2011 ACG Fall Gala

November 19, 2011 from 6:00-10:00pm

@ taste, 30 S.Pearl Street Albany, NY

*more information coming soon

As I take the time to think back to the Panel Discussion Series entitled 3 Course Discourse facilitated by Albany Center Gallery, sponsored by The New York State Council on the Arts, administered the by Women’s Studio Workshop, I can’t help but smile.

One and half years ago, 300 members of the community met in The Albany Public Library to talk about the art community. The first discussion was an open dialogue about available growth opportunities for the emerging artist. The second discussion addressed the role of public art in the community. The final discussion addressed how art and media work jointly and participants discussed the importance of cultivating methods of collaboration between art organizations and the media.

I have witnessed first hand, since that time, artists have had more opportunities to exhibit their work such as at the Madison Theatre, Amrose Sable Gallery, Boutiques, Upstate Artist Guild, The Ultra Violet Cafe, Bad As Art, 52 James Street at Envision Architects, Grand Street Community arts at St. Anthony’s Church and many more. The Photo Center opened in Troy founded by Nicholas Argyros and Directed by Nick Reinert, whom facilitated all of the panel discussions a years and a half ago. The growth of 1st Friday is significant, and now Troy Night Out, Art Night Schenectady, and Saratoga’s First Thursday has stormed the Capital Region with a vibrant Arts and Culture scene. Additionally, the Downtown Business Improvement District is organizing Sculpture in the Streets to kick of July 17. Lastly, I am so pleased with the new Art and Fashion magazine called UPSTATE and the Capital Region edition of Chronogram. Please check out Spring review of the new Albany Center Gallery space, and my Art Critique Column starting in the Summer edition. On the Chronogram Capital District, the cover picture comes straight from the current exhibit at Albany Center Gallery, Stencil, Tint, Print: Works by Chris Stain, Robert Gullie and Laura Glazer. I am looking forward to continued growth in the next year and a half as I anticipate more people living in Downtown Albany, and a healthy arts and cultural scene in the Capital Region and beyond.

Although I haven’t experienced Albany Center Gallery rich 30 year history first hand, I feel as though I have, as I look through the lens of the stories and memories from so many people who have visited Albany Center Gallery and shared a deep friendship with founder Leslie Urbach. I have heard many stories about the days at CDPC and great times at the former City Arts Building where so many people ate their lunch and viewed the art on display on the gallery’s two floors. As I look back and think about the future of Albany Center Gallery, the stories I hear and the memories that so many people share have inspired me to carry on the legacy of Albany Center Gallery’s founder, Leslie Urbach.

Les was such an extraordinary human being with an exorbitant passion for the arts and the artists of our region. Although it is impossible for me to emulate all of the qualities of one spectacular human being, I do believe together we can share our stories and memories and collectively we can formulate a strong artistic community. I would love to not only view fascinating art in the gallery, but experience art from area artists on every street corner and in every home and office building. I am excited about the future of Albany Center Gallery and the arts in our region as we continue to ban together and strengthen the presence of the visual arts in Albany and beyond. You may think you need to travel to experience a great art excursion, but before you fill up your tank with gas, think about stopping by Albany’s attractions, you may be pleasantly surprised. For example, did you know that the Empire State Plaza Art Collection is the most important State collection of modern art in the country?

On the note of art for public enjoyment, in order to lift the spirits of the American people during the Great Depression, Theodore Roosevelt implemented the W.P.A., employing artists to create art in public places such as murals in airports. Roosevelt is a great inspiration to me, and I hope that in a small way, your visit to the gallery lifts your spirit and provides an outlet for artists to make a living. This of course cannot happen without your support. Every time you purchase artwork from ACG you are helping the gallery continue our mission. You are also employing an artist in our community, enabling them to continue doing what they do best, create.

For years, ACG was the only art gallery in Albany. Now, ACG is the oldest among a group of art galleries, an indication that this area continues to grow. There is no doubt that I believe art is good for the economy. I am extremelty proud of ACG’s beautiful new gallery space, which is not without cost as in the past. We rely on your membership in order to meet the increased operating expenses associated with our new permanent space. Please consider becoming or renewing your membership to ACG. I also hope that you stop by the new gallery space and visit soon and often.

“New Works by Michael P. Farrell and Joe Putrock” at the Albany Center Gallery begins July 10 and closes August 18. Both artists will attend the opening reception July 20 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm in the gallery. The gallery will be filled with over 30 new images from both of these Albany based photographers.

For this exhibit Farrell paired his observations of society with touching and personal experiences he has with his children, wife, and family. The finished diptychs flow from sharp to tender, gritty and grainy muscles in black and white to the blurred movements of his wife’s body.

Putrock’s new work shares his ability to subtly offer viewers images to apply to their unrealized observations, emotions, and memories. In one image the flowers printed on an empty box of tissues grow into the floral pattern of a tacky, beloved couch; their mismatched patterns appear naturally seamless. They are two disparate items connected visually by Putrock’s heavy, large format camera.

Farrell attributes his sharp awareness of his surroundings to his blind grandfather. As a child “I became his eyes as we would take walks, his hand on my shoulder, around the inner city blue collar neighborhood, called Black Rock. We often played games of visual description as I explained the sights to my grandfather.” Farrell’s 20-year career as a photojournalist began at age 12 when he decided that photography would be his life endeavor. He holds degrees from Buffalo State College, the Rochester Institute of Technology, and the Visual Studies Workshop. Currently, he is a staff photographer for the Times Union newspaper in Albany.

Putrock’s images are tense with color and textured details. The carefully chosen focus of each picture works to release the objects and places found in the imagery of his own memories and observations. He is a freelance photographer whose work appears weekly on the “Social Scene” page of the Times Union and regularly in the New York Post, the Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, the Daily News, and Metroland.

Albany Center Gallery’s upcoming Stencil, Tint, Print: Works by Chris Stain, Robert Gullie and Laura Glazer opens May 22 and closes June 30. The opening reception will be held June 1 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. as part of Albany’s “First Friday” arts’ walk.

Chris Stain is an influential street artist in the Capital region, recognized by Wooster Collective, the renowned international street art archive. Using handmade stencils, Stain’s distinctive style and subject matter have significantly evolved from his early expressions as a young graffiti artist. Today, his work evokes messages that speak about everyday people, common struggles, and shared urban spaces. “It is my hope that through the work I will be able to convey the importance of the role of the less recognized individual,” said Stain. To create these powerful tableaus Stain designs and hand-cuts stencils, spraying each layer with paint to form an image, a process that is similar to silkscreening. The imagery reflects pictures from the Depression Era, coal miners, the homeless, Native Americans, and “blue collar workers.”

Likewise, photographer Robert Gullie uses a lyrical, forgotten technique to create timeless portraits. After shooting, processing the black and white film, and printing, Gullie hand tints his photographic prints using oil paints, watercolors, pastels, and dyes. Slight variances in color and tone make each print unique, no two prints are exactly the same. The portraits in this exhibit showcase Gullie’s ability to recognize innocence and capture beauty. His work suggests an illusory world as Gullie often incorporates eccentric props into his photographic scenes. His keen sense of color and the unconscious open the box of the human mind. A recipient of a NYFA grant, Gullie has exhibited various bodies of work in nearly 20 solo shows and in many group exhibits throughout the region.

Laura Glazer’s drawings in this exhibit are a new branch of expression for her, as she is more known for her refined photographs. Glazer playfully drew her own species of birds on over 300 small, yellow Post-it notes. The notes will be displayed on the wall as a visual field guide to an imaginary bird. Also, Glazer delicately altered and reproduced the original, tiny drawings to repurpose her prolific images of birds into larger works. Collectively, the bird prints in their various sizes and formats, migrate themselves into a song of peace. Glazer has a bachelor’s degree in photography from the Rochester Institute of Technology and is well know for hosting and selecting the tunes for “Hello Pretty City,” a popular weekly radio show on WRPI (91.5fm).

Chris Stain, Robert Gullie, and Laura Glazer choose distinctive tools to interpret and share their visions and daily experiences.

ACG Board to meet at…