Roz Steiner Art Gallery

Yesterday afternoon I stopped by GCC to meet artist Dale Inglett and see the installation of his new show at the Roz Steiner Gallery. From what I could see during my short visit, the show looks like it will be visually interesting and well suited to the bright space and clean lines of the gallery.

Here's a press release from GCC about the show:

The large, clean and adaptable space of the Roz Steiner Art Gallery will host an exhibit by Alfred University Assistant Art Professor Dale Inglett, slated to open on Thursday, Nov. 15, and continuing through Jan. 3. Inglett's "Transient Beings" series includes large-scale canvasses, drawings and videos that examine both the connections and the divisions between the mind and body.

Gallery Director Shirley Tokash Verrico says the figurative images "allude to human transformation and capture a sense of transience and movement. It's an exciting opportunity to see an artist explore a unified concept through a variety of media." She notes that the artworks are an ideal fit for the new gallery which continues to draw more than 300 visitors each month.

Inglett is the recipient of a Strategic Opportunity Stipend from the New York Foundation for the Arts and has exhibited around the world, including the Neon Gallery in Brosarp, Sweden; the Georgia Museum of Art in Athens, Ga.; and Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center in Buffalo. His works in painting, printmaking and video explore aspects of identity, time and existence. He received his MFA from Studio Art, Lamar Dodd School of Art in 2004 from the University of Georgia, and his BFA from Augusta State University in 1998.

Inglett's "Transient Beings" exhibit stems from an investigation "between physiology and psychology and include the viewer in an exploration of mortality. I make figurative images that allude to human transformation and non-objective images that capture a sense of transience and movement. My studio practice centers on painting and incorporates drawing, digital media, video and, at times, printmaking."

He uses the printmaking processes to create the footage for the video "Patriarch, Matriarch," yielding both prints and video in the exhibition. The content of the video work is ephemeral and fluctuating with images dissolving and continually shifting to indicate a mutable, transformable nature of identity.

The paintings, however, build on patterns and reticulations of fluidly painted surfaces. Through the pairing of individuals with fleeting qualities in the different media, Inglett alludes to human transformation, transience and passing. While informational aspects of historical photographs are diminished, relationships and family are emphasized.

For further information about this exciting artist visit his Web site: http://www.daleinglett.com/index.html

An artist reception is scheduled at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. Mr. Inglett will also visit the Batavia campus and his exhibit on Tuesday, Dec. 11 as part of the special Encore Celebration. It will feature the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra performance for Genesee Community College Foundation's annual student scholarship fundraising gala.

The Rozalie "Roz" Steiner Art Gallery is adjacent to Genesee Center for the Arts at Genesee Community College Batavia Campus, One College Road, Batavia, NY 14020. The gallery hours are generally Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. and during special events or by special appointment. Contact Shirley Verrico at (585) 343-0055 ext. 6490 or stvierrico@genesee.edu. The gallery Web site: www.genesee.edu/campuslife/arts/gallery/

For door-to-door driving directions visit: http://www.genesee.edu/about/visit/maps.cfm.

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.

Press release:

There will be something familiar to everyone in the new full-gallery art installation coming to the Roz Steiner Art Gallery at Genesee Community College. "Documente: The Italian American Family Album" by SUNY Geneseo art professor Thomas MacPherson is a recreation of the interior home of an American immigrant family that includes original portrait paintings, as well as furniture, artwork and domestic artifacts authentic to the period and modified by personal experience.

"Documente: The Italian American Family Album" opens with an artist's reception at 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 14 and will remain in the gallery until Aug. 27.

"This exhibition is really a destination event," Gallery Director Shirley Verrico said. "MacPherson presents outstanding artwork to view, as well as multiple rooms to explore. Everyone will find something familiar within the installation, allowing them to connect with their own past, as well as with the experience of the artist."

The exhibit looks at life in an immigrant household during the 1940s, '50s and '60s through a series of rooms that capture the look and feel of "grandma's house," including:

• the kitchen with metal table and utensils;
• the dining room with table and antique china;
• a War Hero display off the dining room that has photos of the war experiences of two male relatives;
• the living room where visitors can contribute to the exhibit via a bulletin board;
• and grandma's bedroom with period furniture and a computer where visitors can see grandma talk about her life.

Visitors are also encouraged to explore drawers and photo albums to absorb the experience and make it feel like a peek into their own heritage.

MacPherson says each installation is unique "because of the manner in which it conforms to the physical space in which it is presented, and the continued addition of new paintings and furnishings."

The exhibit includes original portrait paintings arranged like artwork on the wall of a house. It also features a variety of interactive components including music, a video telling the story about immigrant assimilation, Italian foods and favorite family recipes viewers can take home.

During the summer, the gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. For more information about hours, visit the gallery Web site: http://www.genesee.edu/gallery/.

MacPherson holds an MFA in printmaking and drawing from the University of South Carolina, and a bachelor's degree in studio art from SUNY Oswego. He has earned numerous awards for both his artwork and his teaching, including the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1999.

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.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is part of a series prepared on behalf of the tourism agency of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce. The new tourism guide was recently published and is available at the chamber's office and will soon be available at other tourism locations. The guide is also available for download from the official tourism site for Genesee County, VisitGeneseeNY.com.

At a time when institutions across New York are cutting back on arts program, Genesee Community College built a new, modern art gallery.

The Rosalie "Roz" Steiner Art Gallery is one of several forward-looking initiatives taken by GCC over the years that attracted Shirley Tokash Verrico to a job at the college.

Verrico teaches art history and is director of the gallery.

"It speaks a lot to the commitment of the college to education and the arts,"  Verrico said. "The college has had the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Genesee County Symphony in the arts center. They've done a wonderful job of balancing a commitment to both regional and community arts."

The Steiner gallery opened in the Spring of 2011. The 1,700-square-foot gallery is located inside the Center for the Arts on the Batavia campus of GCC. The gallery is named in honor of a tireless and strong supporter of the arts -- the late wife of longtime college President Stuart Steiner, now retired.

The combination of its soft white walls and lighting, ample natural light, gleaming wooden floors and uncluttered displays, makes for a space that is peaceful, roomy and well-designed, a formula that can only enhance the visitor's experience.

"The gallery space works really well for both multimedia and traditional art forms," Verrico said. "Those white walls can accommodate big paintings, but it's also a good space for sculpture."

The gallery is open to the public and admission is free, but Verrico said she is really trying to bring in shows that also provide teaching opportunities for students across disciplines.

With more than 15 years experience as an artist, cultural critic and educator in Western New York, Verrico is an expert in the regional arts scene. She holds a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, master's degree in Arts and Humanities and is a NYS certified art teacher.

Artists selected for showings at the gallery come from throughout the region, from Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo as well as Genesee County and the neighboring rural counties.

The media of the shows are as wide ranging as the artists selected, from  ceramics, glassworks, metal sculptures, abstract modern art, portraiture, watercolors and traditional oil paintings, and a wide array of pen-and-ink and charcoal drawings, along with interactive and multimedia displays.

Shows change every five weeks.

"Our gallery offers an excellent opportunity to see professional work in a state-of-the-art facility," Verrico said.

The spring showings feature the works of GCC students.

The grand opening, for example, featured large-scale sculpture and traditional paintings on canvas. Both worked very well in the gallery space.

When Verrico is in the gallery, she's generally available, and enthusiastic about sharing her knowledge about the work on display.

Currently, the gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Hours may vary during college breaks, including the summer sessions. Groups interested in visiting the gallery on weekends should contact Verrico in advance to make special arrangements.

The campus is at 1 College Road in the Town of Batavia. Once you arrive, park in the main lot, walk toward the main entrance, and on your left you'll see the "Stuart Steiner Theatre." Enter it, turn right, and the gallery is straight ahead.

Check out the website or contact the gallery to see what's on exhibit and the line-up of special events. Plus, you might get a chance to meet the artists, experience live music, or take in a performance at the Center for the Arts. Maybe you'll find a unique piece of art for sale that you simply must have!

Here's contact information:

http://www.genesee.edu/campuslife/arts/gallery/

(585) 343-0055, ext. 6490

stverrico@genesee.edu

The brand-new Rosalie “Roz” Steiner Art Gallery opened Friday with great fanfare. Hundreds of people from throughout the county were on hand to see the gallery's first show and witness the opening ceremonies.

Above, the children and grandchildren of Roz and Stuart Steiner, from left: David Steiner, daughter Ava, Sarah Rogers, Robyn Steiner (holding Ava's hand), Lisa Rubin, Susan Steiner, Daniel Rubin and Dr. Steiner. A photo of Roz Steiner, background, was unveiled as part of the ceremony. 

Bottom photo, Eric Suritella and Carol Acquilano, the first artists featured in the gallery.