Kenan Center House Gallery

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FUTURE EXHIBITS:

CALL FOR ARTISTS

Since 1969, the Niagara Frontier Art Exhibit has provided a forum for significant new works by artists from Western New York. The juried show features a variety of media including oils, watercolor, photography, pastels, three-dimensional works, prints, collage, and mixed media works.

The show is open to artists 17 and older who reside or study in the Niagara Frontier region, western and central New York, and Ontario, Canada.

Artists are limited to submission of two works by slides or digital images. There is a $35 non-refundable jury fee. For application form, call (716) 433-2617 or send an email request to: info@kenancenter.org. See link below to download a pdf application form. Application deadline is June 2, 2008.

Awards to be given are: Best of Show, $325; Juror’s Choice Purchase Award, $300; Sheila Whalen Realism in Drawing Award, $175; three Awards of Excellence, $125 each with one specifically given for 3-dimensional works; three Honorable Mentions providing free entry into the 2010 NFAE Exhibit valued at $35.

Juror for this year’s show is Nancy Weekly, Head of Collections and Charles Cary Rumsey Curator for the Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Buffalo State College.

The Kenan Center House Gallery is located in the Kenan House, 433 Locust Street, Lockport. An active exhibition space since 1966 when it premiered with an exhibition of works by Charles Burchfield, the Kenan Center House Gallery averages eight exhibits annually of local, regional and national artists.

Download a 2008 NFAE application form.

CURRENT EXHIBIT

Lawrence V. Badgery, Landscape Artist

The background against which Badgery’s art came to maturity was that of 19th century and early 20th century Canada, influenced by a long tradition of landscape painters and the doctrine and style of the Group of Seven. During his student years at the OCA, he studied under three of the group’s members: J.E.H. MacDonald, Franklin Carmichael and Franz Johnson. He was also influenced by the expressionistic style of the English landscape painter, John Constable and the artists of the British Watercolor School. The whole orientation of his oeuvre became directed towards landscapes of serene harmony.

While his works were collected widely in Canada and the U.S., his shy and reserved character in business matters prevented him from achieving major recognition and financial success. His choice was a quiet domestic life, always close to the beauty of the Canadian countryside.

This will be the second exhibition of Badgery’s work at the Kenan Center House Gallery, and the first in which works will be for sale. The exhibit is curated by his nephew and Lockport painter Donald Little. He will give a docent tour at 1:00, 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. on May 31 and June 1 during the 100 American Craftsmen show, as well as on Thursday, June 12 at 2:00 p.m.

Storrs All High Photo Show

Co-jurors for the show are Amy Meza Luraschi and Lauren Tent from CEPA Gallery, Buffalo. The jurors will select 13 top winners. They are: Best School Overall, Best of Show, Student Processed, and 12 category awards including Black & White, Color, Urbanscape; Landscape, Floralscape, Portrait, Waterscape, Computer Generated, Still Life, Sports, and Animal. In addition, one student from each school is recognized with a merit award.

The Buffalo News sponsors the NeXt Vision Award for creative excellence as well as the Best Documentary/ Photojournalism and Best of Show, Commercially Processed awards.

Thirty high schools will be represented in this year’s show. They are: Akron Central; Alden Central; Amherst Central; Cassadaga Valley; Clarence; Depew; Fillmore Central; Gow School; Grand Island; Greece Athena; Honeoye Falls-Lima Central; Kenmore East; Kenmore West; Lancaster; Lewiston Porter; Lockport; Medina; Minerva Deland; Newfane; North Collins Jr/Sr; North Rose-Wolcott; Pioneer Central; Southwestern; Springville Griffith; Sweet Home; Tonawanda; Victor Central; Wheatland-Chili; Williamsville East; and Williamsville North.

The exhibit continues through May 11. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Named in honor of Lockport artist, William Storrs, who passed away in 2005. An accomplished artist and long-time contributor to visual arts programming at the Kenan Center, Storrs was instrumental in starting the All High Photo Show which was designed to showcase the photographic work of high school students throughout Western New York, and was an active participant in the installation of the works as well as the awards presentation.

The Niagara Home School Association will also present an exhibition in the Kenan Center Student Gallery April 7-28. The Student Gallery is located in the Taylor Theater Community Room on the Kenan campus. Visitors are asked to come to the Kenan House/Business Office if they’d like to view the exhibit.

The Kenan Center is a regional community center for arts, education and recreation located on 25 beautiful acres in historic Lockport, New York. Facilities include a sports arena, a 153-seat theater, education building, outdoor recreational fields, and the Kenan house, an 1800’s Victorian mansion featuring a year-round art gallery, gift shop and formal gardens. For more information call (716) 433-2617 or visit us online at www.kenancenter.org.

All High Award Recipients

Best of Show, Student Processed, went to Victoria Vogt, Pioneer High School; Best of Show Commercially Processed sponsored by The Buffalo News went to Jacquie Maitner from Grand Island who also received a merit award from show judges Lauren Tent and Amy Meza-Lurashi from CEPA Gallery.

Additional category award recipients were: Brittany Spade, North Rose-Wolcott, NeXT Vision Award for Excellence sponsored by The Buffalo News; Janelle Hoh, Honeoye Falls-Lima, Best Photojournalism sponsored by The Buffalo News; Caitlin Walsh, Greece-Athena, Best Portrait Award; Carl Frantz, Southwestern, Best Black & White; Jared Buschang, Honeoye Falls-Lima, Best Color; Konstantin Bashmakow, Honeoye Falls-Lima, Best Urbanscape; Kate Calleri, Kenmore West, Best Landscape; Kathy Bacon, Springville Griffith, Best Still Life; Sammi Garson, Williamsville East, Best Sports; Erin McDowell, Lancaster, Best Architecture; Samantha Berkhead, Greece Athena, Best Waterscape; Sam Bundy, Kenmore East, Best Floralscape; Joe Abramo, Amherst, Best Animal; and Katie Chesna, Akron, Best Computer Generated.

In addition to maintaining a studio at Buffalo Arts Studio, Buck is President and Creative Director of Crowley Webb and Associates. He explains that the inspiration for his work comes from his family history. “My painting expedition started in 2003, the same year I happened upon my parent's oldest photo albums. Spending some time within these miniature black and white scenes, I met the inhabitants and was introduced to their way of life -- hard work and picnics and drives in the country. The journey has taken me to small towns like Painted Post, Albion, and Ontario, New York, as well as Picture Rocks and Winburne, Pennsylvania. In this way, I have been revisiting my family.”

Kegler, in addition to being a Master Roycroft Renaissance Artisan, is an art instructor at East Aurora High School and Professional Faculty Development Instructor for the East Aurora School District. Strongly influenced by the Hudson River School, Kegler’s paintings have been exhibited at numerous galleries including the Burchfield Penney Art Center. His work has also appeared as cover designs for Ani DiFranco.

Says Kegler of the works he presents in this exhibit: “My passion for the outdoors is mirrored in my painting. From the local familiar hills of Western New York to the majestic mountains of Alaska and Oregon, the act of painting is an opportunity to recall moving personal experiences. Revisiting the processes and techniques of the old masters in light of contemporary materials and memorable moments guides my appreciation of life’s subtleties.”

Buck and Kegler will lead an Artist Talk and Tour in the Kenan Center House Gallery, Saturday, March 29 at 2:00 p.m. The exhibit continues through April 13. For additional information, call 433-2617 or go online to: www.kenancenter.org.

See the Kenan Center profile under "Art Galleries" on adhub.

Read more about Stierer exhibit in Buffalo News

Barbara Baird, a native of Eden, works in oils and acrylics, with the rural landscape predominant in her current paintings. Says Baird: “My interest in landscape is about the patterns and lines that Man imposes on Nature. The roads, the plowed fields, the orchards and planted crops all bestow a beautiful symmetry and geometry upon the earth, imparting the most logical way to get from one point to another, and thus creating endless vanishing points on the horizon.”

Beth Munro enjoys finding within everyday objects a “beauty beyond the ordinary.” Although inspired by simple elements such as fruit, dishes or flowers, Munro says she paints in a way that walks the line between representation and abstraction. Munro’s paintings have appeared in a number of local galleries including the Bryant Street Studio and Art Dialogue Gallery.

Leslie Zemsky’s whimsical paintings have decorated everything from ceramics to greeting cards. Says Zemsky: “My work comes from a sense of joy and my energetic attitude toward life.” Her colorful paintings depict scenery, experiences, and homes in a style reminiscent of primitive artists, and are like snapshots that capture a fleeting moment in time.

The exhibit runs through February 3. A free public gallery tour with the artists will be held Wednesday, Janaury 16, at 2:00 p.m. Viewing hours are Monday-Friday, Noon to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 2:00-5:00 p.m. For more information, call 433-2617 or go online to: www.kenancenter.org

Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society Presents Fall Exhibit at the Kenan Center

Selected artists are:
Anne Abgott, Sharon M. Bartell, Lorna Berlin, Jo Bissell, Anna Marie Boccio, Sally J. Crino, Marjorie Donovan, Joyce Evans, Barbara Fox, Kathleen S. Giles, Hebe Greizerstein, Joan Hambleton, Dianne Hickerson, Charlotte Huntley, Mary Alys Kratzke, Patricia Kraus, Marty Kutas, Pat Leonard, Linda Lucas, Manning McCandlish, Marilyn T. Mendelson, Dan Meyer, Diane Meyer, Catherine O. O’Neill, Vicki O’Reilly, Fritz Raiser, DeEtta Silvestro, Natalie Smythe, Mabe Sorensen, Norine Spurling, Mary F. Stid, E. Jane Stoddard, NWS, Susan Vasi, Susan Walker, Dody Walter, Joseph A. Whalen, Jody Ziehm and Anne M. Zohur.

Juror for the show was Janet Rogers. A popular instructor and demonstrator throughout US and Europe, Rogers is especially well known for her portraits and floral paintings, and is featured in the book “The One Hour Watercolorist.” She is a signature member of the Florida Watercolor Society and a Member with Excellence of the South Carolina Watercolor Society. She has won numerous awards including second place at Walt Disney’s Festival of the Masters.

Gallery hours for the exhibit are Monday through Friday, noon to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 2:00-5:00 p.m. The gallery will be closed November 12. NFWS president Susan Vasi will lead a free tour of the exhibit on Tuesday, October 30 at 4:00 p.m. in the Kenan Center House Gallery.

The Kenan Center House Gallery is located in the Kenan House, 433 Locust Street, Lockport. An active exhibition space since 1966 when it featured the works of Charles Burchfield, the Kenan Center House Gallery averages eight exhibits annually of local, regional and national artists. Committed to fostering artistic expression in young people, the gallery also includes a high school photo exhibit on its calendar each year and has recently added a Student Gallery to recognize and support the work of young artists. The Kenan Center also offers ARTiculations, an on-school-time visual and performing arts program during the school year.

Situated on 25 beautiful acres in historic Lockport, New York, the Kenan Center is a regional community center providing more than fifty programs in arts, education and recreation each year and serves more than 36,000 individuals throughout Western New York. For more information, call (716) 433-2617 or go to www.kenancenter.org.

The Kenan Center in Lockport is proud to present for the fourth year an exhibit of works by Canadian artists titled, CROSSING BORDERS, opening with a free public reception Friday, September 14, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the Kenan Center House Gallery, 433 Locust Street, Lockport.

The exhibit will showcase 24 Canadian artists from Ontario, Montreal, Winnipeg, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia; five of the artists are natives of foreign countries including Poland, Russia, Iran, Africa, and Columbia. The group includes both emerging and established artists working in a variety of media including photography, acrylic, oils, watercolor, encaustic, mixed media, sculpture, copperplate etching, and pen and ink.

The exhibit runs through October 14. Gallery viewing hours are Monday-Friday, noon to 5:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 2:00-5:00 p.m. The Gallery will be closed October 8 for Columbus Day. A free public docent-led tour will be scheduled during the exhibition. Check the Kenan Center website at www.kenancenter.org for information.

Click here to download a copy of the Capsulized Artists' Biographies

Appearing in the show are paper maker Christopher Stangler from Lockport; furniture maker Rolf Hoeg of East Aurora: and printmaker Greg Lago from Clayton, New York,

Christopher Stangler received his BFA in Painting/Illustration from the Rochester Institute of Technology and his MFA in Painting from the University at Buffalo. Stangler’s works in this exhibit are 2- and 3-dimensional designs he creates from paper pulp. Stangler crafts his own papers by combining various art papers, and natural fibers which he says reflects his personal interest in recycling and reuse. He has appeared in numerous solo, group and juried exhibits in Western New York, as well as other states, including the Castellani Art Museum, Insite Gallery, and Burchfield-Penney Art Center.

Rolf Hoeg grew up in a house with an eclectic mix of Danish modern and 19th century American furniture which he says make his current work an amalgamation of both styles, uniting the contemporary with the traditional. Hoeg uses time-honored methods of joinery as the foundation for all of his designs. He is fully engaged in the technical and design challenges inherent in each piece, and the final works achieve a vital balance between classical form and his desire for personal expression. Hoeg’s work has been published in American Style Magazine, New England Craft Connoisseur and Woodshop News. He was awarded a sculpture residency in Rowe, Massachusetts and Best of Show-Furniture Award in the Providence Fine Furnishings Show in 2001.

Greg Lago grew up in the villages of Gasport and Middleport. Lago focused his artistic talents as a student at Buffalo State College under the guidance of Frank C. Eckmair. Lago started Winged Bull Studio in 1988 and has worked as a printmaker and illustrator for over 30 years. His work has been called “visual parables” and a mix of dark humor and illuminating truth. Lago’s work has appeared in numerous exhibitions, most recently in a one-man show at the Richard F. Brich Gallery, St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY and “If You Go Down in the Woods Today,” an exhibition of work by North American Engravers, Line Gallery, Lithgow Scotland.

The Kenan Center in Lockport will present an exhibit of botanically-inspired art and garden sculpture in a show titled GARDEN REFLECTIONS. The exhibition opens Friday, June 29 with a free public reception from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., and continues through August 5. Viewing hours for the exhibit are: Monday-Friday, noon to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays, 2:00 -5:00 p.m. The exhibit will be open extended hours during “Lockport in Bloom,” July 14 and 15 from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

The juried show is a mixed media exhibit that features fine art as well as garden sculptures which will be displayed in the Kenan Center gardens, adjacent to the Center. Twenty-five artists were selected for the show which will include 33 hanging works and four sculptures. The artists are: Lorna Berlin, Stan Bowman, Mary Ann Bowman, Marilyn Burch, Tom Dalbo, Robert Finn, Sharon Cassidy Fundalinski, Linda Gale, Albert Gilewicz, Peter Gohringer, Joan Hambleton, Susan Hohl, Tracey Jung, Donald Little, Manning McCandlish, Shirley Murdoch, Danielle Perla, Patty Prechtl, Joan Saba, Dee Smith, Norine Spurling, Deborah Stewart, Dennis Stierer, Dody Walter, and Amy Bryan.

Juror for the show is Kathleen Sherin who is on the art faculty at Niagara County Community College and D'Youville College where she teaches drawing and design. Sherin is the Director of the Fine Arts Gallery at N.C.C.C and also is involved in curating art for regional alternative venues.

The garden-themed exhibit, now in its fourth year, was created to tie into the seasonal popularity of the Kenan gardens, which attract hundreds of local horticulture enthusiasts as well as out-of-state travelers each summer. The landscaped areas include a formal garden, perennial garden, herb garden and shade garden with pond.. Visitors can pick up a Kenan Gardens brochure for self-guided tours which includes a keyed map and identification of the permanent sculptures.

The Kenan Center House Gallery is located in the Kenan House, 433 Locust Street, Lockport. An active exhibition space since 1966 when it featured the works of Charles Burchfield , the Kenan Center House Gallery presents exhibits of local, regional and national artists year-round. The gallery is admission-free.

Situated on 25 beautiful acres in historic Lockport, New York, the Kenan Center is a regional community center for arts, education and recreation that serves more than 43,000 annually. The Kenan Center has been noted as one of 40 Western New York “All Stars” of people, things and places by Western New York Life magazine. For more information, call (716) 433-2617 or go to www.kenancenter.org.

Niagara Frontier Art Exhibit
May 25-June 24, 2007
Kenan Center House Gallery in Lockport presents the 39th annual Niagara Frontier Art Exhibit (NFAE) May 25 through June 24. A free opening reception and awards ceremony will be held Friday, May 25 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. Six cash awards will be presented including Best of Show, $300; four Awards of Excellence at $100 each, and the Sheila Whalen Memorial Best Drawing Award, $150. Juror for the show was Holly E. Hughes, Associate Curator at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.Fran Woodmancy of the Lockport Music Store will play piano for the opening.

The Gallery will be closed Memorial weekend and open during the 100 American Craftsmen show in Saturdaym June 2 from 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. and Sunday, June 2 from noon-4 p.m. Regular hours are: Monday-Friday, noon-5:00 p.m.and Sunday, 2:00-5:00 p.m. The Gallery is closed on Saturdays until after Labor day.

Forty-nine artists were selected with 69 works to be exhibited. Artists are: Jackie Albarella, James T. Andrews, Priscilla Bowen, Marilyn Burch, Carol Carreno, Allan Coburn, Sylvia Coles, Jay Costello, Tom Dalbo, Jack DiMaggio, Maggie Eaton, Joyce Gray Evans, Robert Finn, Sharon Cassidy Fundalinski, Marcia Gibbs, Kathleen S. Giles, Eileen Graetz, Richard Hageman, Joan Hambleton, Geoffrey Harding, Geeta Harvey, Jean Jain, Sally Johnson, Robert M. Jones, Karl E. Kipp, Patricia Kraus, Maureen Matthews, Manning McCandlish, Camille Myers, Marjorie Norton, Cindi O’Mara, Joanna Ransom, Kath Schifano, Salvatore Scrivo, Katie Sehr, Ali Shah, Iullia Shevchenko, Nancy E. Smith, Clarice Snitzer, Mabe Sorenson, Norine Spurling, Rosemarie (Bauer) Sroka, Kay Stephan, Mimi Swados, Sandra Orlando Vanich, Susan Vasi, Dody Walter, Mark Weld and Joseph Whalen.

Since 1969, the Niagara Frontier Art Exhibit has provided a forum for significant new works by artists from Western New York. The juried show features a variety of media including oils, watercolor, photography, pastels, prints and mixed media works.

William Storrs Retrospective Exhibit
April 27-May 20, 2007
The Kenan Center is proud to present a collection of works by the late William Storrs, a life-long Lockport resident, teacher, dedicated volunteer, and outstanding artist.

Storrs taught art at the Avon Central School, Lockport Senior High School and Niagara County Community College. He was a founding member of the Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society and an active member of the Kenan Center since its beginning. Storrs was an Elder of the First Presbyterian Church where he conducted tours of the church’s famed Tiffany stained glass windows. He also conducted lecture series on Victorian houses of Lockport, Federal houses of Lockport, and Limner Art in Colonial America. Storrs was also a photographer and received a grant from New York State to photograph New York’s barns which he also lectured on.

His work has been exhibited in shows including the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, the Market Street Art Center and the Kenan Center in Lockport, and the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester. He has also exhibited at the Harriet W. and George D. Cornell Museum of Art and History in Delray Beach, Florida. His work can be found in many private collections including the Dr. Charles Rand Penny Collection of Western New York Artists at the Burchfield-Penny Gallery in Buffalo.

Although he sometimes worked in oil, acrylic, pencil, or pen and ink, Storrs worked mostly in watercolor and adhered to the transparent watercolor theory. Landscapes were his favorite subject with his native Western New York providing most of his inspiration but he also painted many scenes from England and around the United States that he had seen in his travels.

Tandem receptions will be held on Friday, April 27, to honor Storrs' work. The Market Street Art Center in Lockport will hold a reception from 5:00-8:00 p.m.; the Kenan Center House Gallery reception will take place from 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Photo by David Dzierba, Medina HS

Storrs All High Photo Show
April 1, 2007-April 22, 2007
For the twenty-second the Kenan Center in Lockport will present the STORRS ALL HIGH PHOTO SHOW, renamed in honor of Lockport artist, William Storrs, who passed away in 2005. An accomplished artist and long-time contributor to visual arts programming at the Kenan Center, Storrs was instrumental in starting the All High Photo Show which was designed to showcase the photographic work of high school students throughout Western New York, and was an active participant in the installation of the works as well as the awards presentation.

This year’s show opens Sunday, April 1, with a free public reception from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Kenan Center House Gallery, 433 Locust Street in Lockport. Awards will be presented at 3:00 p.m. Juror for this year's show is Ed Healy.

Twenty-eight high schools in western and central New York will be represented in this year’s show. They are: Amherst Central; Attica Senior; Cassadaga Valley; Churchville Chili; Clarence; Clyde–Savannah; Depew; Fillmore Central; Grand Island; Greece Athena; Honeoye Falls-Lima Central; Kenmore East; Kenmore West; Lancaster; Lewiston Porter; Lima Christian; Marcellus; Medina; Newfane; North Collins Jr/Sr; North Rose-Wolcott; Pembroke; Springville Griffith; Sweet Home; Tonawanda City; Wheatland-Chili; Williamsville East; and Williamsville North.

The exhibit continues through April 22. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Lockport High School will also present an art exhibit in the Kenan Center Student Gallery, located in the Taylor Theater Meeting Room, April 2-23. The school will host a reception in conjunction with the All High Show, Sunday, April 1 from 2:00-5:00 p.m.

Ask about on-school-time multi-discipline workshops and gallery tours for grades K-12.

Mortar and Pedestal, Richard Hirsch

Extraordinary Forms: Binational Clay
February 11, 2007-March 11, 2007
Free public reception, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2:00-5:00 p.m.

Extraordinary Forms features an assemblage of work by the accomplished ceramic faculty of colleges and universities in Western New York and Canada. Sixteen faculty members will display selected works including Robert Wood, Buffalo State College; Carl Shanahan, SUNY Geneseo; Mitch Messina, Nazareth College; Lori Mills, SUNY Brockport; Jeremiah Donovan, SUNY Cortland; Marv Bjurlin, SUNY Fredonia; Richard Hirsch and Julia Galloway, Rochester Institute of Technology; and Linda Sikora, Walter McConnell and Chris Miller from Alfred University. Sheridan College in Oakville Ontario will be represented by department chair, Bruce Cochrane, along with Tony Clennell, Marc Egan, Cathleen Nicholson and professor emeritus, Winn Burke.

The exhibit is being guest curated by Gerald Mead, artist and past curator at Buffalo’s Burchfield-Penney Art Center. Says Mead: “Ceramics have a rich heritage in Western New York and Southern Ontario and the fine educational institutions in these regions have been vital to that heritage. This inaugural ceramics exhibition—a survey of extraordinary expressions in clay—also honors the makers, ceramics educators, who through their devotion to their craft and commitment to pedagogy, have enabled this media to flourish in our midst.”
See a slide show of the opening reception, Sunday, February 11. Photos courtesy of Dennis Stierer.

Work by Gary Schlappal

Article:Poet in Clay: Maryland Artist Returns to WNY, February 2007. Maryland clay artist Gary Schlappal has a gift for storytelling. Whether it's through his graphically decorated ceramics or a recitation that careens vicariously from his favorite subjects (old movies; his dogs, Yogi and Boo Boo; Penn State football) to ephemera (the best place for Chinese food; the sublime repose of his garden in winter), the result is the same: The language is colorful; the presentation, extravagant; the effect; poetically articulate. Read the rest of the story.

"Touch Room" To Allow Hands-on Experience of Clay
In order to make this exhibit a fuller learning experience, a special interactive space will be created where visitors are invited to touch, feel and explore clay objects thanks to the assistance of local ceramic artists/teachers Scott Losi and Brett Coppins. The space will also depict a typical potter's work room. The Kenan Center will offer gallery tours and "Talking Pictures" workshops for grades K-12 during the run of the exhibit that will utilize the interactive space as part of students' visit. For more information, call 433-2617.

Interview with Susan Jeffries, Curator, Modern & Contemporary Ceramics, Gardiner Museum, Toronto
Introduction: The vitality and expressive quality of Canadian ceramic work today is not confined to one or merely several areas of this vast country. Indeed a wide and eclectic range of work, which covers the traditional beauty of functional objects, dynamic sculptural work, as well as pieces which promote a discussion of cultural ideas and social concerns, is prevalent today.

Conventional notions of ceramic categories blue. Expansive figurative, decorative painting is featured on functional wares. Functional wares are transformed into sculptural and conceptual pieces. Conceptual pieces comment on fiunctional objects and the history of ceramics." Read the interview.

A Sense of China, Work by Artist and Photographer Deborah Abgott
January 7, 2007-February 4, 2007
Deborah Abgott presents a collection of images from her trip to China in 2005, presenting a unique visual perspective on the people and landscape of this ever-changing country.

Deb Abgott is an adventurous traveler who uses photography to integrate her love of art with her appreciation for our world’s extraordinary cultural and natural gifts. Whether she is hiking the remote Alaskan interior, wandering Mexico’s silver markets, exploring Central American rainforests, or tracing past civilizations through Europe, Abgott uses her camera’s lens to capture each destination’s unique visual treats.

In her first photographic exhibit, A Sense of China, Abgott offers a view of this expansive land no travelogue could undertake. She reveals even the most mundane objects and situations as cultural icons, and without the use of any photo enhancing technologies has synthesized astonishing studies in color, texture and form from her original images. The results are sometimes whimsical, often lyrical, even occasionally mystical, yet always elementally China.

Giant Iris, Anna M. Boccio

Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society National Exhibit
October 22-November 12

Juror for the exhibit was Alvaro Castagnet. The artist, a native of Uruguay, attended the National School of Art in Montevideo and later the University of Fine Arts. He migrated to Australia in 1983, and was appointed Director of Melbourne's Latin American Festival just two years after arriving in Australia. Castagnet's works have been acquired by private and corporate collectors worldwide. He was won many prestigious prizes, and has published a book tilted "Watercolor Painting with Passion."

19 AWARDS PRESENTED
Brockport artist Diane Hickerson took the top award of $1,000 for her work, "Morning Glow." A total of 19 awards were presented at a reception held Sunday, October 22. Award recipients were:
Awards of Excellence
Diane Hickerson, Morning Glory, Niagara Watercolor Society Gold Award
Joye Moon, Karen, Bill Gates Memorial Award
Zheng-Liang Feng, Thelma, John Rogers Memorial Award
Kathleen S. Giles, White Rhododendren, Jack Richeson & Co. Certificate Award
Barbara Fox, Pearls, M. Graham & Co. Merchandise Award
Awards of Merit
Catherine P. O’Neill, Checkers, Daler Rowney Certificate Award
Natalie Smythe, Fancy Dancer, Zoomfiner Award
Celia Clark, Ahead of Time, Jack Richeson & Co. Certificate Award
Hwang Nam Cheng, Cannot Hold Time Flying, Creative Catalyst Productions, Inc. Certificate Award,
Kathie Belly, Monet’s House, Val-Kro, Inc. Award
Zhen Luo, Painting on Face, Anne Abgott Award
Antonio Masi, Tracks, Daniel P. Silvestro Memorial Award
Anne Abgott, Sticky Wicket, Sperry Family Award
Awards of Honor
Fritz Raiser, Practice, Practice, Practice, Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff Certificate Award
Denise Sperry, Old Sole, Canson, Inc. Merchandise Award
E. Jane Stoddard, After the Storm, Sunset Imaging Fine Art Printing Certificate Award
H.C. Dodd, Out of the Ashes, H. K. Holbein, Inc. Merchandise Award
Jody Zeihm, Fiddler at Columbus Circle, Hyatt’s All Things Creative Certificate Award
Howard Kaye, Sailor’s Church #2, North Light Books/North Light Book Club Certificate

Founded in 1980, the Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society is dedicated to preserving the tradition of transparent watercolor. It is presently the largest, most active watercolor society in Western New York. More than 200 members strong, the Society's purpose is to sponsor, encourage, teach and develop the art of transparent watercolor and secure recognition for our area in the art world. The group holds juried members' exhibits in the spring and fall, and sponsors a national juried show every 2-3 years.

Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, noon to 5:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 2:00-5:00 p.m. The gallery will be closed November 7 and 9. Admission to the Kenan Center House Gallery is free.

City Iris #2, Zora Buchanan

Crossing Borders and The Art of Architecture
September 15-October 15

CROSSING BORDERS features a distinctive group of Canadian artists, many of whom have exhibited in U.S. galleries. This is the third year that the Kenan Center House Gallery is presenting an all-Canadian exhibit, a concept which evolved out of a solo exhibition held in 2003 of works by the late Canadian landscape artist Lawrence Badgery, whose body of work is now owned by his nephew, artist Don Little, a Lockport resident. The unique cultural and geographic influences that permeate Canadian art make such an exhibition an exciting one to present in Western New York. Visitors from both sides of the border get to see a representation of styles, themes and perspectives that would ordinarily require driving from gallery to gallery, displayed in one venue. For neighboring Canadian communities, the exhibit is an opportunity to share the pride of having a distinctive place in the art world.
Artists invited to exhibit in this year’s show are:
Scott Abbott, Guelph, landscape painter
Zora Buchanan, Toronto, acrylic collage
Valerie Burton, Ottawa, photography
Barbara Cooper, Hamilton, mixed media
Doug Forsythe, Niagara on the Lake, intaglio collagraph
Linda Kemp, St. Catherines, watercolor and acrylic
Sylvain Louis-Seize, mixed media
Rachel Ovadia, mixed media
Doug Robinson, sculpture
Alice Vandervennen, mixed media

Photo by Rick Vincil

The assemblage of images illustrate the many ways that architecture effects our lives, both as art and as part of human history. From the sacred and sublime, to the tangled aftermath of a building that's been demolished, the photographs bring attention to the meaning of our built structures and the blurred line between what is utilitarian and what is of historic or social value.

A free docent-led tour of the exhibits will take place at 2:00 p.m, Saturday, October 14. The exhibit runs through October 15; the gallery is closed October 10 for Columbus Day. Gallery hours are: Monday-Friday, noon-5:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 2:00-5:00 p.m. The Kenan Center is located at 433 Locust Street, Lockport. For additional information call (716) 433-2617.

Download artist biographies with sample images.

Joseph Whalen Solo Exhibit
August 18-September 10

A former art teacher, Whalen is most noted for his paintings of Lockport scenes which are highly collected. Whalen studied at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Buffalo State College and the Albright Art School. In addition, he completed graduate work at the University of Buffalo and Niagara University.

Humble in his self -assessment of himself as an "artist," Whalen has this to say:
"Joe Whalen was born and raised in Lockport, NY a long time ago. He never strayed far from Niagara County but still far enough. His early training was under the direction of Sister Mary Julia, S.S.M.N., who “schooled” him in the art of soft pastels and charcoal. Later in high school he was directed and “urged” by Marion Hazen. Throughout his life, he was encouraged by his mother who loved art and soft music.

Whalen goes on to say that he lives and works in a cramped studio in Lockport and has a cat he argues with daily. His "pet peeve," as he calls it, is the overuse and misuse of the term artist, a term he considers to be prized and revered, and given to a person as the result of a lot of hard work deemed artistic. Whalen says he remains a painter with the hope that someday he may be referred to as an artist.

Tree Peony by Joan Saba

Garden Reflections Exhibit
June 30-August 13

The mixed media exhibit includes watercolor, oil, acrylic, pastel, wood cut prints and sculpture by twenty-five local artists. They are: Vincent Paul Caito, Margaret Carney, Mary Beth Cunningham, Coralie Davis, Sharon Cassidy Fundalinski, Bill Golba, Violet Gordon, Susan Hohl, Anita Johnson, Robert M. Jones, Patricia Jones, Elizabeth Klute, Connie Lavelle, June Yoder Martino, Manning McCandlish, Margaret Morgan, Jeanette Musliner, Francis Noonan, June M. Pearl, Joan Saba, Kath Schifano, E. Jane Stoddard, Diana Traver, Dody Walter, and Laura L. Wysocki.

The garden-themed exhibit was created to tie into the seasonal popularity of the Kenan gardens which attract hundreds of local horticulture enthusiasts as well as out-of-state travelers each summer. The landscaped areas include a formal garden, perennial garden, herb garden and shade garden with pond. The exhibit also serves as an introduction to the Center’s outdoor sculpture collection. This summer, ground was broken for the addition of a new patio terrace that will be used for special events and outdoor functions. The patio design was created by landscape architect, Dean Gowen, formerly of the Olmsted Park Conservancy. Visitors can pick up a Kenan Gardens brochure for self-guided tours which includes a keyed map and identification of the permanent sculptures. The gardens can also be visited during Lockport in Bloom, July 8 & 9.

Granny Smiths & Barlets by Barbara Fox

Niagara Froniter Art Exhibit
May 21-June 25

Selected artists are: Jackie Albarella (photography); Priscilla Bowen (pastel); Margaret Carney (oil); Mark Carroll (sculpture); Nancy Cerny (oil); H.T. Coogan (mixed media); Jack DiMaggio (acrylic); Joyce Gray Evan (watercolor); Barbara Fox (watwercolor); Sharon Cassidy Fundalinski (pastel); Violet Gordon (oil); Eileen Graetz (photography); Joan Hambleton (watercolor); Jean Jain (watercolor); Sally Johnson (photography); Pat Jones (mixed media); Robert M. Jones (woodcut); Tracey B. Jung (pen & ink); Patricia A. Kraus (watercolcor); Elaine Kutler (acrylic); Fran Lagana-Brooks (oil); Sandra J. Ludwig (watercolor); Mary McAndrew (watercolor/oil); Manning McCandlish (watercolor); Sarah Cherry Myers (oil); Fran Noonan (oil); Marjorie Norton (watercolor); John Novelli (monotype); Beverly O'Day (oil); Joanna M. Ransom (oil/pastel); Robert Schulman (photography); Salvatore Scrivo (mixed media); Dennis Stierer (photography); E. Jane Stoddard (transparent watercolor); Georgia Trimper (mixed media); Sandra Vanich (oil); Susan Vasi (transparent watercolor); Dody Walter (watercolor); Jacqueline Welch (oil); Joseph A. Whalen (watercolor); Julia Wilkins (photography); Laura Wysocki (watercolor).

Since 1969, the Niagara Frontier Art Exhibit has provided a forum for significant new works by artists from Western New York. The juried show features a variety of media including oils, watercolor, photography, pastels, sculpture, prints and mixed media works.

Juror for the show was Charles L. Ossman who is a member of the Buffalo Society of Artists, the Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society, the Kenmore Art Society and the Niagara Arts Guild.

Eye Spy by Trisha Meyers, 2005

Storrs All High Photo Show
April 30-May 14

This year’s show opens Sunday, April 30, with a free public reception from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Kenan Center House Gallery, 433 Locust Street in Lockport. Awards will be presented at 3:00 p.m. Juror for this year's show is photographer Kenn Morgan.

Thirty-three high schools in western and central New York will be represented in this year’s show. They are: Amherst Central; Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts; Cardinal O’Hara; Cassadaga Valley; Churchville-Chili; City Honors; Clarence; Clyde–Savannah; Depew; Fairport; Fillmore Central; Genesee Valley BOCES; Grand Island; Greece Athena; Honeoye Falls-Lima Central; Kenmore East; Kenmore West; Lancaster; Lewiston Porter; Lima Christian; Lockport; Lyons Middle-High; Marcellus; Newfane; North Collins Jr/Sr; North Rose-Wolcott; Panama Central; Southwestern; Tonawanda City; Wheatland-Chili; Williamsville East; Williamsville North; and Wilson.

Awards are presented in the following categories: Black & White, Color, Cityscape, Landscape, Floralscape, Portrait, Railroad, Image Alteration, Documentary, Seascape, Computer Generated, and Animal. In addition, two best of show awards are presented--one for commercially processed work and one for student (darkroom) processed. One award is presented to the best school overall. One student from each school is also recognized with a merit award.

The exhibit continues through May 14. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.

2006 STORRS ALL HIGH PHOTO SHOW AWARD WINNERS

MERIT AWARDS

Bling! The Art of Glamour, 1910-1980
March 19-April 23

Long before there were celebrity designers and Hollywood’s red carpet, there was “bling”—another word for glitz, glamour and extravagance. How Americans embraced glamour in the twentieth century is the subject of a new exhibit featuring vintage fashions titled, BLING! THE ART OF GLAMOUR, 1910-1980, opening March 19 at the Kenan Center House Gallery with a free public reception from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.

The exhibit was suggested by Lockport’s Jayne Lloyd, owner of Jayne & Company, who had amassed a collection of eveningwear from the 1960s to 1980s. For fashions from earlier in the century, the Kenan Center tapped into the Costume Resource Center of the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site and the Niagara County Historical Society, starting with apparel from the 1910s when the Kenan’s purchased the Lockport home that now serves as the Kenan Center.

Using dressed mannequins, the exhibit will include elegant evening dresses and accessories that were typical of the well-dressed woman’s wardrobe in each decade. Susan Przybyl, Executive Director of the Kenan Center, says that the idea for an exhibition of vintage eveningwear appealed to her because the Kenan Gallery, located in the 1850s Kenan mansion, lends itself perfectly to historical exhibitions. “The elegance of the Kenan home beautifully showcases the artistry of fashion across the decades,” says Przybyl, “particularly those examples from the early part of the century when custom tailoring was an art.”

With the help of descriptive signs, visitors will learn how designers responded to social, cultural, and economic factors as well as the art movements of the times such Surrealism, Art Deco and Pop Art. There will also be fashion “tidbits” scattered throughout the exhibit. “Visitors may be surprised to learn that the word ‘mannequin,’ for instance, was used by French couturiers to describe the women who wore their sample designs, and that these samples were called ‘models’,” explains Przybyl.

In addition, local collector Joseph Cardina has loaned the Kenan Center a number of black and white publicity photos from the 1930s and 1940s and two framed, original designs by Russian illustrator Erté who captured the design aesthetic of the Art Deco period and created more than 200 covers for Harper’s Bazaar.

The exhibit will run through April 23. Regular viewing hours are Monday-Friday, noon to 5:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. The Kenan Center House Gallery is free to the public.

Vieja Luna by Roberta Juarez

Latin American and Caribbean Visions: Selected Works by Latin American and Caribbean Artists from the Collection of the Castellani Museum at Niagara University
February 5-March 12

Featured in the exhibit are:
Feliciano Bejar (born Mexico, 1920), glass; glass & steel sculptures; embossed paper
Enrique Grau (Columbian, 1920-2004), plaster figurines
Roberto Jurez (American, born 1952), acrylics
Wifredo Lam (French born Cuba, 1902-1982), lithographic
Leonardo Neirman (Mexican, born 1932), acrylics and oils
Cesar Romero (Puerto Rican), Vejigante masks
Jesus Rafael Soto (Venezuelan, 1923-2005), wood and metal sculpture
Rufino Tamayo (Mexican, 1899-1991), etchings/lithograph
Herve Telemaque (Haitian, born 1937), serigraph
Additional works by Juan Cavazos (Mexico), on loan from the Locust Street Gallery.

The works are from the collection of the Castellani Museum of Niagara University which initiated the collaborative, multi-gallery event. The Kenan Center is one of eight participating regional galleries.

Watercolor by Jane Stoddard

Focus on Focus
January 8-29, 2006

Bob Budin, an accomplished painter and past president of the Kenan Center Board of Governors, developed a series of works featuring images of people taking pictures. Says Budin, the series found its genesis in London while he was on vacation and observed tourists taking pictures of the sights. Budin was also intrigued by the new gestures that digital cameras allowed the body to perform and captured these impressions in his paintings, making modifications to the gestures and clothing to “suit his own creative needs.”

Another perspective on focus comes from photographer Gay Wind Campbell who presents a series of collaged images.

Watercolorist, Jane Stoddard, will be exhibited on the gallery’s second floor. An accomplished, self-taught painter, Stoddard has received numerous awards for her work which she creates in what she describes as “a very detailed manner with purely transparent pigments in a layering and glazing manner.” Her favorite subjects are scenes in and around Charleston, South Carolina and Maine.

Regular gallery viewing hours are: Monday-Friday, noon to 5:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 2:00-5:00 p.m.

ABOUT THE KENAN CENTER HOUSE GALLERY
The Kenan Center House Gallery is located in the Kenan House, 433 Locust Street, Lockport. An active exhibition space since 1966 when it featured the works of Charles Burchfield, the Kenan Center House Gallery averages eight exhibits annually of local, regional and national artists. Committed to fostering artistic expression in young people, the gallery also includes a high school photo exhibit on its calendar each year and has recently added a Student Gallery to recognize and support the work of young artists. The Kenan Center also offers ARTiculations, an on-school-time visual and performing arts program during the school year.