This year, Albany Center Gallery will be one of eight not-for-profit art organizations supported by the Wine and Dine for the Arts festival. The other recipients include Albany Barn, Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany Pro Musica!, Albany Symphony Orchestra, Capital Repertory Theatre, Irish American Heritage Museum, and Park Playhouse.This 3-day food and wine themed festival will take place from January 17-19, 2013. For more information or to buy tickets, visit the website here. We hope to see you there!

All members and future members are encouraged to submit one work to Albany Center Gallery’s 8th Annual Members Show. Work should be ready-to-hang, and no larger than 36”x36”. The show will be on display from December 7 to January 26, and an opening reception will be held on Friday, December 7 from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. Drop-off of submissions will take place on November 18-19, noon to 5:00 p.m. For more information, check out the prospectus.

(photo credit Jason Spiro)
projectart, featuring the work of Patrick Porter, Radical!, and Alex Waters, had a great turnout November 2. It was a night full of excitement, energy, and art, as well as an opportunity to expand ACG’s mission of exhibiting local contemporary art by having an exhibition space to highlight emerging artists. The attention that projectart brought to the former office space at 46 Columbia Street actually caused it to be rented, so it is no longer vacant. Make sure to check back for updates on new venues and times for future projectart events. Also, check out the Times Union article about projectart here.

On Friday, September 21, Albany Center Gallery and Albany Barn collaborated with local artists to set up a “studio” space in a Downtown Albany parking spot, showing a day in the life of a working artist and providing a window into the creativity that often occurs away from public view. In a second spot, the two organizations created an interactive live/work space for artists and community members complete with a bed, walls, and art supplies. The final spot brought it all together by presenting a powerful statement on the importance of art and the necessity of strong, dedicated community support in sustaining its existence. The public was encouraged to participate by “feeding the meter” and buying time for the installations.

Thank you so much to our sponsors for Through the Decades: a 35th Anniversary Masquerade Gala to Benefit Albany Center Gallery.

October 2012 marks the second annual MoHu Fest, a 10 day-long arts festival happening all over Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties and beyond. Over 150 artists and arts organizations are participating in this festival, which features theatre, dance, music, visual and random acts of art and celebrates the artistic riches this region offers. Wednesday, October 10th from 5 p.m.-8 p.m., Albany Center Gallery will be participating by having artists painting live in the gallery. Participating artists include Christopher Brown, Virginia Hoeppner, Tony Iadicicco, Stephanie Levay, Ryan Lewis Merritt, Patrick Porter, Tony Thompson, Alex Waters, and Sarah Wawrzynowski. These select artists will have their own spaces to create and showcase some of their work. Please join us! This event is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. For more information about MoHu Fest, please visit their website at www.mohufest.com.

Artists, It is our pleasure to invite you to participate in our fine arts + culture auction for Through The Decades: A 35th Anniversary Masquerade Gala for Albany Center Gallery.

We hope you will consider donating a piece of your art for this exciting, one-of-a-kind event. All auction participants will be listed both in the event program and on our website, and selected work will be art-fully and prominently displayed at the event. All artwork must be submitted via email by Monday, October 22 to director@albanycentergallery.org. Please submit up to two images with each image file labeled as follows: Lastnamefirst, title. We ask that you also include the following information: size, medium, and whether you are donating 50% or 100% of the profit. Please note that we will only be choosing a select amount of work to auction due to space limitations. ARTWORK MUST BE SUBMITTED VIA EMAIL BY MONDAY, OCTOBER 22. If you are selected you will receive an email confirmation, and you will need to drop off work before November 8, 2012 in order to be included in the program and event auction. Please follow the link to get started and fill out the form.

From Raw to Refined, Albany Center Gallery’s next show, will be up on October 16. The opening will take place on November 2, 2012, 5:00-9:00 p.m., in sync with November’s first Friday. It will be a sculpture show, featuring the work of a diverse group of artists–Harold Gubnitsky, Paul Kant, Jason Schultz, and miChelle Vara. We hope to see you there!

Japanese Influence: Layer and Line closes this Saturday, October 6, so make sure to visit the show if you haven’t already. Also, the Times Union did a great writeup about the show. Click here to check it out.

Please join ACG’s Honorary Committee for Through The Decades: A 35th Anniversary Masquerade Gala to be held on Saturday, December 1, 2012, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at The State Room, 142 State Street, Downtown Albany. Friday is the deadline, and you can make your secure online payment HERE. All Honorary Committee members will be acknowledged in the event invitation and program, as well as on the Albany Center Gallery website.

Thank you for your consideration, and we hope to see you at Through the Decades. Your support of this vital fundraising event will help continue to ensure an enduring, prominent platform for local art. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Tony at (518) 462-4775 or email at director@albanycentergallery.org.