Salon 561: Annual Faculty Show 

DEMAREST, NJ -- Kick off the Fall with the Art School at Old Church! Salon 561 is open to the public and is an annual show that showcases the wide breadth of knowledge, mediums, and talent of the faculty at the Art School at Old Church. New to the school? This is a great opportunity to meet the instructors, who are among many local professional artists devoting their creativity to inspiring students of all ages to experiment, indulge in new experiences, and to grow. While faculty continue to show their artwork in the galleries at the school, this will be the 8^th Annual Salon 561 exhibition, and it is a chance to view the artworks in conversation with each other.  There will be artwork for sale in various mediums in ceramics, jewelry, photography, printmaking and more displayed in the Mikhail Zakin Gallery.  

A few of the eclectic pieces are elegant vases by Susan Bogen and Eric Lawrence, a teapot in the shape of a horse by Alison Palmer, Chinese brush paintings by Jane Chang, a dollhouse by Holly Ciccoricco, and striking photographs by Ray Turkin. The Art School at Old Church continues this inclusive tradition by inviting community members, students, faculty and curious individuals to join the conversation, meet the artists, and feel inspired! There will be a public reception on September 28, 2016 at 5:30 PM, and the exhibition is wheelchair accessible and is now open through October 28.

ABOUT THE ART SCHOOL AT OLD CHURCH

The Art School at Old Church is a non-profit cultural resource center providing community access to enriching experiences in the arts.  The school offers over 90 art classes and workshops for adults, teens and children each semester, as well as free gallery art exhibitions, cultural events, and outreach programs for special populations.  The Art School’s programs are made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as contributions from foundations, corporations, businesses and individuals. 

Garden State Garden: 27th Annual NJ Small Works Show

Kathleen Bartoletti, Up Close and Personal No.3,
Acrylic, 12x12 inches

The Mikhail Zakin Gallery at the Art School at Old Church is celebrating Garden State Garden, the 27^th Annual New Jersey Small Works Show with 40 works of art by artists with a biographical connection to New Jersey. The exhibition is curated by Scot J. Wittman, a NJ arts professional, and runs through July 15, 2016. An opening reception with the artists will be Thursday, June 23 from 5:30 – 7:30 PM. The show and opening reception are wheelchair accessible and free to the public. All are encouraged to attend for conversation and light refreshments to celebrate the arts.

Paul Mordetsky, Greenfield, Oil, 10x10 inches

Paintings, drawings, photographs and mixed media sculptures reflect the Garden State Garden theme in ways both literal and experimental. Wittman selected works that portrayed excellence in craft and concept, ensuring a wide variety of black and white work as well as color, garden citation as well as metaphoric reference, and realism as well as abstraction. From dozens and dozens of works, the juror winnowed the collection to works with which he was most impressed.  These works became the heart of the show, representing a range of artists living and working in NJ. 

Congratulations to exhibiting artists Linda Aldrich, Tanya Anastass, Kathleen Bartoletti, Sarah Becktel, Maureen Bennett, Marcy Cagan, Paula Cantor, Robyne Cohen, Jacqueline Collier, Raye Cooke, Howard Danziger, Marilyn Deitchman, May Eason, Hank Gans, Trine Giaever, Anita Gladstone, Marsha Heller, Linda Brooks Hirschman, TingTing Hsu, Sean Jamar, Kathleen Jaffe, Olivia Koopalethes, Marsha Leinberger, Christa M. Leonard, Nancy Michaels, Paul Mordetsky, Beverly Noble, Phyllis Polevoy, Rebecca Rosenheck, Kiyoko Sakai, Susan Sapanara, Sonia Stark, Laura Lee Schultz, Michael Stimola, Peter Tilgner, James Van Gelder, Snejana Videlova, Mary Helen Wagner, Lisa G. Westheimer and Ron Wohlgemuth.

Christa M. Leonard, Cape May Flower, Photography, 18x18 inches

From the Studio Classes, 2016 Annual Student Show

A VISUAL FEAST OF LOCAL ARTS NOW ON VIEW

The Art School at Old Church is presenting From The Studio Classes, an annual salon-style exhibition of artworks by members of the Art School's student body. The show is on view through June 20, 2015. This highly anticipated exhibition fills the galleries to capacity with a vibrant installation of over 200 works of art, shown in the school's Mikhail Zakin and Café galleries.

This celebrated event occurs each spring with an impressive exhibition of work notable for its sophistication as well as skillful technique. The school is a community of artists, some beginner and intermediate students, and many others who are quite advanced and clearly come to class as much for the company of others similarly engaged as for the very fine instruction and discussion to be found in classes in the fine arts and craft. The presence and generosity of these artist-students enriches the conversation for everyone and the annual student show is a witness to that.

Each student is permitted to exhibit two pieces and the school’s gallery walls are almost overfilled with exciting new work. Much of it is for sale and this is a great opportunity to find something that you will surely treasure, whether jewelry, lamp worked necklaces, a crocheted jacket or vest, a great variety of bowls, a tea set, ceramic sculpture, mixed media, collage, assemblage, oils, acrylics, watercolors, prints and encaustics, along with a many striking and unusual photographs.

Regardless of medium, the range of work represented includes the traditional along with many intriguing investigations into abstraction. You will find realistic imagery and sculpture next to abstract figures, animal sculptures that charm and surprise, mixed media with parts that extend into real space, spirited abstractions next to exquisitely detailed watercolor landscapes, beautiful and dynamic charcoal figure studies next to photographs that intrigue with their unexpected focus and mood, and so much more. The gallery is wheelchair accessible and light refreshments will be served. The show remains on view until June 20, 2015 during school hours. You will find many opportunities for excellent discussion, connection, and, of course, purchase. All are welcome!

ANIMALIA

March 18 – April 14, 2016

Curatorial statement:

The current exhibition in the Mikhail Zakin Gallery explores the role of subject matter in contemporary art. In 2014, the exhibition Lay of the Land explored landscape as subject. In Animalia, the Mikhail Zakin Gallery exhibits work by five contemporary artists that explore animals as a subject while expressing more elusive elements of our own human nature. Works on view in this exhibition evoke literal and metaphorical meaning by elucidating animal nature and bringing us closer to our own.

“Animalia” is a made-up word to describe the human impulse to represent animals in art. In the
graphic poster by The Beehive Design Collective, centuries of history are distilled into a single image that depicts indigenous species of animals and insects to portray the struggle for land rights in Mesoamerica. In mixed media paintings by Jane Dell, animals appear as if in a vision to tell a chaotic, expressive story. The dreamlike quality is evoked through watery application of pigment to Mylar.

Steel horse sculptures by Adrian Landon, including the life-size horse sculpture in welded steel on the front lawn of the Art School, recognize horses for their contribution to human culture and civilization. At the same time, their strength is far beyond human, and we are met with wonder at how humans ever managed to harness the power of these powerful creatures. In realistic oil paintings by Sarah Smith, animals are depicted in a space that is their own. In her animal portraits there is no space for a human to interact with animals depicted head on. Encaustic paintings by Kristen T. Woodward describe instances where animals illuminate myths and stories that have become part of our consciousness. The rich pigments suspended in wax create a depth to the picture plane like a portal to a world where animals reign.

Works in this show present a variety of encounters with animals. They are at times distant or close, fierce or calm, at peace or threatened. What each representation of an animal has in common in this show is that each is in a context where they are uncontrived and uncontrolled. Can we encounter successful works of animal imagery such as these without experiencing that strange alienation that divides us from the “human” and brings us closer to something more profound? The works in this show carefully construct an animal plane of existence that is unspeakably alive.

-         Mary Gagler, Curator

Personality Test: Contemporary Portraiture in the Mikhail Zakin Gallery

Dave Kube, The Secret Guise

February 16 – March 11, 2016

Curatorial statement

A portrait is an artistic representation of a person that captures their likeness, personality or mood. Traditional portraiture flourished long before the telephone, at a time when representations were necessarily straightforward, if not idealized and painstakingly executed. As our systems of communication get more complex, the information needed to adequately represent a person changes. At times, we find we can reveal more by hiding something, or portray honestly through more improvisational methods.

Kathryn Mecca, Andy

Grand portraiture of royal families has aesthetic and nostalgic allure, but contemporary portraiture is a different genre, reflective of contemporary life. A distinguishing category characterizing contemporary portraiture is the question of likeness. With the advent of photography, likeness in a portrait became a snap to achieve. The contemporary portrait subject has a different roster of traits to be considered. One question we can ask of portraits today is what is the degree of cultural alienation of the subject, as in the portraiture by Dave Kube. Conversely, self-portraits by Joe Nanashe reveal a complementary trait of cultural assimilation and parsing out of the individual from the load roar of pop culture definitions.

A likeness can be revealed and concealed simultaneously, as in paintings by Kathryn Mecca, whose portraits from behind subvert the reverence usually reserved for large-scale oil painting. The photographic print by Stephan Jahanshahi also reveals a likeness while it conceals any details, as if representing a faded memory.

Stephan Jahanshahi, Some Wound of Color

 

Seth Ruggles Hiler, Portraits on Pine Street

Another trait to consider in contemporary portraiture is collaboration. For a portrait to take place, the artist and the subject must be in the same place at the same time, either for the duration of a photograph or a painting from life. Seth Ruggles Hiler utilizes his vibrant sense of color and thorough knowledge of painting to capture likeness from the live subject in his Studio Visits series. In his Portraits on Pine Street series, the community came together to sit and pose and ultimately gather at the opening reception in a celebration of neighborhood friendship and camaraderie. 

Karissa Harvey, Shirley at the Beach

In three paintings by Karissa Harvey, the collaboration was among family members, separated by time and place. The Shirley Series presents a character portrait from photographs taken by the artist’s grandfather, reflecting another aspect of portraiture that connects the viewer to other places and times. Mikhail Gubin connects to the past through his works in reclaimed wood. His portraits give substance to enigmatic characters from poetry by Vladimir Mayakovsky, the Marquis de Sade (that liberatory libertine) as well as the more traditional portrait of the artist’s wife.

Mikhail Gubin, Rococo (Marquis de Sade)

These days, a portrait is not just about the subject of the work, it is also a personality test of the artist and the viewer. The ultimate test of our subjectivity and the success of the artwork is whether or not we can recognize part of ourselves in the depiction of the other. When you look at these portraits, what do you see?

-         Mary Gagler, Curator

BergenDanceMakers perform "Off the Wall" at Proximity opening reception

This January's exhibition in the Mikhail Zakin Gallery featured works by local artists. At the opening reception on January 27, BergenDanceMakers delivered an "Off the Wall" performance, responding to the works on view in a variety of five minute, movement-based interpretations. The group is organized by Clare Porter, whose leadership in the improvisational dance group is informed  by her extensive biography of teaching and professional accolades. Dana Crow provided a soundtrack with his skillful, improvised guitar riffs. All together, the event was a fortuitous mix of visual, musical, and movement-based talent. Here is a selection of photos of artful moments during the event:

See you at the next one!

The 41st Annual Pottery Show & Sale

Robbie Lobell, 2014, Pots on a Blue Table,
flameware claybody thrown and altered, propane-fueled soda vapor, cone 11

From December 4-6, The Art School at Old Church will present the 41st Annual Pottery Show and Sale in the Mikhail Zakin Gallery located within the School at 561 Piermont Road in Demarest, New Jersey. The Annual Pottery Show and Sale began in 1974 as a fundraiser for the Art School at Old Church by long-time friends Karen Karnes and the late Mikhail Zakin, Art School founder. They wanted to bring together their vibrant community of potters with the local community to offer an opportunity to purchase one-of-a-kind works of art while supporting the newly established cultural resource. The show has grown to include 30 national and international artists and offers more than 2,000 pots for sale over its three-day span.  Admission to the Show is a suggested donation of $10, which benefits the Art School. Join collectors and enthusiasts alike at this must-see destination. The sale also offers an opportunity for novice potters to explore the possibilities of contemporary ceramics.

Sunshine Cobb, Cake Stands, 2015, hand built, cone 3

The 2015 show is curated by Karen Karnes in collaboration with artists Bruce Dehnert and Chris Gustin. The curators have invited artists to highlight a wide spectrum of styles from both seasoned and emerging potters presenting a variety of functional and decorative pots. Gustin said that the show “has supported the founder’s vision of Old Church as an arts center that was founded to bring the arts to the community.” Dehnert elaborates on the process of curating according to Karnes’ vision that “those who are invited should be among the best. Karnes has one of the most informed and keenest eyes for pots I have ever been around and her grasp of the field is remarkable and inspiring.”

Bryan Hopkins, Vase, 2015,
porcelain, slip-cast slabs, hand built, cone 10, 11'' 

Attendees can expect to find unique, functional kitchenware like everyday dishware, mugs, servers, and casseroles, as well as sculptural works and decorative objects for the home. Executive Director, Maria Danziger, encourages everyone to participate in this amazing show and sale. She believes that this three-day event provides an opportunity for enthusiasts to meet the artists who created each one-of-a-kind piece. 

Lorna Meaden, Watering Can, 2015

Lorna Meaden, Watering Can, 2015

Artists

Richard Aerni, Rochester, NY

Normandy Alden, West Winfield, NY

Sunshine Cobb, Sacramento, CA

Bruce Dehnert, Layton, NJ

Adam Field, Helena, MT

Julia Galloway, Missoula, MT

Chris Gustin, Dartmouth, MA

Hiroe Hanazono, Philadelphia, PA

Bryan Hopkins, Buffalo, NY

Tom Jaszczak, Helena, MT

Nick Joerling, Penland, NC

Karen Karnes, Morgan, VT

Michael Kline, Bakersville, NC

Justin Lambert, Jupiter, FL

Robbie Lobell, Coupeville, WA

Bruce Dehnert, porcelain, glaze/flashing slip, wood fired    

Andrew Martin, The Netherlands

Lorna Meaden, Durango, CO

Matthew Metz, Alfred Station, NY

Ted Neal, Yorktown, IN

Sean O'Connell, Wilmette, IL

Donna Polseno, Floyd, VA

Liz Quackenbush, State College, PA

Seth Rainville, Dartmouth, MA

Ellen Shankin, Floyd, VA

Mark Shapiro, Worthington, MA

Rob Sieminski, Phillips, ME

Jack Troy, Huntingdon, PA

Karen Karnes, Sculptural Vessel, stoneware, 9x10.75x10.5'', 2010    

Bill Wilkey, Helena, MT

Adero Willard, Florence, MA

Erica Wurtz, Conway, MA

Visit OldChurchPotteryShow.org for more information on participating artists, curators, and show history. Call (201) 767-7160 for directions and further information. 

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram @TheArtSchoolNJ 

#theroadtodemarest #oldchurchpotteryshow

Hours 

Sean O'Connell, Crock Jar, Porcelain, wheel thrown

Sean O'Connell, Crock Jar, Porcelain, wheel thrown

Friday, Dec. 4, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM 

Saturday, Dec. 5, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Sunday, Dec. 6, 11:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Admission 

Suggested donation $10

Address 

561 Piermont Road, Demarest, NJ 07627  

Parking On-Site & Street 

Adam Field, 2014, Porcelain, wheel thrown with incised pattern,