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Galleries
| 9/2/2009 11:10:00 AM Email this article • Print this article |
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State of the Art gallery members pose for a photo in the art gallery. (Photo Provided) |
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Polo prowess
by Brandi Herrera Pfrehm
Art is all about intimacy. Its success at translating the human experience, and ability to move the observer beyond its medium, often hinges on the space in which it's exhibited. There are the technicalities of installation and lighting (both natural and artificial) to consider, spatial arrangement, and the interplay between the work on display and the exhibition space itself. Sometimes they're so integral to one another, it becomes difficult to draw distinct lines between them. Whereby the work becomes as much a figure in space as the subject of any painting.
But when you find a space that speaks for the work-no matter the medium or genre-it allows each piece to form a conversation with its viewer, connecting them to something greater. Anyone who's had the misfortune of trying to catch a glimpse of the Mona Lisa behind plate glass and swarms of ravenous Louvre tourists can appreciate the irony of the world's most familiar smile and intimate gaze being housed in such an impersonal setting. The experience is incredibly unsatisfying.
On a lazy weekend afternoon, I strolled into the State of the Art Gallery's newly renovated space in search of something a little more personal. Tucked away just south of The Commons (120 W. State Street), it's a jewel box of a gallery; tempting passers-by with its illuminated picture window's suggestion of the gems and treasures nestled inside. The rich display proved enticing enough to woo me away from bustling weekend window-shoppers, and Chanticleer revelry. What greeted me inside was no disappointment.
Upon entering, I found myself in the long, galley-like space that faces the street and houses SOAG's rotating monthly exhibits such as the current Painted Escapes. True to its name, Escapes quickly transported me to another place and time. Not even Ithaca's steel-gray sky and the threat of thunderstorms could penetrate artist Patty L. Porter's depictions of the sun-drenched Umbrian countryside. A few steps further into the heart of the gallery offered yet another vacation for my eyes: Marian Van Soest's abstract depictions of the traveler's memory. And only several paces beyond this saturated respite, I arrived at the nook of a "salon" where SOAG's twenty-five members show their work ten months a year.
SOAG-now celebrating its twentieth year as a non-profit contemporary arts cooperative-is owned, operated and maintained by members from around the Finger Lakes region. The co-op not only hosts annual juried competitions, such as the popular photography show every March, but also holds a rotating juried show/invitational in December and four Friday evening receptions that coincide with Ithaca's "Gallery Nights," where local art galleries open their doors to the public.
Additionally, the cooperative has held a number of national competitions during its two-decade run, where artists from across the US submitted responses to subject matter ranging from the whimsical "Cats" show, to the weightier "State of the World" exhibition. Most recently, SOAG commissioned national entrants to submit work on the theme "Autumn in America". Frank Robinson of Cornell's Johnson Museum served as a guest judge.
The cooperative nature of SOAG-with its mission to enhance the cultural vitality of the Ithaca community-has been instrumental in its successful tenure. Diane Newton, a member who learned her quiet sense of observation by painting landscapes in the "middle of nowhere" [Nebraska], says of the cooperative environment's diversity of offerings, "We have painters, printmakers, photographers, sculptors-all of whom strengthen and broaden the visual experience one can have at State of the Art."
In honor of SOAG's anniversary, eighteen members will show a range of works from various genres throughout September. One of the more exciting events SOAG has planned in recent years is a raffling of work donated by fourteen of its members, which will hang in the salon through the end of October. Tickets, at only ten dollars, offer an inexpensive chance to own a piece of fine art for a fraction of the price. The proceeds of the event will go to further renovations of the space and community arts outreach programs.
A tour of the State of the Art Gallery could take just minutes; a quick pass through from one end that loops back around to the other. But I suggest you nestle into the cozy space for a spell. Let the voices of Ithaca's artistic community envelope your senses, and stick around long enough to join the conversation that was started long before most of us moved in. There's a lot talk about, I assure you. Where shall we begin?
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The State of the Art Gallery Member's Show runs from September 2, through September 27. SOAG is open Monday-Wednesday, 12-6pm, and 12-5pm on weekends. For more information: 607.277.1626, www.soag.org
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Suicide has recently come to Ithaca in a very public, and at times controversial, way. This past academic year, after three years with no suicides, Cornell experienced what is known in the scientific community as a "suicide cluster." OK, so maybe you're like me and you thought this whole JetBlue flight attendant story was good for maybe one news cycle.  |
