Futures Looking Bright

Curator, Rick Muto at the University Gallery

Campus of Rochester Institute of Technology

installing

"Renewable Futures"

thru August 10, 2019

Rick Muto. He is smiling now because his job is almost complete.  The last few artworks will go up on the wall and the labels will be attached and then in a few hours crowds will arrive for " Renewable Futures".  We are in the University Gallery on the campus of Rochester Institute of Technology and the new exhibition opens with over a hundred works of art created by art students who have graduated from RIT during the 1960s and have then gone on to careers in the arts.  Some, but not all of these talented people became teachers - in all there are eighteen creative people being honored in this new show.  One of them, Paul Garland ( below ) was giving an artist talk at the Axom Gallery recently, and I had a chance to go and hear what he had to say about the development of his art.

Paul Garland speaks at Axom Gallery

Some of the original inspiration for Paul Garland stems from landscape art and this can be seen directly in a large painting of his that was on view in the University Gallery show that just opened.

Interesting to hear Paul Garland comment on why so many of his compositions are divided in half - just to see what happens!  How many artists would be willing to saw their work in half and then deal with the results!

Paul Garland composition at University Gallery

Walk in to the University Gallery to see a diverse collection of artworks, sculpture and assemblage. These eighteen artists -- many of whom have been friends for  almost fifty years make up a core of creativity and they have brought so much to the Rochester region.  A few, like Judd and Julie Williams have passed away, so it is touching to be reminded of their accomplishments.  I have met many of these folks and have enjoyed their artwork in numerous shows.  I share an office with Luvon Sheppard who is one of the honorees here being celebrated in this exhibition.  Kudos to Luvon!

Walls of art, part of "Renewable Futures"

Lawrence "Judd" Williams ( 1934-2018 )

Each one of the eighteen artists has had some influence on the younger generation coming up.  When you survey this show you realize that there is not set direction that these artists have taken.  Portraits are on view, abstracts, collage, carved and assembled and welded sculpture is on hand.  There is no governing style to these diverse artworks - it is all the energy of the 1960s that is in the spotlight. During the opening I had a chance to talk with several of the artists including Tarrant Clements ( below ) who is fascinating as an artist with a particular brand of sophisticated humor that she brings to her work.

Tarrant Clements

One of the many artworks on view by John Kastner addresses a current topic,  and that is the prevalence of plastic waste products  that he finds when out and about.  His large assemblage comes plugged in with flashing lights and other warning signs - the work itself includes pieces of plastic and details and comments that are right up-to-date.

Assemblage by John Kastner

John Kastner has illustrated several children's books, and he has a rare wit and an eye for the comic and dramatic gesture.  He also is showing some very delicate drawings like the striking portrait seen below.

Portrait by John Kastner

Kathy Calderwood also has her art featured in a book which you can purchase at the front desk.  We stopped to chat at the opening and it was great to see her paintings once again in this show.  Her work often includes some verbal dialog, and her paintings can almost be read like a rebus.  

Kathy Calderwood at the University Gallery

Visual Art can create a dialog about place and space!

Rooted in the 1960s the art that blooms could be seen against a backdrop of social upheaval, and yet there is a promise of better things to come...  "Renewable Futures" allows a visitor to consider  the contribution that this group of eighteen artists has made to our community, and it is quite considerable, and it provides one of many reasons to value what we have to offer  as part of the fabric of our culture here in western New York!

Renewable Futures

at 

University Gallery, R.I.T.

thru August 10, 2019 

Exhibition Hours

Alan Singer: "Electrical Storm" gouache on canvas

in the new

66th Finger Lakes Juried Exhibition

Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY

Thank you for all the nice compliments I have received for my painting ( above ) in the recently opened 66th Finger Lakes show.  Yes, I missed the opening because I was in Pennsylvania at an exhibition of my father's artwork that I co-curated with my brother, Paul Singer.  Sorry to have not seen and talked with all the friends and other artists who were part of this grand exhibition that is held at regular intervals over the years.

Painting by David Hockney of the Grand Canyon

Actually, I have not been in the Memorial Art Gallery for a while, so walking around I found some really exciting developments.  The David Hockney painting of the Grand Canyon was a surprise - especially because it is in a gallery with some classic ( and much older ) American landscapes, so it really stands out ( all of that red! ).  But I like the attitude.

New Wall murals by FUA Krew

When you walk down the hall where the Sarah C. Rutherford portraits were painted, we now have extravagant graffiti which must be a first for any local museum to reserve space for artists of this genre.  Yes, I have seen many photos of this sort of mark making and a lot of the real thing on the subways of New York City ( Thank you TAKI 183 ! ), but to  see this jazzy stuff along the hall really could change some minds about the outreach the museum is undertaking.

Peter Fischli & David Weiss: their film " The Way Things Go"

Take the time to sit and watch "The Way Things Go" in the media lab.  It is a kind of Rube Goldberg process when one thing hits another and sets off a chain reaction.  Reminds me of the viral videos for the music group OK Go that I saw at the Bridges Conference in Canada a couple of summers ago.

Photo courtesy of The Memorial Art Gallery

Greeting  visitors to the show

Once inside the 66th Finger Lakes Juried Exhibition I found myself looking over artwork from a wide variety of working artists, and even some who might describe themselves first as scientists or crafts people.  The juror for this show is Marilyn Zapf  ( any relation to the type designer Herman Zapf? ) .  She chose a selection from 62 artists many of whom I have seen before,  and there are always a few surprises in store!  A visitor can cast a vote for their favorite before they leave.

Susan D'Amato " Taxonomy of Air"

A trend it seems in some contemporary art presents a kind of obsessive compulsive behavior like the presentation by Susan D'Amato from her series of Ten Thousand Things, which was similar in some respect to Cory Card's drawings of dust particles that won an award across the room.  Cory Card's artwork here is like a fresh kind of neo-dada experience.

Jeanne Beck's " Book of Longings"

A wall hanging from Jeanne Beck is just gorgeous with hanging chains and gold papers that could flutter in a breeze takes me back to paintings of Gustav Klimt and Vienna.  Directly across  from that are two artworks from Werner Sun whom I had the chance to meet in Ithaca when we had the opening of my printmaking show which will be coming soon to Rochester, at the new RIT City Art Space.

Joseph Accorso's painting of the "High Falls Spring Runoff"

There is a diverse approach by contemporary painters,and in this show there are a few pieces that approach traditional  renderings of what we can see around us, notably the painting of High Falls by Joseph Accorso.  There are several standout works that are dimensional and Lee Hoag's work would be among them.  He invents what look to be  utilitarian objects that have yet to be discovered - and as  technology impacts our lives - so does art.

Lee Hoag and "Late Shift", 2018

I was glad to see that Colleen Buzzard's piece was given an award.  Having just been in her studio within the last month, she is doing something with drawing, sculpture, and light that is very engaging.

I urge you to go see this new exhibition, because a delicate piece like Colleen's does not reproduce well - you have to see the real thing!

Colleen Buzzard"s "Hard Merge From Left"

Our Print Club of Rochester is lead in part by Katharine Baca-Bielinis and she has a fine print in this show which should not get over-looked.  It is telling that the juror's taste comes out in the present exhibition, and it is not based on the trendiest color or material.  Come and enjoy the show, and before you leave, stop in to find the Lockhart Gallery show that is on now ( 1969 Turns 50 ) and enjoy the collection there that includes the well-known like Andy Warhol, and the artists that will be better known like Warren Colescott  ( 1921-2018 ).

Lockhart Gallery presents: "1969 Turns 50 "

Warren Colescott  ( 1921 - 2018 )

The Memorial Art Gallery is undergoing a period of renewal.  There are many reasons to come out and look at what is happening in the arts, especially now when there is so much political turbulence in our country.  It is a good time to find some peace and a way to contemplate what artists have to add to our daily lives.  It is just like what the bumper sticker says: EARTH without ART is just EH....

Wendell Castle and Kathy Calderwood

at

The Memorial Art Gallery

500 University Avenue, Rochester, NY

Father's Day 2019

Arthur Singer ( 1917-1990 )

An American Master

& Art

This past weekend we celebrated Father's Day in a unique way.  Growing up in our family of four - our business involved everyone in the arts.  I teach art and practice it at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York.  My brother Paul, is a graphic designer, book designer and artist, and our father and mother were both artists and illustrators - so it was inescapable in our family!  We love it and have made our careers so far in the arts - and art worked for our  father, and it works for us.  But I am getting off track here, I just want to say that we celebrated this Father's Day by opening a retrospective of our Arthur Singer's artwork in a setting that is unique in Millersburg, PA, near Harrisburg.  The place is called The Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art.  Our show is called: "Arthur Singer, An American Master".

The State Birds and Flowers commemorative stamp series, 1982

At the top is a photo of Arthur Singer made by Lenny Eiger in 1982 just as our series of Birds and Flower stamps were about to be issued and released in Washington, D.C.  I say our series because I worked with my dad and painted all the flowers for the fifty designs.  They would go on to be best sellers.  But this was not the first time that Arthur Singer would have a hit with his artwork.  In the 1950s he produced a series of eight paintings that were made into prints for American Home Magazine that sold millions of copies, ( see the series below ).

American Home prints on view at

Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art

Millersburg, PA

Arthur Singer also illustrated over twenty books like his "Birds of North America", a Golden Guide that is still in print after selling over six million copies ( over the past 50 plus Years ).

Arthur Singer's best selling Golden Guide

in print since the 1960s

Arthur was born in New York City on Audubon Avenue  ( !! ) and got started in art early in life, he was drawing as soon as he could hold a pencil.  He was also an avid collector of pictures and books -especially about nature.  He was a jazz lover and dancer.  One of his close friends was Duke Ellington, and my dad designed covers for some of Duke's well known albums.

Comp for Ellington Album cover

In the late 1930s Arthur Singer went to The Cooper Union to broaden his art education and he later went back to his alma mater  to teach.  Before that he had a stint in the U.S. Army during World War ll.

Arthur Singer paints an ostrich circa 1942

My father brought his paints and brushes to the battle.  During the war Arthur was part of the Ghost Army, and they were dedicated to creating deceptions on the battlefield.  My dad painted camouflage when he was on duty and when he had some free time he went out into the countryside and painted images of war in Europe.  Now, we hope to one day have an exhibition of Arthur Singer's World War ll paintings and drawings because they are an awesome historical document.  My brother Paul has designed a new book to chronicle the exploits of the Ghost Army with my father's artwork as the centerpiece, and with his letters written back home as a text.

Ghost Army by Rick Beyer, cover art by Arthur Singer

My parents were married just before the Americans became involved in World War ll, and so later when my father returned from the theatre of war, they had two sons - my brother,  Paul and myself.  We grew up in the New York area and my father went to work in advertising first, and then publishing.

His love of nature  - in particular birds and animals -  became his main career - painting portraits for books and magazines.  So now we can celebrate his life and enjoy his art in our new show now open in Pennsylvania.  Here is a link to the Ned Smith Center for further information - it is a great looking show with over sixty works of art by Arthur Singer.  I hope you will see it !  Here is the link:http://www.nedsmithcenter.org/arthur-singer-an-american-master/

Our show of Arthur Singer at

The Ned Smith Center

for Nature and Art

Millersburg, PA

Good Time With Friends

Big Time Celebration with a really Generous Cocktail provider -

Anderson Studios!

250 North Goodman

Rochester, NY

To insure an adequate supply, the world's largest cocktail shaker was parked in the back of Anderson Alley so people could sip their way towards celebration...  A really shiny Kenworth truck filled with good cheer was making house calls, meanwhile, I went up to the fourth floor to see what the friends were up to on a beautiful June night here in Rochester.

I moved up to Rochester from Park Slope in Brooklyn almost 30 years ago to teach in the School of Art at Rochester Institute of Technology.  While I was in New York, I had studied painting at The Cooper Union where one of my teachers back then was Wolf Kahn - so I was surprised to see his portrait among those in the show called: " Between Worlds" by Zanne that was open when I walked by.

Poster announcing a show 

by Zanne

Portrait of Wolf Kahn ( center, bottom ) by Zanne

This show "Between Worlds"  has an interesting premise, and you have to wonder how the artist can go from the near abstractions she has on one wall over to the expressive portraits on the next segment of the show.  My friend Richard Harvey said he helped make these large scale reproductions on a new color printer, and I would say that they are quite engaging - a kind of portraiture that seems made for a magazine cover. 

Nancy Valle has a big studio here on the fourth floor and she has been into ceramics - I noticed some tiles where she incorporates encaustics - to give the tiles a different color and even a reflective quality.

Ceramic Tile in the studio of Nancy Valle

It is interesting that artists in the  building sometimes offer space to other emerging artists for shows and that was the case here, and at Colleen Buzzard's space too.  Colleen has a nice light touch with her  drawing works on Duralar, and the cross-fertilization between drawing and sculpture.

Colleen Buzzard has a light touch

Down the hall I went into see the art of Kathy Farrell, Peter Monacelli, and George Wegman ( the Best Friends).  You can see them here in the funny poster that they made for the show.

Once inside the show you come fact-to-face with art that you want to get close too - trying to understand the patterns in Kathy Farrell's art - which seems so nonchalant, and quite intimate like reading someone's diary.  The paintings and collage work in this show of three artists seems to dominate the proceedings.  Peter Monacelli's art seems to honor the visions of others - with a collage that is part architectural plan and a kind of comment on the methods of art making - call it inspiration from a diverse  group ( mostly women who should be better known ) .  So here is a work in honor of Kiki Smith, and another work in honor of Gertrude Greene.  If you don't know who these women are - look them up!

Collage by Peter Monacelli

George Wegman has a group of strong little abstracts, and I was attracted to his work called: "Red Alert".  It has a graphic impact that is easy to see and the work  has a strong relationship to Peter Monacelli's approach - you can see that these best friends may have influenced each other!

"Red Alert" by George Wegman

So, Kathy Farrell has often come to my class to speak about her work arranging exhibitions for Monroe Community College where she has guided the Mercer Gallery for many years.  The small framed abstract works she has in this show have a spontaneous and intimate appeal.  They could be   a  visual equivalent of a series of dance moves, or a pattern of migration.  From my point of view they are all about movement.  But you will have to see for yourself.

Kathy Farrell's intimate  artworks

Outdoors,  once I took a look at the shows on a First Friday, going back to my car, I saw the new construction of apartments nearby and stopped to admire the big Albert Paley sculpture now so firmly rooted in the landscape around the Memorial Art Gallery.  Beautiful night here in upstate New York!

Albert Paley on a summer night

Art Festival

6 x 6

Rochester Contemporary Art Center

an annual art feast as a fund-raiser

Rochester, New York

When you open the door to the Rochester Contemporary Art Center now, you are greeted at the desk and then you can explore a festival of visual art known as 6 x 6.  This show has become an annual fund-raiser and it has helped keep the gallery afloat through the participation of hundreds of artists who have donated their time and creativity and found community support when buyers come to select beautiful new art for a purchase.  It is a Win-Win for everyone involved... the artists get to show their work, and support the gallery and patrons  have a terrific show to look at and select art for their collections!

Jazzy card announces the show at RoCo

137 East Avenue, Rochester, NY

There is literally something for everyone here no matter what age you are - there is a work to suit your taste from serious portraits of far-away places to caricatures of your favorite stars.  As a little test, I went around to try to identify artists whose work I have seen before, and I can identify their work by the content or style.  Many of the artists whose artwork I could identify have already had their 6 x 6 inch creations snapped up, and then there were so many more to choose from!

Abundant art arranged for your enjoyment!

People like me, come back each year to build their collections.  For others, they could start and build an art collection at  a very reasonable price of $20 for each work they select.  This show builds a spirit of involvement for the arts in Rochester and attracts people from all over.  I saw on Facebook that a friend of mine had sold her art right away and posted on the social media.

6 x 6 artwork by Pamela Benham

Whether you buy the artwork online, or go to the gallery there are so many works to choose from!  I saw many little bird portraits and even a cute bird house ( or two ).    One little image of a swan had real feathers attached...

Could be yours today!  At  6 x 6

Thank you to all of the artists who participated in this years show!

I couldn't help but take a chance and add to my art collection.  I have a good feeling of supporting my community!  There are still a few thousand works up on the wall - take a look for yourself and find some inspiration!

AT 6 x 6 --after a terrific opening the show goes on , and on!

Later next week I travel down through the Southern Tier and into Pennsylvania for the opening reception at a show I have co-curated with my brother, Paul Singer.  Our exhibition features artwork made by our father, Arthur Singer who he had a long, illustrious career  as a wildlife artist - but that is not the only thing he did.  His  life and work  are featured in this new show at the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art in Millersburg, PA, right across the river from Harrisburg, PA.

If you are in the neighborhood, our reception is from 3 - 6 pm on Saturday, June 15th, and we would love to see you there.  We will be signing copies of our new book about Arthur Singer, The Wildlife Art of an American Master - and we will be having a talk about his art that is up on the walls of the Ned Smith Center.  Below is the postcard for our exhibition which is on thru August 26th, 2019.

Postcard for the new exhibition of wildlife art by Arthur Singer

Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art

Millersburg, PA