Author: Saratoga TODAY

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College presents the election-year exhibition Never Done: 100 Years of Women in Politics and Beyond, with an online opening Sept. 17.

The exhibition takes the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment as the occasion for reflection and exploration of the issues and challenges women in the United States have faced, and continue to face, in politics and society. What has been accomplished in the last 100 years, and what has yet to be accomplished? The fight for the 19th amendment was achieved through marches, demonstrations, and protest tactics that are still used today. And in the current moment of protest and activism around racism in the United States, Never Done speaks to the role of race and class in shaping women’s participation in politics and the public sphere.

The exhibition features new work by Gina Adams, Firelei Baez, Chioma Ebinama, Jane Fine, Daesha Devon Harris, Gina Occchiogrosso, Erin Riley, Joyce J. Scott, Tschabalala Self, Kathia St. Hilaire, Tiny Pricks Project, and Marie Watt. The exhibition also features work from the Tang collection from notable artists such as Renee Cox, Nan Goldin, Carrie Moyer, Laurel Nakadate, Catherine Opie, Deborah Roberts, Wendy Red Star, Lorna Simpson, Kiki Smith, Cindy Sherman, Sarah Sze, Barbara Takenaga, Mickalene Thomas, Kara Walker, and Carrie Mae Weems. 

Starting Sept. 17, online visitors will be able to see images of 100 artworks by women and non-binary artists along with statements by each artist that reflect on their work in relation to women’s rights, representation, justice, and the legacy of the suffrage movement. These images will be presented alongside new curatorial writing, student reflections, a list of feminist readings and online resources, and more.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the Tang will present a series of online programs: Constitution Day Lecture: Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. and Never Done Artist Talk with Stephanie Syjuco: Friday, Sept. 18 at noon. Additional lectures will be held in October. 

Note, the Museum is open only to the college community for now, Skidmore students, faculty, and curators are using the gallery as a laboratory, working to discuss and envision the exhibition design for Never Done. Visitors will experience the results of this experimental approach when the Museum reopens to the public. Visit the Tang website for details on each program at tang.skidmore.edu.

SCHUYLERVILLE — The Laffer Gallery opens a new exhibit, “Progressive Process,” on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 96 Broad Street in Schuylerville. The exhibit will run through Oct. 18 and will feature artwork by artists Nick Patten, JoAnn Axford and Leslie Peck. 

“Art is about process. It’s one of the things that distinguishes artists from one another and defines aesthetic. It’s also in these small, progressive motions that artist find their passion and explore their voice. The works of Nick, Joann, and Leslie reflect this richness of process. Their work serves as an important reminder of the beauty that can be created from patience and purpose,” Erik Laffer, owner of The Laffer Gallery said in a statement.

“Progressive Process” will be open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., from Sept. 12 to Oct. 18. Showings are also available by appointment. For more information, call 518-695-3181 or go to: www.thelaffergallery.com.

BOLTON LANDING — The Sembrich continues its 20/20: Virtual Visionaries summer festival with “Quiet City: A Reverie for New York in the time of COVID-19.” This new presentation, celebrating the persistent and strong spirit of New York, is highlighted with a new essay by music critic and scholar Thomas Larson and Aaron Copland’s iconic work Quiet City featuring trumpet player Chris Coletti and members of The Philadelphia Orchestra. 

“We wanted something special to mark this time – a token for this unprecedented summer of COVID-19. Copland’s Quiet City seemed a natural choice, the evocative title taking on an added resonance during this time. To be able to realize this idea with such phenomenal musicians has been a real pleasure! Larson’s new essay, entitled Quieted America, has made this project even more rewarding. It’s been thirty years now since I first arrived at The Sembrich and this is one the projects that I’m most proud of,” Artistic Director Richard Wargo said in a statement.

Thomas Larson is an acclaimed journalist, book/music critic, and memoirist known for his books The Saddest Music Ever Written: The Story of Samuel Barber’s ‘Adagio for Strings’ (Pegasus Press) and Spirituality and the Writer: A Personal Inquiry (Swallow Press). He has presented several lectures at The Sembrich in recent years.

Internationally acclaimed trumpeter Chris Coletti is a soloist, chamber music and orchestral musician.  Famous for his work with Canadian Brass (2009-2019), Coletti is also Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Ithaca College School of Music. 

This is the final presentation in The Sembrich’s 20/20: Virtual Visionaries summer festival and its four-part Alfred Z. Solomon Innovator Series. This project and performance are made possible through generous support from the Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust. The Sembrich is located at 4800 Lake Shore Drive, Bolton Landing.  To view this presentation, visit TheSembrich.org/online/copland.

BALLSTON SPA — The Saratoga County Historical Society at Brookside Museum is reinventing itself as the Saratoga County History Center. 

For nearly 60 years, the organization has focused primarily on Brookside Museum, a 1792 summer boarding house in Ballston Spa, catering to local history enthusiasts and genealogy hunters.  On the brink of closing in 2019, a “Save Brookside” campaign was launched, ultimately raising over $90,000. 

Rather than concentrating exclusively on Ballston Spa locals and museum walk-ins, the organization now endeavors to represent all the diverse populations and histories of Saratoga County as a whole through a variety of online and in-person exhibits, programs, and events.  Thus, rebranding as the Saratoga County History Center with a vision to “share history to promote community.” 

As Saratoga County’s History Center, “Brookside” will act as the nerve center, clearinghouse, and repository for use throughout the county.  It will be a resource for local historians, libraries, and governments, as well as those around the globe seeking information about Saratoga County and its environs.  It will also be a member-driven organization, reliant upon member dues, donations, and participation.  Memberships are being sought throughout the county and beyond.  A sizable membership will create a dependable revenue stream and identify stakeholders regardless of location. 

The transition to Saratoga County History Center is anticipated to become official after approval by its chartering entity, the Board of Regents of the State Education Department.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College has announced a new collaboration that addresses the current pandemic and protests. The initiative highlights artist Nicole Cherubini, and MASKS4PEOPLE, an organization based in Catskill, that was founded in response to COVID-19 by regional artists to create and distribute masks free to the community.

The Tang collaboration is an edition of 500 unique masks based on Cherubini’s exhibition “Shaking the Trees” that will be distributed to Skidmore students and other college community members, as well as regional community groups taking part in the Tang’s educational outreach initiatives. 

“Since the public can’t come to the Museum, the masks are a way for the Museum to come to the public,” said Cherubini, in a statement. The artist divides her time between Hudson and Brooklyn, and is known for her boundary-breaking ceramic work and whose exhibition has transformed the Tang’s mezzanine into a community space with glazed tiles, woven chairs, ceramic sculpture, potted plants, and historical works from the Tang collection. “Working on this mask project helped me understand more about how to make a new kind of space.”

The masks are made of multiple elements that ensure no two are the same. The front of each mask has one of two silkscreen patterns that were hand-printed by Mark Hayden of Upstate Ink, a printing company in Catskill. One pattern is based on the tiles in Cherubini’s Tang installation and the other is based on a line drawing of the exhibition by Tang Designer Jean Tschanz-Egger. The inside of each mask has one of eight quotes about using one’s voice and racial injustice, such as Mother Ann Lee’s “Now in my mouth I hold… pure and burnished gold;” Angela Davis’s “We have to talk about liberating minds;” James Baldwin’s “Nothing can be changed until it is faced;” and Rebecca Solnit’s “There are voices raised in the absence
of listeners.”

MASKS4PEOPLE started making masks in March, and have made over 7,500 masks for 175 organizations, including hospitals, healthcare centers, and community groups. M4P masks are made by a team of artists based in the Hudson Valley.

LAKE GEORGE — The Courthouse Gallery will host an online event in conjunction with a new solo exhibition featuring the work of D. Jack Solomon. The online talk with the artist takes place 4 p.m. Sept. 26. 

D. Jack Solomon’s vibrant paintings are a complex mix of imagery, often whimsical, with rich colors and surfaces. Working from a red undercoat creates luminous eye-popping effects where the red paint is exposed. It also serves to unify the contrasting forms weaving through the painting’s intricate space. Solomon draws from many sources, including early modernism, surrealism, abstract expressionism, pop art and cartoon imagery, to name a few.  But Solomon finds inspiration everywhere. 

“There is not a day that goes by that I am not inspired by something or someone.  I’m very grateful for this,” said Solomon, who lives in Hudson. Finding inspiration from so many places has led to a prolific painting career spanning many decades. 

The Courthouse Gallery is located at the side entrance of the Old County Courthouse, corner of Canada and Lower Amherst Streets, Lake George.  Hours during exhibitions are Wednesday through Friday 12 – 5 p.m., Saturday 12 – 4 p.m., and all other times by appointment. The exhibition will be installed in the gallery, and available for public to view. For more information and how to join the discussion, please go to: lakegeorgearts.org.