is featured in is sponsored by AARP Long Island and features a poignant and uplifting video, a unique work of art unto itself that captures this historic moment in time.

“It is times like these that organizations can help members of the public cope with social isolation and loneliness,” said Bernard Macias, AARP associate state director for Long Island. “Art and creativity can help improve or maintain our emotional wellness, while dealing with constant change.”

Holly Gordon, Islip Arts curator, has taken this exhibition to new heights to achieve an intimacy beyond expectation. She masterfully wove a cohesive visual story that includes the art and narrations of 100 juried works by New Yorkers.

These were selected from nearly 600 submissions to create a moving exhibition of art and artists' statements that awes and inspires viewers with discovery and renewed hope and a sense of unity for new beginnings.

“They really occur on a daily basis," Gordon said. "Art is a wonder drug and seniors are our country’s greatest asset.”

As Gordon planned the virtual exhibition, within her own COVID-19 isolation, the hundreds artists who planned to submit entries were experiencing similar challenges learning to adapt to new technologies.

“All are to be commended," Gordon said. "By doing so, a community of artists connected. The experience turned this virtual exhibit into an intimate and personal experience."

The inspirational video was produced by Waldo Cabrera, who set the works to music and choreographed an extraordinary show.

The subject of new beginnings took on a new meaning for the artists creating during the COVID-19 lockdown. Created by people age 50 to 94, their work encompasses New York State and all levels of artistry from beginners to lifelong artists.

Mediums used are animation, pencil drawing, painting, pastel, watercolor, mixed media assemblage and collage, fabric and felt, photography, digital painting, gouache on paper.

Overall, the exhibition represents positivity through self-challenge, transformation and renewal.

Many topics are covered by the artists, including:

• Achievement, the gift of time and awareness, optimism;
• Inspiration, keeping the creative process alive, art as a second act, enduring the pandemic and coming out with renewed vigor and determination;
• Collaboration, staying connected amid prolonged isolation;
• Symbolism, emotion, imagination, therapy, meditation and healing;
• Fear, financial insecurity;
• Faith, hope, gratitude;
• Political subject matter;
• George Floyd -- portrait and breath;
• Judaism, religion, equality, fellowship and social change for racial justice, humanity;
• Earth, nature, seasons of change -- spring and autumn landscapes, weather, trees, plants, flowers, pollination, wind, water, fire, sand, tide, light, sun and moon;
• Humor, happiness, joy, love, rhythm, dancing;
• Beauty, youth, age, wisdom, birth and rebirth, reproduction of species, ascension;
• Family, friends, future generations, and the dawn of a new day after lockdown.

This video is the antidote to anger, devastation and negativity that permeates (nearly) every media outlet. Each artists found purpose to create a response to these ills.

"Be prepared to be wowed as you watch and hear the artist's voices," Gordon says. "This production is one for the ages, intended to unite us all, the same way that 2020 connected us all.

A "Sip and See Virtual Reception" via Zoom for artists and guests will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 4. Here's the Zoom link. The meeting ID is: 465 443 2677. The password is: 122583

There will also be a virtual closing reception via Zoom hosted by of AARP Long Island Art from 2 to 5 p.m. Nov. 7. During that time there will also be a meeting with authors for "Parallel Perspectives: Art of Collaboration."

For more information, contact Holly Gordon at:   Holly.isliparts@gmail.com

Near the end of a hot day, Cassandra Wroblewski was bored so she decided to draw flowers on the sidewalk outside her apartment on Ellicott Street in Batavia.

Wroblewski said she is a crafter and an artist who is busy every day with her creations but decided she needed to go outside to be creative for a change.

The Roz Steiner Art Gallery at Genesee Community College is closed through March 31st.

Tomorrow, two public receptions for the Fine Arts students' exhibit 'Express It' are also cancelled.

The director of the gallery, Mary Jo Whitman, posted a video of the works in the student exhibit, which was on display starting March 3, on Facebook and it can be viewed here.

Here is the official statement from the gallery:

"In accordance with directives issued by Governor Cuomo this week, all state agencies, including Genesee Community College, are taking action to reduce the potential spread of COVID-19. As such the Roz Steiner Art Gallery will be closed through March 31, 2020 and the opening receptions for 'Express It: GCC Fine Arts Student Exhibit' have been cancelled."

Submitted image and press release:

Genesee Community College is proud to announce the opening of one of its favorite annual exhibits -- the Fine Arts Student Exhibit - comprised entirely by GCC student creativity and talent!

This special display, themed "Express It" by the contributors, showcases the finest multimedia artwork recently produced by students enrolled in fine arts courses at Genesee Community College.

Painting, drawing, sculpture and ceramics will be among the work on display. The Fine Arts Student Exhibit opened on March 3 and will remain open through April 3.

The entire community is invited to meet the student artists at two public receptions scheduled for Thursday, March 19, at 12:30 p.m. and again at 5 p.m. in the gallery.

Throughout the season, the Roz Steiner Art Gallery is open to the public Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The gallery is also open during special events as published here.

 Admission is free. For more information, contact Gallery coordinator Mary Jo Whitman at (585) 343-0055, ext. 6490, or via email: mjwhitman@genesee.edu.

Genesee Community College is located at 1 College Road, Batavia.