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Le Roy native's 'Documente' exhibit is more than just paintings

By Daniel Crofts

The painting above is titled "The Clash of Cultures," in it artist Tom MacPherson shows us some of the dynamics of his family history.

It's part of a new exhibit at Genesee Community College's Rosalie "Roz" Steiner Art Gallery called "Documente: The Italian American Family Album," which includes original egg-tempura portraits, old-fashioned furniture, photographs, music and stories. It will be on display through Aug. 27.

"Clash of Cultures" depicts MacPherson's two grandmothers in 1940s Le Roy. Grandma MacPherson (foreground) was a Methodist (the ribbon around her waist reads "Methodist Church of Le Roy") of Scottish ancestry, whereas Grandma O'Geen (Gugino) was Italian and Roman Catholic.

While Grandma MacPherson stands outside, Grandma O'Geen stands secure in the "bastion" of her Catholic household (behind the front door), with Swiss Guards from the Vatican guarding the entrance, St. Peter (the first Pope) standing by her side, and Pope Pius XII (upper left) keeping watch overhead.

Born in Batavia and raised in Le Roy, MacPherson now teaches studio art at SUNY Geneseo. His family history is kind of a microcosm of Le Roy's overall past.

His Scottish forebears came to Le Roy in 1801, before it even became a town.

"They were the ones who set the tone for what the local culture would be all about," MacPherson said. "And then my Sicilian relatives had to blend into that."

From the MacPhersons' immigration from the Scottish Highlands to the O'Geens' (who changed their name from Gugino to more easily fit in with American culture) immigration from Sicily in 1896, "Documente" is a detailed panorama of the artist's roots.

Included are the adventures of intrepid MacPherson aunts, elderly Italian aunts praying their Rosaries, the persecution of Italian immigrants by the Ku Klux Klan in Le Roy, and the experience of fathers and uncles in overseas wars.

Scenes re-creating household decor circa 1940-60 add three-dimensional reality, an intimate visit into the artist's everyday world at that time. 

Here in "The Pioneer," MacPherson depicts his bold, adventurous great-aunt Kitty standing on the rocks of her ancestral Scotland.

"No, I'm Not Colonel Sanders" depicts great-uncle Rossolino Barone. Like all of MacPherson's portraits, this is based on a family photograph -- in this case, of uncle "Ross" at a family wedding in the 1970s.

In the background is the drug store that he owned in the Rochester suburbs, and overhead are angels borrowed from Fillipino Lippi's "Madonna with Child and Saints."

MacPherson incorporates images from Italian Renaissance art into his portraits in order, in his words, to "infuse my relatives with their heritage."

"I wanted my Italian relatives to be able to relate to their heritage," he said. "And I wanted (the Renaissance elements) to say something about their personalities."

In the case of uncle Ross, the angels are showering roses on him for the kindness he showed other people.

Great-aunt Catherine MacPherson is the subject of "The Conversion of Great-Aunt Catherine." Catherine was an Army nurse during World War I, and she converted to Catholicism in France after seeing the bravery of the priests and nuns who took care of the wounded and dying.

She is set against the background of her ancestral home in the Scottish Highlands, and the overhead image represents her conversion (when she "saw the light").

The subject of "The Walking Dead" is MacPherson's father, Neil Lewis MacPherson. According to the written description next to the portrait, Neil came back home a "changed man" as a result of his experiences in World War II. MacPherson chose to illustrate this by appropriating the figure of death (right) from German artist Hans Baldung Grien's "The Three Ages of Death."

Here are a few other "Documente" displays:

A series of photographs in honor of MacPherson's cousin, Frank O'Geen.

"La Vita Mia"

"What Ya Gonna Do?" (a portrait of an aunt surrounded by religious icons)

"The Adventures of Great-Uncle Pete" (To view a video explaining this one, click here.)

Having explored the history of the two sides of his family in this exhibit, MacPherson is now working on a book on the subject. He hopes to have it published within the next few years.

Roz Steiner gallery is located at 1 College Road in Batavia and is open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Admission is free. Gallery Director Shirley Tokash Verrico always welcomes group tours (though children's groups may not be appropriate, as some of the images are more suited to adult audiences).

For more information, email Verrico at stverrico@genesee.edu or call 343-0055, ext. 6490.

Student artwork on display, regional arts council announces winners

By Billie Owens

Press release:

The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council is delighted to host the Ninth Annual Genesee-Orleans Student Art Show, featuring works by more than 68 students from eight different Genesee and Orleans county schools distributed among three GO ART! galleries.

Accomplished artists from both counties volunteered their time as judges for the Student Art Show again this year, and these are the winners from Genesee County:

Genesee County

  • 1st Place: Tayler Mitchell (“Like a Boss”) -- 10th grade, Batavia High School
  • 2nd Place: Tessa Lynn (“Wolf”) - 8th grade -- Batavia Middle School
  • 3rd Place: Brendan O’Shea (“Hope”) -- 11th grade, Pembroke Jr./Sr. High School

Honorable Mention: Megan Jacques (“Car Crash”) -- 12th grade, Batavia High School
Honorable Mention: Joe Babcock (“Locked Up”) -- 11th grade, Pembroke Jr./Sr. High School
Honorable Mention: Payton Conley (“Altered Book”) -- 12th grade, Batavia High School

Exhibits of all students' artwork are on display now through Friday, June 1. Gallery hours vary, per the listings below.

Genesee County students with work on display are:
 
GO ART! Bank of Castile Main Gallery, Seymour Place, 201 E. Main St., Batavia – Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and by appointment.
 
Amanda Norway, grade 10, Elba Central School, “Self Portrait,” collage
Kelsey Bezon, grade 10, Elba Central School, “Still Life,” pencil
Clare Fraser, grade 7, Byron-Bergen Middle School, “John Lennon,” colored pencil
Mandy Morrow, grade 12, Elba Central School, “Still Life,” pencil
Victoria Snyder, grade 11, Pembroke Jr./Sr. High School, “Self Portrait,” acrylic
Tyra Smith, grade 10, Elba Central School, “Fish,” colored pencil/ink
Kayla Casper, grade 10, Elba Central School, “Junk Food Lunch,” colored pencil
Olivia Audsley, grade 7, Byron-Bergen Middle School, “Taylor Swift,” colored pencil
Jacob Chapman, grade 10, Pembroke Jr./Sr. High School, “Untitled,” white charcoal pencil on black charcoal paper
Cassandra Swanson, grade 12, Pembroke Jr./Sr. High School, “Drum Set,” pencil and colored pencil on white paper
Cassie Williams, grade 11, Pembroke Jr./Sr. High School, “Wicked,” graphite and colored pencil on white paper
Megan Amico, grade 12, Byron-Bergen High School, “The Final Frontier,” acrylic
Meghan Kogut, grade 7, Elba Central School, “Horse,” scratchboard
Michaela Kenward, grade 9, Byron-Bergen High School, “Untitled,” watercolor
Brandon Burke, grade 7, Byron-Bergen Middle School, “Steve Jobs,” colored pencil
Brittney Okoniewski, grade 12, Byron-Bergen High School, “Untitled,” oil pastel and mirrors on board
Samantha Sobszak, grade 12, Pembroke Jr./Sr. High School, “Masked,” acrylic paint on stretched canvas
Magen Peters, grade 11, Pembroke Jr./Sr. High School, “Dylan,” color pinhole photo taken with handmade camera
Kayla Wormuth, grade 9, Elba Central School, “Warhol Print,” linoleum block
Kassandra Shaver, grade 12, Pembroke Jr./Sr. High School, “Ice Cream,” colored pencil on illustration board
Amanda Castaneda, age 7, Elba Central School, “Perspective Spheres,” colored pencil
Cydney Teeter, age 7, Elba Central School, “Portrait Value Study,” tempera
Sydney Gallup, grade 12, Elba Central School, “Pepper Study,” pen and ink
Enrique Coleman, grade 11, Pembroke Jr./Sr. High School, “Untitled,” white charcoal pencil on black charcoal paper
Haley Brown, grade 9, Elba Central School, “Self Portrait,” collage
Brendan O’Shea (3rd Place), grade 11, Pembroke Jr./Sr. High School, “Hope,” Digital print
Joe Babcock (Hon. Mention), grade 11, Pembroke Jr./Sr. High School, “Locked Up,” mixed media
Kristen Bailey, grade 10, Byron-Bergen High School, “Life,” mixed media
Amanda Norway, grade 10, Elba Central School, “Pointillist Seascape,” acrylic
Sherena Majors, grade 12, Batavia High School, “Contradiction,” cardboard, mirror, paint, paper
Payton Conley (Hon. Mention), grade 12, Batavia High School, “Altered Book,” mixed media
Austin Blaszak, grade 10, Pembroke Jr./Sr. High School, “Untitled,” glazed porcelain and wood
Carley Sformo, grade 9, Pembroke Jr./Sr. High School, “Untitled,” glazed porcelain and wire
 
GO ART! Batavia Satellite Gallery, Genesee County Senior Center, 2 Bank St., Batavia – Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.
 
Brittney Okoniewski, grade 12, Batavia High School, “Still Life on Altered Surface,” mixed media
Jamie Legg, grade 11, Batavia High School, “Still Life of Bottles on Altered Surface,” mixed media
Missy Fite, grade 12, Batavia High School, “Hand Drawing,” pencil
Katie Clark, grade 12, Batavia High School, “Mozart,” Collage, paint, pen
Megan Jacques (Hon. Mention), grade 12, Batavia High School, “Car Crash,” charcoal
Breanna Clark, grade 10, Batavia High School, “Alone (Japanese writing in sky),” acrylic paint
Tessa Lynn (2nd Place), age 8, Batavia Middle School, “Wolf,” colored pencil
Tayler Mitchell (1st Place), grade 10, Batavia High School, “Like a Boss,” printmaking/colored pencil
Garrett Bluhm, grade 10, Batavia High School, “Symbolic Self-Portrait,” pencil, colored pencil
Nate Ernst, grade 10, Batavia High School, “Still Life on Altered Surface,” cardboard/paint/charcoal
Desiree Janiga, grade 12, Batavia High School, “Symbolic Self-portrait,” colored pencil
Megan Jacques, grade 12, Batavia High School, “Nev,” colored pencil, charcoal, ebony, ink
 
Congratulations to all who participated, and thank you to our volunteer judges: Cheryl McCampbell and Kevin Hammon in Genesee County, and Howard (Tony) Barry and Connie Mosher in Orleans County.

GO ART! exhibits are made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency. For more information, contact GO ART! at 343-Grade 9313, info@GOart.org or visit www.GOart.org <http://www.GOart.org

Photos: Kathy Hochul visits BHS, meets with art students, presents award

By Howard B. Owens

Rep. Kathy Hochul was in Batavia today, making three stops, including one at Batavia High School, where she presented an award to Siena Pullinzi, winner of the annual NY-26 Congressional Art Competition.

Hochul noted that Siena beat out students from five other counties in the district.

Siena's artwork is to be displayed in the halls of the Capitol for the next year. She will also now have the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C., to participate in a ceremony for Congressional Art Competition winners.

While at the school, Hochul stopped by both art classes that were in session and stopped to talk with several students, noting their good work and encouraging them to continue on with art.

At one point she stopped and said, "I can just feel the creativity in this room."

Besides BHS, Hochul spoke at a luncheon at Terry Hills for Independent Living of Genesee Region and this afternoon will visit Arctic Refrigeration, Genesee County Chamber of Commerce’s 2011 Business of the Year.

Batavia HS student wins 26th District art competition

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

Congresswoman Kathy Hochul today announced that Siena Pullinzi, a 10th-grader at Batavia High School, has won the New York 26th Congressional District Art Competition with her work entitled “What’s on the Inside.” The work is a self-portrait consisting of pencil, watercolor and ink.

“I want to congratulate Siena for a job well done, as well as all the students who took part in this competition,” Congresswoman Hochul said. “The arts play an essential part of education and I am proud that so many Western New York students exercised their creativity. While I would have loved to have displayed all these pieces of art in the halls of the Capitol for the next year, we could only have one.”

Pullinzi added, “I’m so surprised I won because some of my friends submitted pieces that were really good. I’m so excited. Yay!”

Over 800 residents of the 26th District voted in this year’s competition, choosing Pullinzi’s artwork to be displayed in the halls of the Capitol for the next year. Pullinzi will also now have the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C., to participate in a ceremony for Congressional Art Competition winners. A photo of Pullinzi’s work can be seen here.

The Congressional Art Competition, now in its 30th year, was created to recognize and encourage artistic talent in each congressional district across the nation. High school students in each district are encouraged to submit original artwork – photographs, oil, watercolor, and mixed-media works are all permitted.

Mandala being created by monks at GCC meant to symbolize love and compassion

By Howard B. Owens

A group of Tibetan monks are at Genesee Community College this week creating a sand mandala as part of the inauguration ceremony celebration week for new college President Jim Sunser.

Sand mandalas are created using colored sand and the art form goes back at least 2,500 years.

Once created, mandalas are destroyed in a ceremony and the sand dispersed in the nearest body of flowing water.

On Friday, at 10 a.m., the monks will sweep away the sand of their painstakingly created work of art, take the sand in bags to the Tonawanda Creek and dump it into the flowing water.

Spokesman Tanzin Nawang said the process reminds us that life is just temporary.

The monks are members of the Drepung Loseling Monastery in Tibet.

Besides the mandala being painted by the monks, students and members of the GCC community are also working on mandalas in order to learn about the art form.

Every mandala has symbols with various means. Nawang said the mandala being created by the monks visiting GCC is about love and compassion.

"Everybody by nature wants to be happy and live in peace and harmony," Nawang said. "They do not want to suffer, so it is important to devote love and compassion, and when you devote your life to love and compassion, you will receive love and compassion.

If you're unable to view the slide show below, click here.

The video below of Monday's opening ceremony was posted to YouTube by Karen Reisdorf.

College students' digital artwork to be displayed in Roz Steiner gallery

By Billie Owens

Press release:

A variety of digital artwork created by Genesee Community College students will be featured beginning Thursday at GCC's Rosalie "Roz" Steiner Art Gallery. There will be an Artists' Reception at 1 p.m. which is open to the community and refreshments will be served.

The exhibit will run through June 28 and features a number of pieces created through the use of digital technology.

"Digital technology is changing the way we create, consume and analyze visual information," says gallery Director and GCC instructor Shirley Verrico. "The Digital Arts program prepares GCC students to actively engage in the digital medium and prepares them for the 21st Century workplace."

The exhibit will include drawing, computer graphics, typography, video, Web design and more. Assignments require students to effectively combine art, design and technology to communicate ideas and sell products in today's fast-paced world.

Genesee's Digital Art program emphasizes the role of computer technology in creative expression. The pieces demonstrate skills in animation, digital video, graphic design and web design, as well as more traditional techniques like photography and drawing.

Further "real world" experience is gained by the students through internships with local businesses and the student design group AppleCore. Program graduates can secure entry-level positions in agencies specializing in graphic design, multimedia, web development, and digital illustration.

The art gallery is located on the Batavia campus of Genesee Community College, 1 College Road.

For more information, please visit the Roz Steiner Gallery Web page at http://www.genesee.edu/gallery.

Congresswoman Hochul announces opening of 2012 Congressional Art Competition

By Billie Owens

Press release:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Kathy Hochul today announced the opening of the 2012 Congressional Art Competition for New York’s 26th Congressional District. This competition is open to all high school students across the district.

“The arts should play an important part of every child’s education, and the Congressional Art Competition is a great way to encourage student creativity,” Congresswoman Hochul said. “We have some of the most imaginative and talented students in Western New York, and I cannot wait to see the amazing works of art they submit for the competition.”

The Congressional Art Competition, now in its 30th year, was organized to recognize and encourage artistic talent in each congressional district across the nation. High school students in each district are encouraged to submit original artwork – photographs, oil, watercolor, and mixed-media works are all permitted. The winning painting from each district will be hung in the halls of the U.S. Capitol for the following year.

All artwork, as well as a completed Student Information and Release Form, will be collected at participating schools no later than April 11th. The release form can be found on Congresswoman Hochul’s website right here or may be obtained by calling Congresswoman Hochul’s Williamsville office.

Schools looking to participate in the Congressional Art Competition should contact Congresswoman Hochul’s Williamsville office at (716) 634-2324 or Washington, D.C. office at (202) 225-5265. Additional information regarding the competition can be found at http://www.house.gov/content/educate/art_competition/ .

Photos: Student art show opening at Roz Steiner Art Gallery

By Howard B. Owens

While walking by the Roz Steiner Art Gallery at GCC this afternoon, I noticed a new art show in place, so I stopped in to take a look.

It's a Fine Arts students' show that opened yesterday, and there are some very fine pieces among the sculptures, paintings and photographs.

There are two receptions for the show. The first is at 1 p.m., Thursday. The second is at 5 p.m., Friday.

GoArt! members and non-members display artwork -- some for sale

By Daniel Crofts

GoArt! hosted its first GoArt! Members Exhibition on Friday, along with its first Digital Art Exhibit. Both are intended to become annual events.

The above ink-on-canvas painting is called "Fiscal Policy" and was painted by Kevin Hammon, who lives just north of Le Roy. It was on sale for $350.

Here is Hammon with another of his canvas works, "Moon Light Drive-In" ($125).

Below are some of the other paintings on display at Seymour Place.

Oil painting: "Wolf Creek at Letchworth" by Rick Ellingham ($275).

Oil painting: "Route 5" by Joseph Deni ($400).

Kevin Feary, of Batavia, stands beside his oil-on-muslin painting, "Short Order Cook" ($580).

Artist (and City Councilwoman) Rose Mary Christian stands next to her untitled acrylic (not for sale) with Linda Sforno (left) and Roelene Christian.

"Country Cottage Needlepoint" by Joan E. Rotondo ($238).

Watercolor: "Sinking Ponds" by Rita M. Hammond ($50).



Pencil: "Silent Communication" by Judy Wenrich ($175).

Glass art: "Dragonfly Wide Bowl" by Heather Whitney ($100).

Glass art: "Peacock Bowl" by Heather Whitney ($120).

Acrylic and paper: "Night Out" by Kimberly A. Argenta ($100).

Acrylic: "National Geographic: Stampede" by Carole LaValley ($225).

Oil on muslin: "Upton Monument" by Kevin Feary ($580).

Oil: "Rusted & Weathered" by Rick Ellingham ($200).

Connie Mosher, of Albion, stands next to her Arizona-inspired oil painting, "Rugs on a Railing Near Sedona, AZ" ($500).

Pastel: "Alzheimer's--the Ultimate Identity Theft," by Sharon Jahnke Long (not for sale).

Earthenware, slips, glaze: "Cityscape II" by Moi Dugan ($425).

Pastel: "Twoo Wuv" by Sharon Jahnke Long (not for sale).

Woodcut: "Angus" by Rita Hammond ($50).

Clay: "Covered Jar with Wheat" by Jean Grinnell (SOLD).

Long Stitch: "Tiger Walk" by Joan E. Rotondo ($238).

To find out which of these--and other--photos are still for sale, contact Robin Upson, administrative assistant at GoArt!, at 343-9313, or email info@goart.org.

As this was going on, a reception for non-members' digital art was held next door at GoArt!'s satellite gallery in the Batavia Senior Center.

"Study in Perspective" by Natalie Buczek ($10).

"Katie" by Byron-Bergen ninth-grader Katelyn Simmons (not for sale).

"Guitar Rock" by Susan Meier ($45).

"Let It Be" by Daniel Cherry ($40).

Cherry displays his work, "Broken Treaties," with his sons, Jimmy and Daniel.

The digital artwork will be on display until April 27 at the senior center, at 2 Bank St. in Batavia. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.

For information, contact Joe Langen at jlangen@goart.org.

Art demo by Denise Speary hosted by the Batavia Society of Artists

By Billie Owens

Batavia Society of Artists hosts Denise Speary for an art demonstration from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday April 10 at GO ART!, 201 E. Main St., Batavia.

It's open to public for a $3 fee and free for members. The society is accepting new members - all mediums and skill levels for $20 yearly dues. Visit on the web at www.bataviasocietyofartists.org.

Event Date and Time
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Call for entries to the Landmark Society's Architectural Drawing Contest for fourth-graders

By Billie Owens

Attention parents, guardians, fourth-grade teachers and art instructors, the Landmark Society of Genesee County is calling for entries to the 22nd Annual Architectural Drawing Contest for fourth-graders.

All Genesee County schools and homeschoolers are invited to participate. Please also note that  the contest has expanded to include artistic photography and mixed media of historic sites and/or architectural details such as friezes, columns, etc.

Last year's winning artwork was also displayed on the sponsor's Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Landmark-Society-of-Genesee-County/120196221335371.

Please be creative! Do not feel you have to copy from the Architectural Heritage of Genesee County book. Judges are especially looking for unique pieces -- photographs, images manipulated on the computer, etc.

Please send all entries by Thursday, May 3, to the Richmond Memorial Library circulation desk or to John Kennedy School.

The entries will be hung as soon as they are received on Thursday, May 3. Adults' help to hang the artworks will be most appreciated!

This year's contest and awards ceremony will be held at the Richmond library beginning at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 10.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact:
 
Laurie L. Oltramari
President, Landmark Society of Genesee County
P.O. Box 342
Batavia, New York 14020
(585) 343-1457
LLB1999@yahoo.com

GO Art! announces 2012 Reach and Ripple grants for area artists and organizations

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council is pleased to announce the Decentralization Regrant recipients for 2012 in Genesee and Orleans counties, funded by the New York State Council on the Arts. This year GO ART! received 24 applications to the Reach Grant Program requesting a total of $61,454. With $37,160 available, 20 of the applicants were awarded grants (listed below).

GO ART! is also pleased to regrant two Ripple Grants ($2,000 each listed below) to provide funding for the creation of new arts and cultural projects within a community context. These will done by local individual artists who wish to involve the community in their creative process.

History of the grant program:

The Decentralization Regrant Program (known locally as Reach and Ripple) was first developed in 1977 by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) in response to a mandate by the New York State Legislature to encourage greater participation in the state’s cultural funding at the local level. Local decision-making is the basic principle of the Decentralization Regrant Program. It supports a wide range of community-based professional and avocational arts programs in diverse communities throughout the state, and fosters the work of individual artists. GO ART! is proud to administer the NYSCA Decentralization Regrant Program in Genesee and Orleans counties.

The grant process begins in the summer with grant workshops held throughout Genesee and Orleans counties. Individuals, nonprofit organizations and local government agencies submit applications in the fall for community-minded artistic and cultural programs. These proposals are reviewed by a panel (there are separate panels for the Reach and Ripple grants), made up of artists, community leaders and educators from the two counties.

The panel then submits funding recommendations to the GO ART! Board of Directors for approval, and grants are awarded. Through the Decentralization Regrant Program, GO ART!, NYSCA, and the New York State Legislature hope to expand, upgrade and increase arts and cultural programming in Genesee and Orleans counties. In order to publically recognize and congratulate this year's recipients, a Grant Awards Ceremony is scheduled for March 9.

For more information on the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council’s Regrant Program, please contact Heather at GO ART!, 585.343.9313 or hgrant@goart.org.   

2012 GO ART! REACH GRANT PROGRAM AWARDS

(to individual artists, nonprofit organizations and local government agencies for arts and cultural programs or projects in our two counties)

Organization

Project

Grant Award

Batavia Concert Band

Summer Concert Series

 $ 3,000

Genesee ARC

Sprout Film Festival & Art Show

 $  1,800

The ARC of Orleans County

Quilting our Community

 $  400

Lake Plains Players

Musical Theater Production

 $ 1,000

Le Roy Christian Community Project

After School Theater Program

 $  400

GCASA sponsoring Lisa Barrett

Everyday Hero Recording and Music Video

 $  2,075

Mental Health Association in Genesee County

Theatrical Performance

 $  925

Yates Community Library

Books, Music and More

 $  1,400

Lyndonville Lions Club

Fun in the Summertime

 $  800

Village of Corfu

Corfu/Pembroke Community Winterfest

 $  1,200

Batavia Players

Summer Youth Theater - “Camelot”

 $     3,200

Batavia Players

Shakespearian Theater - “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

 $  1,000

Lee-Whedon Memorial Library

Finally Fridays! Music Series

 $   2,500

World Life Institute

Voices from the Earth

 $  4,000

Gillam-Grant Community Center

Uncover the World… Passport to Culture

 $  2,500

Genesee Chorale

Fireworks, Fanfare and Flair: Concert Series

 $  3,450

Genesee Symphony Orchestra

A Timeless Musical Journey - Concert Series

 $  3,450

A Tale for Three Counties Council

A Tale for Three Counties 2012

 $    1,760

Byron-Bergen Public Library

Get Culture @ Your Library!

 $     1,500

Woodward Memorial Library

Everyone’s an Artist

 $  800

 

2012 GO ART! RIPPLE GRANT PROGRAM AWARDS

(to individual artists residing in our two counties who wish to create new arts and cultural projects within a community context)

 

Artist

Project

Discipline

Amount

Kim Argenta

“Many Hands…one heART” Mural for YMCA in Batavia - Entryway

Painting

$2,000

Richard Mufford

Composition and performance of new song “Hometown Hero”

Music

$2,000

Kim Argenta is a self-taught artist from Genesee County. She is the owner of Art Ah La Carte, a teaching studio in the Artisan Center on Harvester Avenue in Batavia. Her project “many hands…one heART" is a mural painting to measure 38’ x 7.5’ located in one of the main entrances to the Genesee County YMCA in Batavia. Children and adults from the various YMCA programs will be invited to assist Kim in the painting process. All are welcome and there is no minimum artistic level required to participate. Students from Art Ah La Carte will also be invited to participate and this will offer them the opportunity to see a project in “real time” from inception to sketching to completion. Community members will also be invited to participate through press releases and announcements in local media. The finished project is expected to be complete in Spring 2012.      

Richard Mufford is a local musician residing in Waterport. He will be composing and producing a song entitled “Hometown Hero” in memory of the late Trevor Cook, a young marine from Orleans County, who was killed at the age of 25 during a training operation at Camp Pendleton in Southern California. The song will be a full-scale piece for concert band with a choral section. The music will be distributed to Medina area churches so that choirs, musicians may perform the piece. On May 31, the Lyndonville High School Band will publically debut the full concert band and choral performance of “Hometown Hero." Furthermore CDs and sheet music will be produced to distribute to others who wish to use this music.

'Convivium' opens at Roz Steiner Gallery at GCC

By Howard B. Owens

It would be tempting to look at Kala Stein's "Convivium" as just a table with a bunch of cups on it, but approach the sculpture and take a moment with it, and you discover it encourages a contemplative review of its subtle beauty.

Convivium is on display at the Roz Steiner Gallery on the Genesee Community College campus from Jan. 17 through 27.

The sculpture was installed over the past two days.

Stein has written this about it:

Convivium describes a coming together, a celebratory congregation, a banquet of minds. This type of gathering is a venue for exchange, a place to spark new relationships, and to cultivate what presently exists. It is about the constructive potentials of the collective.

The cup is a vernacular object; I use the goblet as a tool to symbolize human interaction within the convivium and the idea of convivium itself. Repetition and expansion, physical derivatives of time and space, distort the vessel beyond iconic function and shifts its singularity into a dizzying display of geometric patterns. The goblet is no longer a goblet; it is a unit within the whole. The area beyond the strict limits of the objects accommodates surprise and discovery. Function becomes irrational and form becomes pattern.

Ceramic, wood and glass are used for their aesthetic qualities and structural abilities. The materials are processed out of necessity – beyond raw but short of finished. An unpolished state is absolute structure and illustrates a depth of purity and the truth of the material.

Stein has a master's degree in fine arts from Alfred University, where she currently teaches and works as a studio artist.

Tattoos gain acceptance as body art, statements of individuality

By Howard B. Owens

If you're an artist, even if you get your degree in graphic arts, there aren't many opportunities to do what you love.

Especially in a small town.

Mark Fanara got his degree from SUNY Brockport, just a few years after he got his first tattoo.

It didn't take him long to figure that maybe body art was a way he could avoid being a penniless artist or getting tied down by a suit and a tie.

He made a career decision -- to open his own tattoo parlor in his hometown, Batavia.

The start of the 21st Century turned out to be a good time to open up a tattoo business. People like Dennis Rodman and Brian Setzer helped make tattoos into a mainstream symbol of individuality.

"There a lot of people who have tattoos that you would never know they have them," Fanara said.

From soccer moms to police sergeants, tattoos aren't just something only drunken sailors get in San Diego or Honolulu or bikers use to advertise their outlaw aspirations. They are no longer just dancing hula girls, red hearts dedicated to mom or anchors emblazoned with "USN." A good tattoo is a complex work of art.

There are whole magazines now devoted to covering the latest trends in skin art.

And Fanara and his staff can give anybody the kind of tattoo they want -- from a simple rose on the back of a shoulder, to a complex and detailed eagle with wings spanning a chest.

High Voltage Tattoo opened Ellicott Street in 2006 and about a year ago Fanara moved his shop to 110 West Main St., Batavia, giving him a high-profile location and a completely remodeled and modern parlor.

A week ago, The Batavian hung out at High Voltage while 36-year-old Fanara applied an ornate zombie face to the back of an arm of one of his apprentices, 18-year-old Ashli Hill, of York.

Hill, who does body piercing for High Voltage and is learning how to tattoo, said she's always loved art and was attracted to tattoos because her dad had them.

"I just remember my dad having this crappy looking panther and I just thought it was the coolest thing," Hill said.

The zombie face was a drawing Hill found online and decided it was a theme she would like to develop in her own body art.

"I love scary movies," Hill said. "I love zombie movies. I decided that's a theme I would like to build on."

She also said she likes tattoos on her arms because, "it makes me feel like Popeye."

Fanara said he gets all kinds of people coming through his door, from the accountant looking for just a little something only his friends on weekends will see, to hardcore tattoo addicts who are looking to add a new work of art to their bodies.

"The classics never go out of style," said Fanara. "The heart with 'mom' will never go out of style."

Of course, many of his clients are repeat customers.

"It's one of those things where once you get one (tattoo), you just want more," Fanara said.

"It's really a mainstream art now," he added. "It's a way to personalize your skin and it's a way to express your personality."

Safety

While we talked, Fanara brought out a surprising issue: Genesee County is one of the few county's in the state that doesn't regulate tattoo parlors. NYS has some regulations, but in most counties, the health department conducts monthly inspections of tattoo parlors, and Fanara thinks in the interest of public safety, Genesee County should do the same.

Fanara said he follows all of the safety and cleaning recommendations common in the industry, from sterilizing his autoclave to using disposable needles, but he believes the public should be assured that all tattoos are applied with the same safety standards.

One danger he warned against is the tattoo applied by the hobbyist at the kitchen table.

"They just know nothing about safety," he said.

Licensing and inspections might help reduce the number of tattoos that aren't applied in a safe environment.

"It would be a good idea," Fanara said. "It would make it safer for everyone. I don't want to pay another fee or pay for a license, but it would just make getting a tattoo safer."

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