Celebrate Local, Shop Local…

Show Us CNY 2015 has arrived in Oswego County! The annual community photo project showcases the art and nature all around us and gives viewers the opportunity to pause and reflect on the beautiful region in which we live.

The project began in 2013 to commemorate Social Media Day. It was launched by Social Media Breakfast Syracuse, a group of social media practitioners and enthusiasts, with the help of nearly two dozen regional organizations.

The concept was simple. People were invited to share their activities or favorite things about Central New York on various social media platforms using the hashtag #ShowUsCNY. Since that time, the movement has grown significantly; from just a little over 300 shares in 2013 to nearly 1,100 images submitted this year.

From this, a traveling juried photography exhibit has evolved to honor the talented artists and showcase the many wonderful communities throughout Central New York. The forty pictures featured in this show were selected by a panel of judges and include both color and black-and-white images in seven categories.

The exhibit includes five photographs that were taken in Oswego County. The selected pieces include the bridge in Minetto and railroad bridge arches in Pulaski, both by Laurel Haller; the lighthouse and break-wall in Oswego by Joe Falcetti; a re-enactment at Fort Ontario State Historic Site in Oswego by Michael Byrne; and Oswego Harborfest fireworks by Michele C. Wood.

 

Laurel Haller's photograph of the Minetto bridge won first place in the "Best of Structure" category.

Photograph of the Oswego Lighthouse and break-wall by Joe Falcetti.

Other artists in the show are Brian Byrnes, Kathryn Cartini, Tara Charles, Kate Collins, Andrea Elliott, Kathleen Paice Froio, Jim Gibbons, Julie Janusz, Dan King, Laura McCord, Adrian Mitchell, Kevin Morrow, Tim Mulcahy, Tim O’Connor, Molly Saunders, Tony Shi, John Szozda, Michael Tracy, and Whitney Wagner.







Photographer Joe Falcetti at the Canal Commons exhibit with his winning entry in #ShowUsCNY15.



The Oswego County Tourism Office and its partners worked together to promote the project and host the exhibit. It opened in Canal Commons on West First Street in Oswego last Friday and will run through Tuesday, January 5, 2016.



The photography exhibit #ShowUsCNY15 lines the halls of Canal Commons in Oswego.



Several winning entries are posted outside the Good Guys Barber Shop.



Friends gather outside Taste the World where more photos are hung.

 

Be sure to visit Canal Commons to see the entire exhibit while you enjoy local holiday shopping!

 

Visit Lakeside Artisans this holiday shopping season.

Lakeside Artisans features a variety of gift ideas crafted by local artisans.

Local artist Kathy Fenlon welcomes visitors to Lakeside Artisans.

Shoppers browse Sensibility Outfitters.

Man in the Moon Candies prepares for this year's holiday season.

For more information about #ShowUsCNY or to see the complete collage, visit showuscny.com.

Cheers!

Kelly

 

Colorful History Unveiled!

Welcome back!

 

It has been far too long since our last adventure together, so let us begin anew… and take a fresh look at an old haunt. Join us as we revisit Casey’s Cottage where the Friends of Mexico Point Park will unveil their inaugural art show featuring German artist Severin Bischof this weekend.

 

You might remember this charming museum at Mexico Point Park on the scenic shores of Lake Ontario. It was in the 1930s when two friends, Dr. William C. Casey and Severin Bischof, joined their resources and talent to restore the former carriage house of the Mexico Point Clubhouse. To help with the transformation, they invited their friends to make decorative wood carvings from Bischof’s exquisite designs. According to Bischof’s son John, “The cottage was a work of love; a place of beauty, friends, companionship and good conversation only.”

 

 

Severin Bischof was born in Wenden, Germany on September 9, 1893. He began his career as an apprentice to his father, a master mason, where he worked in various grand cathedrals throughout Europe. He acquired many skills throughout his career, such as restoring religious paintings and glass-cutting, and eventually became a master painter.

 

The artist arrived in New York on May 4, 1924 and his wife Clara followed five years later. It was in 1928, when Bischof was an art student at Syracuse University, that he made the acquaintance of Dr. Casey through mutual friends. Together, they began renovating the carriage house that would be called “Casey’s Cottage.”

 

Bischof went on to work for Syracuse Ornamental Company (Syroco), a decorative woodworking company founded in 1890 by immigrant Adolph Holstein. He and his wife Clara had two sons: John, who currently lives in Maine, and Norville, who died in 1982. Bischof himself died just one year later, in May 1983, in Syracuse.

 

The Friends of Mexico Point Park honors this talented artist with an exhibition of his work, which includes abstracts, florals and landscapes. Step back in time to see his vision for the transformation of the cottage through his watercolors, woodcuts and pastels. Mary Lou and Allen Bjorkman, owners of The Picture Connection in Oswego, graciously helped with the framing of several pieces.

 

Here is a sample of Bischof's vision:

 



The exhibit opens with a wine and dessert gala reception at 7 p.m. on Friday, August 9. Admission is $20. The art show continues from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 10 and Sunday, August 11. Admission is $5. With several major restoration projects at hand, the proceeds from this event will go toward maintenance and repairs at Casey’s Cottage. For more information, call 315/963-7657.

 

If you would like more information about attractions and events in Oswego County, please be sure to visit our Web site at www.visitoswegocounty.com.

Cheers,

Kelly



 

 

Color, Cosmos and Questions…

Let’s spring back into the arts this season with exhibition opening. The Art Association of Oswego hosts Ron Throop’s collection, “Why Paint Words” now through Sunday, May 29.

"Why Paint Words" Exhibit by Ron Throop

Immediately upon entering the gallery, the mind delights and whirls at the explosion of color in the room. How vibrant! How exciting! You know you’re going to be in for a wildly interesting afternoon. There is intrigue around every corner as you wonder what thoughts you will encounter next.

Even Throop’s mother, Keitha Mazza, ponders, “Who would’ve thought this would be the result when I gave him his first box of crayons?”

Each piece tells a story about the life of this self-proclaimed “shy, unobtrusive American father and husband,” who also admits that he’s really “kinda out there.” Inspired by his family, Throop’s work is intensely creative, passionate and fun.

Ron Throop talks to his sister, Deb Lonczak, in front his autobiography, "Either Books or Children."

Finally, you’ll leave, inspired to question the cosmos on your own.

Question the cosmos with your own creativity!

Here is more fun from Throop’s exhibition:

This exhibit is being shown in the Oswego Civic Arts Center on East Fourth Street (across from the Fort Ontario State Historic Site) in Oswego. Gallery hours are from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday or by appointment. Admission and parking are free.

The Art Association of Oswego also sponsors arts education in the community. For more information or to get involved, call 315-343-5675 or visit http://www.oswegoarts.org/.

Cheers,
Kelly

Into the Wild…

This weekend, let’s go into the wild with the Fulton Art Association (FAA) as they hold their annual art show and competition. The special category theme for this year is “Wild Big Cats.” Thank you to Kathy Mihalek, president of the FAA, for giving us a preview of some of the pieces in the show.

The exhibit features FAA artists from Fulton, Baldwinsville, Central Square, Hannibal, Liverpool, Mexico, Oswego and Phoenix. They will be competing for first-place, second-place and honorable mention ribbons in a variety of mediums. There will also be awards for Best of Show and Viewer’s Choice. The latter is given to an artist who receives the most votes from the public for its favorite piece.

There will be prizes for the public as well. FAA members have donated several pieces to be raffled at the show. The winners will be announced on Sunday; however, ticket holders do not need to be present to win. The proceeds from the raffle benefit the FAA’s annual high school invitational in February.

Some of the entrants in the FAA’s show this weekend are also participating in the exhibit, “On My Own Time,” a program co-sponsored by the Everson Museum of Art, the Cultural Resources Council and several area companies. Its mission is to foster a closer relationship between the business community and the arts.

Pictured below are two FAA members who have works exhibited in both shows:

Rhoda Cunningham of Oswego

Diane Shumway of Mexico

Two framed prints donated by FAA artists for raffle

The Fulton Art Association is open to all artists regardless of age, experience, and artistic style or medium. The group’s roster includes children, seniors and everyone in-between, whether they are full-time artists or dabbling Picassos, shutterbugs and ceramicists.

Now in its 37th year, the FAA is a vital component of the arts community in Fulton, New York and its environs. The organization strives to promote awareness and education as well as to provide encouragement, support and advocacy for the arts.

Come to the FAA’s annual art show and competition in the Community Room of the Fulton Municipal Building at 141 South First Street. Vote for your favorite piece in the exhibition. Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 22 and from 12 to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 23. A reception is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday.

For more information about this show or the Fulton Art Association, call 315-532-3803.

Cheers,
Kelly

Imagine a new world...

A world in which anything is possible, if you can dream it. A world where we live in harmony with our environment. A world where function meets form. A world where the past becomes the present. This world is now on view at the Tyler Hall Art Gallery…

Eco-Tankers: Exhibition by Bruce Conkle
Conkle’s vision of sustainability comes to life in this show. A celebration of the union between reason and imagination, this exhibition features the eco-tanker – an ocean vessel that produces food, grows trees and captures rainfall. Conkle’s drawings are transformed into three dimensional models; each resembling a virtual Noah’s Ark of horticulture and ecology. The subject fills the room with a lively discourse and hints at possibility for the future. A true collaboration, the show presents the work of students from a breadth of ages and disciplines alongside the artist’s conceptual renderings.

A Personal Landscape: Contemporary Quilts
These pieces are created by fiber artists using unconventional techniques and embellishments to portray the natural world. Full of light and depth, they are more like watercolors or collages. Each composition captures the attention and curiosity of viewers and skeptics of fabric art become believers. Patterns, shapes, color and texture come together to convey the artist's message and fill the room with stories of love and beauty, time and space, hope and renewal, nature and life.

Rocks and Rills: Nature Themes from the Permanent Collection
Working in harmony with the natural themes of the visiting exhibits, pieces from Tyler Art Gallery’s permanent collection are unveiled. Works from local artists such as Charles Henry Grant and James Gale Tyler (for whom Tyler Hall is named) hang alongside those of Italy’s Louis Bosa and France’s Lucien Pissarro (son of famed Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro). From the palpable isolation of Grant’s “Moonlight at Sea” to the haunting beauty of Bosa’s “Wind in the Willows”, the show invites fresh perspectives of earlier works.

Sponsored by Auxiliary Services and the SUNY Oswego Student Association, these exhibitions will run through October 19, 2008.

To help you find your way:
Tyler Hall Art Gallery is located just off the main entrance of the SUNY Oswego campus on New York State Route 104 West in Oswego, New York. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. All exhibitions are free and open to the public. Individuals with a disability can call 315-312-2113 for assistance in attending gallery events.

With two working showrooms, Tyler Hall Art Gallery hosts a variety of exhibitions throughout the academic year, including traveling shows and works created by the students and faculty of SUNY Oswego. The venue is a teaching gallery as well and provides many opportunities for students. It introduces them to professional artists and their work, involves them in the daily operations of a gallery and allows them to show their own pieces.

For more information about this show or upcoming exhibitions, call 315-312-2113 or visit www.oswego.edu/tylerartgallery.

Cheers,
Kelly

Shades of grey...

We have also enjoyed the intricate simplicity of graphite…

William Davies: In Celebration of Marilyn Monroe
Davies’ graphite renderings of Marilyn Monroe are larger-than-life; inviting the audience to draw a parallel between the art and the subject’s legendary character. The medium seems to suit the icon and pays homage to her time. One has only to absorb the painstaking detail of each piece to realize the artist’s dedication to this collection.

This exhibition was sponsored by the Salmon River Fine Arts Center on Lake Street in Pulaski. The center welcomes both novice and experienced artists and offers the opportunity for the public to experience a variety of art forms first-hand. For more information on classes or gallery hours, call 315-298-7007.

Cheers,
Kelly

Color your world...

The art world in Oswego County is awash in color! Over the past few weeks, we’ve enjoyed several art exhibition openings…

Michele Southgate: Bits ‘n’ Pieces
Southgate’s solo exhibition is a visual celebration. Each piece jumps off the canvas and into the imagination of the audience; capturing their attention and welcoming speculation. One cannot help but to explore this curious new world introduced to us by the artist through her watercolors and photo montages.

Nick D’Innocenzo, Paul Garland, Sewall Oertling, Thom Seawell: Four Degrees of Separation
An interesting quad, these artists provide an eclectic variety of work; something to suit everyone’s taste. The audience ponders over D’Innocenzo’s archival digital paintings and photo montages; Garland’s mixed media; Oertling’s watercolors and graphite drawings and Seawell’s screen prints. One becomes an attentive listener as each artist tells the story of his own reality.


These exhibitions are sponsored by the Art Association of Oswego and shown in the Oswego Civic Arts Center on East Fourth Street in Oswego. Gallery hours are from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free.

The Art Association of Oswego also sponsors arts education in the community. For more information or to get involved, call 315-343-5675 or visit http://www.oswegoarts.org/.

Cheers,
Kelly