Just To Say

Catherine Smith"Big Night at RoCo"

( SOLD )

Vitality is on view at Rochester Contemporary (RoCo) and it seems that we are lucky to have such a vibrant art community!  This annual show gives one a cause for hope in this year of political division and deadly serious world news...  Thinking of what people are capable of - not only the bad stuff, but the creative impulse,  that is what keeps me afloat.

Time to step in and see what is in store.  I know there are only a few days left to see what the members have brought forth.  I am immediately reminded of the poetry of WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS, when I read the sign from Judy Livingston about art and design.

Art & Design by Judy Livingston

( SOLD )

WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS tells us in his poem about "The Orchestra", that "birds twitter now anew

But a design surmounts their twittering.  It is a design of a man that makes them twitter.  It is a design.

And all along in this poem it is about our efforts in a creative mode that makes an exhibition like this so enjoyable.  The variety and capacity of the gallery to offer something for everyone.

33rd Annual Members Exhibition now at Rochester Contemporary

137 East Avenue, Rochester, NY

When I walked into RoCo I found many pieces on the walls ( over 400 ) and there was a pussycat padding around on the floor.  RoCo Director, Bleu Cease told me the story of how the cat came to the art gallery, and I thought - "How Unique".  

Our art community can provide something for all ages including children, so just look for Dina Toto's fabric work below, or Craig Wilson's sculptural bird ( below that )...

Dina Noto ( fabric construction )

Craig Wilson's "Morning Glory"

Welded steel

Some artworks in this annual exhibition point to our future, as in the framed photo called: "Save Seeds;Save The World" which has a power as an image and a concept  with a bigger horizon.  Talking about a big horizon I also found the painting "Three White Birds" to be quite engaging ( first I saw Two white birds...).

Save Seeds; Save The World

"Three White Birds" by Hayley Davis

I would love to walk around the gallery and find out what attracts you!  There is a wonderful variety of styles to look at and forms and colors to contemplate.  I was attracted to artworks by people who I know, and many new names that I found in the exhibition.

Congratulations to all of those members who support RoCo and the efforts made to keep the art community involved and active.  We owe a lot to our community for their support and this makes Rochester a hub of activity and engagement! 

Richard Figueras work "Untitled"

 

 

Winter Wonders

 

Introducing "OUR NATURE" to the Rochester community.

A wonderful show with art & design from the Singer family:

Arthur and Judy, Paul & Alan

This winter I have been working on the presentation and curation of a major  exhibition and if you are in the area, please come out to see what we have done.  In the Mascioli Gallery at The Rundel Library located on 115 South Avenue in downtown Rochester, New York, we have a far ranging show filled with art and design that I think is unique.

My father and mother were both working artists, and they also had their artwork published in books over many years.  In this exhibition my brother Paul, who is a graphic designer, contributes a timeline that will help orient the viewer to the chronology of when important steps in their careers occurred.

Timeline helps orient the gallery-goer  in the Mascioli Gallery

We call this show "OUR NATURE" because it says something about the family dynamic and also about our interests in portraying many aspects of our natural surroundings.  My father, born in 1917 got started early, because he loved to draw the birds and animals that he saw when he visited  The Bronx Zoo.  My father grew up in Washington Heights - on Audubon Avenue in Manhattan!  Later he met my mom in college at The Cooper Union and they married before the war years in the early 1940s.

The Ghost Army was a battalion dedicated to deception in World War ll

Of my father, Arthur Singer, it could be said that because of his creative abilities as an artist, it saved his life!  During World War ll my father was drafted and served his country in Europe as part of the now famous "Ghost Army".  This battalion was top secret during the war, and they practiced deception on the battlefields.  

At the opening of our show in the Mascioli Gallery, our guest speaker, Rick Beyer, spoke about what the Ghost Army did, and how they performed their magic.

Rick Beyer, author and documentary film maker

for "the Ghost Army" of World War ll

Once the war had ended, my father and mother got down to raising a family, and we grew up on Long Island.  My father and mother embarked on their careers - my father was in advertising during the day and worked on his paintings and illustrations at night.  My mom was a painter, and textile artist, and she was the one to make the meals and do the gardening - which later became her passion.

In the  exhibition "OUR NATURE". we focus in on the books that the family has produced.  Early on in the 1950s, my dad had a contract with Golden Books, and he produced over many years a dozen guide books and big picture books like his "Birds of the World".

Arthur Singer's early published work included his "Birds of the World"

My brother Paul Singer, and I watched our parents work and we tried doing art ourselves,  learning to be patient and seeing the results.  The medium matters, as we found that color pencils could do a lot, and that paints and brushes needed discipline!

My mom worked with anthropologist Sonia Bleeker on her books about native peoples and below is a cover of a book published in the mid-1960s.  

My mom's given name was Edith, but the family called her Judy!

My brother and I also produced books after we graduated from college.  My brother is the graphic design person who worked on our poster for this show, and also the great timeline which you will see, leads a viewer through the family history from early in the 20th century to the present.  My brother, Paul, also as a designer worked on numerous guide books and also wrote about my father in his biography of Arthur Singer, a Master of Wildlife Art, published by RIT Press.

So, we invite you to come and see our show in Rochester, and you will learn much more about the artwork we made, and the impact we have had on our community, and I may even plan to do a guided tour through the show!  Here is a link to my website where we have a video that takes you through part of the show, so enjoy!If you would like to get a better idea of what our exhibition is about, I attach a link for a short video walk-through, and also the talk that Rick Beyer gave at our opening.

Here is the link:  https://singerarts.com/alan/exhibitions/