NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The College of New Rochelle Castle Gallery Exhibit In Retrospect opens on Tuesday, September 4, 2012, through Sunday, November 4, 2012. It features artist’s books and prints by Nava Atlas, Maureen Cummins, and Ann Lovett.
On Thursday, September 20, 2012, Castle Gallery will participate in the New Rochelle Council on the Arts’ ArtsFest preview night and the Gallery will be open until 9 p.m. The exhibit will also be a featured stop on the New Rochelle Council on the Arts’ Artfest trolley on Saturday, September 22, 2012, and Sunday, September 23, 2012, from 12 to 5 p.m. A reception for the artists will be held on Sunday, September 23, 2012, from 2 to 4 p.m.
In Retrospect presents the work of three artists— Nava Atlas, Maureen Cummins, and Ann Lovett—who explore contemporary culture through the lens of the past. Their shared source of inspiration is the book, a form that, while intimate and familiar, also carries with it the weight of history and the voice of authority. The artists delved into public and private archives to gather images, documents, texts, and ephemera as source material. Rearranging and combining these found elements with new material, they create provocative new works that expose biases and question assumptions about what we know and how we know it.
Nava Atlas draws from personal collections of everyday ephemera, including pinup photos, advice columns, vintage food images, and old comic books. The work of Maureen Cummins is inspired by old letters, documents, and photographs that she collects. Ann Lovett draws source material from historical archives and museum collections, as well as from personal documentation.
By employing beauty and craft—in the form of sensual materials, compelling imagery, and both ancient and modern technologies—these artists draw their audience into difficult subject matter. They seek to navigate the very dualities of life itself: pleasure and pain, appearance and reality, past and present, what is represented and what is experienced.
The Castle Gallery at The College of New Rochelle was established in 1980 as an art resource for the entire community. Dedicated to teaching and committed to providing a rich diversity of art experiences, the Castle Gallery serves school groups and art lovers from throughout Westchester County with innovative exhibits, lectures, and programs.
The Castle Gallery is situated in the historic Leland Castle on the Main Campus of CNR, 29 Castle Place, New Rochelle, NY 10805. Castle Gallery Hours: Tues, Wed, Thurs & Fri 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat and Sun, 12 to 4 p.m. Evenings by appointment. The Gallery is closed Mondays and major national holidays. For additional information, tours, and directions to CNR, please call (914) 654-5423 or go to http://www.cnr.edu/cg.
