NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Lazarus Gallery at United Hebrew of New Rochelle is showcasing a rich collection of work showing the creative possibilities of “fired up” art in fused glass, cast glass, painted and glazed stoneware, ceramics, lamp-worked glass, mixed media, resin, glass, brass, and encaustics.
Art Fired Up features the work of 20 artists from across the New York metropolitan region, drawn from a collaboration between United Hebrew and ArtsWestchester, Blue Door Gallery, Bullseye Glass Company, Gallery 66 NY, GlassRoots, the Mamaroneck Artists Guild, RiverArts, Silvermine Art Center, Upstream Gallery, and The Clay Art Center. The exhibition consists of 40 works including sculptures and paintings in both figurative and abstract forms, wall art, and glass. An opening reception will be held on Sunday, October 18, from 3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the gallery, located at 391 Pelham Road in New Rochelle. The reception is free and open to the public. The exhibition runs through March 7, 2016.
The exhibition was organized by Robin Zane, Curator of the Lazarus Gallery at United Hebrew, and Jodi Moise, Gallery Advisor, Curator, Fine Arts Program and Collection at Montefiore Medical Center, who also served as juror. Zane describes the show as an exploration of contemporary practices in glass, clay, and other materials in combination with heat. “When planning an exhibition for the Lazarus Gallery we are mindful of our audience. We begin with colors and materials that create texture that engage our residents, their families and staff. This exhibition incorporates works with cracked surfaces and shiny appearances—art that is three-dimensional, textural and tactile. It is our hope that the exhibition will remind viewers of precious experiences, recent and past,” said Zane.
Rita Mabli, President and CEO, United Hebrew of New Rochelle, said that’s exactly why the gallery was installed on their campus in 2009. “Art enhances the quality of life for our residents and families. It reaches you emotionally; it sparks the imagination, lifts the soul, and nurtures a lifelong love of learning. Art Fired Up will be a great source of inspiration for all.”
A collaboration with artists
Artists in the show include: Anna Booth, Louise Cadoux, Kelley Donahue, Barbara Deutsch, Barbara Galazzo, Carla Goldberg, Mitchell Goldberg, Helen Gurny, Helayne Friedland, Kristin Javier, Gina Kingsley, Annette DeLucia Lieblein, Elizabeth Murphy, Alison Pascoe, Tommy Rush, Susan Stair, Mitchell Visoky, Judith Weber, Madeline Wilson, and Vicky Youngman. Among the works are several encaustic pieces (art created with hot beeswax and colored pigments) including Trees and Flowing About, by Mitchell Visoky, a former artist-in-residence at the Bullseye Glass Resource Center in Mamaroneck. Visoky says his encaustic work is “a direct outgrowth from my background experiences in monotype printmaking and collage…wax is not only used as an adhesive but an integral element in my work, giving it a layered and emotional quality.”
The exhibition also includes two shimmering Venetian glass works by Kristin Javier, Memoria and Uccelino. Javier, a member of RiverArts, has studied with master ceramicists in Ravenna, Italy. Javier says she finds “great beauty in brokenness, in discovering the hidden luminous treasure inside a piece of glass,” and says viewers of the Venetian glass medium “may find in those tiny pieces of glass something that speaks to a universal human experience.”
Professional teaching artist, Vicky Youngman, will give a demonstration on creating texture with clay at the opening reception. Youngman, a ceramic artist, educator, and art therapist, also has two ceramic pieces, Seeking, Learning and Textured Sun, in the show. Youngman says she “strives to create ceramic work that sings with delight….”
The collection of work comprising Art Fired Up is designed to inspire residents and the surrounding community, according to Zane. “It adds beauty to the United Hebrew campus, and it brings the community together,” she says.
The exhibit is free and open to the public daily, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at United Hebrew’s Lazarus Gallery, 391 Pelham Road, New Rochelle, New York, 10583. A portion of the sale of artwork will support the many programs and services of United Hebrew. For more information contact Linda Forman, Senior Advisor to the President, United Hebrew, 914.632.2804 x1224 or lforman@uhgc.org.
