Art and Soul Watercolor Group Photo

There are twelve of fourteen members of Art and Soul Watercolor Group showing right now at Delavan Art Gallery. We were able to get most of them together for a photo at the opening last Thursday. These ladies know how to have fun!

Our Former Intern Brooke Shows Us Her Ferrets

I love when people tell me they are reading this blog so I thought I'd reward one of them, our former high school intern Brooke, by showing off her ferrets for her. She stopped by a few weeks ago to say hello and introduce us to two of her four ferrets and her boyfriend. Brooke, when you read this, will you tell us their names again?

-Courtney

New Show Opening on May 10

SYRACUSE, New York -- April 27, 2007 --  Delavan Art Gallery is pleased to present the exhibit "Art for the Soul" featuring acrylic paintings by Hope Irvine, photography by Richard Schultz and watercolor paintings by members of the Art and Soul Watercolor Group. The exhibit opens on Thursday, May 10 and continues through Saturday, June 9, 2007.

Over the years, Hope Irvine, Ph.D. has become an accomplished painter as well as an innovative educator and community leader. Delavan Art Gallery is pleased to exhibit Dr. Irvine's sedimentary landscape acrylic paintings. "My paintings result from confrontations with vistas, especially in the American Southwest, Alaska and Iceland," Dr. Irvine explains in her artist statement. Since 1982, Dr. Irvine has held the position of Chair of the Department of Art Education while maintaining dual tenure and full professorships in both the College of Visual & Performing Arts and the School of Education at Syracuse University. Her commitment to the arts and education of others was rewarded by the Manhattan Borough President on June 22, 1982 when he declared the date "Hope Irvine Day."

Hope Irvine, "Inland Passage" layered acrylic

Richard Schultz's photography ranges in subject from the commonplace to the absurd. Schultz writes in his artist statement, "It's a wild and wacky world that we encounter every day. Photography has been one way for me to express my reactions to the visceral stimuli of daily life." The photographer is Vice President of the David B. Schultz Insurance Agency and a proud native of Syracuse, NY. The majority of the photographs in this exhibit were shot between 2004 and 2007 and are shown exactly as they were when the artist came across the scene.

Richard Schultz, "Tampa, Florida" photograph

Also in this exhibition are watercolor paintings by twelve members of the Art and Soul Watercolor Group of Onondaga County: Sharon Daniels-Duerr, Pam Dischinger, Sharon H. Gibbons, Bonnie Goetzke, Rita Keller, Loie Mechetti, Geraldine Meday, Joanne Neff, Virginia Raner, Nancy Shampine, Jan Waters and Kathryn Wehrung. The Art and Soul Watercolor Group is a collective of artists who meet weekly to discuss, share and study art together, using each other as inspiration and encouragement in the arts. The group supports Vera House, the Crisis Pregnancy Center in Mexico and Ophelia's Place along with other notable causes.

Geraldine Meday, "Westwoods" watercolor painting

For more information, visit the Delavan Art Gallery Website

Hi! My name is Jessica and I am a senior Art History and Psychology major at Syracuse University. I have been interning here at Delavan Art Gallery since January and as I am finishing up my experience, I thought it would be appropriate to reflect upon what I have learned. When I originally applied to work at the gallery, my expectations were comparable to past internships in the art world. I expected typical intern jobs that only gave you a glimpse of what the career truly entails. Since day one, every day at Delavan is a new experience whether it be designing the layout of a show, visiting an artist in their home, or comtemplating new ways to improve what already seems flawless. Most importantly, I have enjoyed getting to know the local artists from the area and widening my knowledge of the Syracuse art scene. I have had the opportunity to pursue an internship at a gallery in London, but what I have learned through my experiences here has been so much more beneficial. I have never encountered a group of people with such dedication and passion for what they do and who honestly care about your opinion. Through this experience, I realize I am more able and ready to leave college behind and enter the job market. If it weren't for these past few months I wouldn't feel as secure in my decision to pursue this career and I am very thankful to my mentors Caroline, Courtney, and Mr. Delavan.

April Th3 this Thursday

Visit the Th3 Blog for more info on this Thursday's events
or the Th3 Website for a map and contact info for each venue.



A. Brooks Decker, Vivian Geiger and Seymour Magnet Elementary School Art Teacher Kelly Moser will be in attendance for you to meek and speak with at Delavan Art Gallery.

Also on Th3 is outdoor video projections as part of the Urban Video Project. See their website for more details.

See you there!

Press Release for "Art Across Generations"

SYRACUSE, New York -- March 24, 2007 -- Delavan Art Gallery is pleased to present the exhibit "Art Across Generations" featuring acrylic paintings by A. Brooks Decker, photographs by Vivian Geiger, photographs by Jessica Taylor and art by students in three Syracuse School District Elementary Schools: Blodgett, Seymour Magnet and Solace. The artists in this show span both age and experience to show the full spectrum of an artist's development. The exhibit opens on Thursday, April 5 and continues through Saturday, May 5, 2007.

For A. Brooks Decker, the title "Art Across Generations" holds a particular relevance. This exhibit includes both her work and the work of her daughter, Jessica Taylor. Decker writes, "If there has been one constant force in my Life... it has been art." Growing up in a small town on Long Island, Decker watched her fisherman father paint the sea while her mother kept a flower garden. These memories are now entwined in the subject matter of her paintings in a style she calls "romantic realism." Also included in this show are paintings of garden doors inspired by her daughter's photographs. Decker is well known in the region for participating in many local group exhibits and for owning and managing the former Limestone Art Gallery in Fayetteville for ten years.

A. Brooks Decker, "Untitled" acrylic painting

Vivian Geiger is a widely respected photographer who now lives in the area of Liverpool, NY. For this exhibit she is showcasing a new series of abstracts and a new technique of using pastels on photographs. Geiger is an expert on oil coloring on photographs and was hired to write a "how-to" book and act as a consultant on the subject. She is a life member of the Professional Photographers of America (P.P.A.), and was selected as an instructor in their "Super Monday" program, a position that the President of the P.P.A. states is intended for the most legendary photographers in the industry. Her resume includes traveling and lecturing to professional photographers internationally as well as teaching classes at Winona School, N. Carolina University, the Rochester Institute and Syracuse University, among others. Geiger has received the Post-Standard Achievement Award in the Arts.

Vivian Geiger, "Milkweed" photography

Jessica Taylor is exhibiting many of her cloudscapes in this exhibit along side her mother, A. Brooks Decker's paintings. "I thought that I would become a painter as my mother, aunt, uncle and grandfather had," she writes in her artist's statement. She studied art but professionally entered the "healing arts", eventually getting a PhD. Taylor later started taking photographs of the doors of Santa Fe and sending them to her mother to paint from. Decker sent her daughter Jessica a camera which was nicknamed her "magic camera" because it had belonged to Taylor's step-father. "I haven't been able to put the camera down, " Taylor writes. Concerning her subject matter she explains, "Although I have always lived by water, in New Mexico the skies have become my ocean. Through them I have started to paint again and discovered my reason to do art."

Jessica Taylor, "Turbulent Sky" photography

For the fourth year, Delavan Art Gallery is pleased to host the work of children from Blodgett, Seymour Magnet and Solace Elementary Schools. Students from the classes of Stacy Griffin, Kelly Moser and Simone Montgomery have the chance to see their work in a professional setting and to sell the work to raise money for themselves as burgeoning artists and for school art supplies. A special reception will be held for students on Friday, April 20, from 4 - 6 PM, featuring a performance by Seymour Guitar Ensemble. The ensemble consists of student guitar players in the 4th and 5th grades and is spearheaded by Seymour’s music teacher, Kevin Dorsey. The public is encouraged to attend this reception.

Marissa Rae Olivarria (Blodgett Elementary School), "Lichenstein People" marker and tempera paint

Delavan Art Gallery is a 3,800 square foot showcase and sales venue for fine art created by area artists. Located in a convenient, downtown location at 501 West Fayette Street, Syracuse, the gallery is free and open to the public. Off-street parking is available and the gallery is handicapped accessible. Delavan Art Gallery opens “The Language of Art” from 5 - 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 1, and is open through March 31 on Thursday and Friday afternoons from 12-6 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and at other times by appointment. For more information visit www.DelavanArtGallery.com.

Dates: April 5 – May 5, 2007
Location: Delavan Art Gallery, 501 W. Fayette Street, Syracuse, NY 13204
Hours: Thursdays and Fridays 12-6 p.m., Saturdays 10-4 p.m., and also by appointment (NOTE: These hours are new since September 2006.)

Opening Reception: Thursday, April 5, 5-8 PM
A special reception for Blodgett, Seymour Magnet and Solace Elementary Schools on Friday, April 20, 4 - 6 PM, free and open to the public

Artists in Attendance: Saturdays from noon – 3 p.m.
Please visit www.DelavanArtGallery.com after March 30 for a list of artists in attendance for the duration of this exhibit.

Stone Canoe Poetry Reading this Saturday

Poets featured in the inaugural issue of Stone Canoe, a Journal of Arts and Ideas from Upstate New York will read from their works on Saturday, March 31, at 2 p.m. Delavan Art Gallery is currently exhibiting the works of 28 artists from Stone Canoe, which includes poetry, fiction, essays and visual arts from 71 artists and writers with connections to Upstate New York.

Michael Burkard, Wendy Gonyea, Charles Martin, Chris Kennedy, and Sarah Harwell will read their poems this Saturday starting at 2 p.m. Michael Burkard is an acclaimed poet and professor at SU with several books in print, and the poetry editor of Stone Canoe. Wendy Gonyea is a journalist, poet and fiction writer who edits the Onondaga Nation News. Charles Martin is a well-known poet, authoritative translator of Latin Poets, and three-time nominee for the Pulitzer Prize, currently teaching at Syracuse University. Chris Kennedy, chair of the Syracuse University Creative Writing Program, has a fourth volume of poems due out this year from BOA Press. Finally, Sara Harwell is a graduate of the SU Masters of Fine Arts program and a teacher/administrator at SU. She is one of the poets included in the new volume Three New Poets from Sheep Meadow Press.

Robert Colley, editor of Stone Canoe, will be present at Delavan Art Gallery to discuss the entire Stone Canoe arts project and its significance in the community.

The Stone Canoe was published by University College of Syracuse University. For more information about the Stone Canoe, visit the website: http://www.stonecanoejournal.org
or click here: Stone Canoe Art Journal

Copies are available at Delavan Art Gallery.

There was also a poetry reading this past Saturday by other poets from Stone Canoe. To hear about this and other events, visit www.DelavanArtGallery.com and sign up for our email list.