NEW ROCHELLE, NY — There are the fleeting intimacy of an air kiss, a glimpse of a bend in the iconic Coney Island boardwalk, and three lions staring at the viewer. All of these images are captured by the artistry of 17 Westchester photographers whose works are among the 37 photographs that will be on display in a new juried exhibition at United Hebrew of New Rochelle’s Lazarus Gallery, “A Photographic Journey From Here and Beyond,” April 10–September 9, 2016. The Lazarus Gallery is located at 391 Pelham Road, New Rochelle. An opening reception, which will be free and open to the public, will be held from 3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. April 17.
The photographs were taken by members of the Color Camera Club of Westchester and include a wide variety of subjects, from a koala bear in Australia and a look at Grand Central Terminal’s main hall, to a distant shot of flamingos. The photographers whose work will be on view are: Sidney Auerbach, Yoredvi Batista, Rinku Bhattacharya, Susan Cember, Jennifer Dooley, Heidi Fuhrman, Richard Getler, Carolyn Glickstein, Marvin Klein, James F. Lasser, Bob Plotkin, Phyllis Schreckinger, H. David Stein, Jessica Stelling, Karen Ann Sullivan, Dennis Thornton, and Linda Trummer-Napolitano.
The exhibition was organized by Robin Zane, Curator and Jodi Moise, Gallery Advisor for United Hebrew, which offers a wide variety of services, care and housing for those in need of assisted living, memory care, rehabilitation, and long-term skilled nursing. United Hebrew mounts several exhibitions annually aimed at helping inspire residents and other visitors to make connections between the art and their lives.
Rita Mabli, United Hebrew President and CEO, commented that photography is a great medium for engaging the residents and their families, which is the very purpose of the gallery since it was created in 2009. “When you see these images, they can’t help but spark your imagination and your memories,” she said. “Whether they show far off lands or a new way of looking at sights we’ve all seen, they amount to a celebration of life. And that fits perfectly with our philosophy of care at United Hebrew.”
According to Ms. Zane, connecting with people through art is important. “We look for connection in every exhibition we curate for the Lazarus Gallery. For this particular show, we emphasized the theme of a personal journey and chose photographs that would resonate with the residents, care takers and the community.”
“A Photographic Journey” is one of the many exhibitions on which the Lazarus Gallery has worked with an outside group, Ms. Zane said. For the Camera Club, which is made up of professional and amateur photographers, taking part in a juried show was a new experience, says Karen Ann Sullivan, co-president of the club and the chair of its exhibitions. The 37 photos to be featured were chosen from approximately 100 submissions, she said. “We provided a wide variety of photographs,” said Ms. Sullivan. “They included images of iconic places – local and abroad – shots of nature, which many people relate to, and images of animals and people.”
Ms. Zane said the photos selected provoke thought by showing viewers something striking, and something familiar taken from a new angle. The image of the lions – snapped by Sullivan in Tanzania – “makes you want to ask the photographer how she had three lions stay still and pose quietly,” Ms. Zane said. A distant shot of hundreds of flamingos, taken by Jennifer Dooley, compels viewers to move in for a closer look in order to understand what they are seeing, she said. The shot of Coney Island by Dennis Thornton shows a pronounced curve in the boardwalk, offering “a very creative interpretation of an iconic sight,” she said.
The exhibition is free and open to the public daily, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at United Hebrew’s Lazarus Gallery. 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
