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Art | 11/19/2009 |
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It's smart to give art
Various venues around the Valley offer opportunities for aesthetic holiday shopping |
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by Paul Smart
What's your mother going to like? How am I ever going to please dear old Dad? How can we possibly show those we truly love that we really do look on them as much more than a recipient of some commercial product, no matter its cost or quality? Thank heavens (and the little Santas who abide within our region's ever-creative arts community) for the advent of a host of fine art and crafts shows and markets at this critical time of year, when we can get a real jump on the holiday gift-buying spree and purchase some meaningful works at reasonable prices.
The high mark of such events, locally, takes place this coming pre-Thanksgiving weekend, November 21 and 22, in the form of the Dutchess County Arts Council's annual Fine Art & Craft Market at the regal Poughkeepsie Tennis Club. Given the pedigree of this event, expect some sterling choices from the 32 artists chosen to offer up top-shelf variety, artistry and value this year. The event runs Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Poughkeepsie Tennis Club at 135 South Hamilton Street in the Dutchess County seat. Call (845) 454-3222 or visit www.artsmidhudson.org for further information.
Also, take into account the myriad holiday shows opening (or already up and running) around the region this season, and all that they have to offer. Among the notable ones: Try the Woodstock Artists' Association and Museum (www.woodstockarts.org), as well as the Arts Society of Kingston (www.askforarts.org), the eclectic Varga Gallery (www.vargagallery.com) in Woodstock and The Arts Upstairs and Cabane Gallery (www.theartsupstairs.com and http://cabanestudios.wordpress.com) in Phoenicia, as well as our numerous schools and other galleries, from Catskill and Hudson south to Beacon and Newburgh. Best of all, keep your eyes open for quick events in our calendar pages over the coming month.
There's nothing like giving good local art for the holidays. It fills the soul of us all individually, as well as our region's soulful reputation overall. Talk about a reason for thanksgiving!
The light within
Exhibition of artworks by Heather Hutchison & Mark Thomas Kanter opens this Thursday at UCCC in Stone Ridge
How do couples interact, aesthetically as well as emotionally? Do the brittle ups and downs of marriage get played out, somehow, in one's art? Just as some say that husbands and wives come to resemble one another over time, does the same hold true (or not) in regard to the art that they create? Is tension a Muse? And is love best when docile and comfortable, or fiery with endless passions? All these questions, thoughts and more are expected to be part of the heady and sensual mix that's part of the plate being offered up when "Fighting, Dancing and Standing Still," featuring the contrasting works of Heather Hutchison and Mark Thomas Kanter, opens with what promises to be a vivacious artists' reception at SUNY-Ulster's Muroff-Kotler Visual Arts Gallery this Thursday, November 19.
Hutchison, a post-Minimalist painter who builds atmospheric, boxlike wall-works that play off elements of color, light and transparency, has made a name for her translucent works - which many seem to think are lit from within - in New York galleries and a host of top local venues. Kanter, an abstract artist with a foundation in figurative painting whose works are made using mono-print, paint, ink and drawing materials, are black-and-white and distinctly two-dimensional on paper. A respected teacher of the visceral elements in "artistic mark-making," Kanter has cultured the characteristics of an "artist's artist," working in the garretlike loft above his wife's downstairs studio. The two are about as dedicated as one gets for local (or any) artists, and yet fully involved in their Woodstock/Saugerties community.
This can't be but a fascinating and high-level show, as well as a charged opening reception. Fasten your seatbelts for an exciting ride, and watch for flying compliments and kisses, air and real. The exhibit opens with a reception on November 19 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the gallery located in Vanderlyn Hall at the community college's Stone Ridge campus, and runs through December 18. The gallery is open Mondays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and by appointment. It is closed on college holidays. For more information, call (845) 687-5113 or visit www.sunyulster.edu.
@ Paul Smart
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