Kenan Center House Gallery

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FUTURE EXHIBITS:

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.

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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.

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.