Patricia Wadsley
MARGARETVILLE — The Longyear Gallery opened its 15th Annual Holiday Invitational Exhibition on November 21, and the hundreds of attendees who descended on Margaretville’s longest running gallery, and the 151 pieces which make up this current show, made this year’s holiday kickoff their biggest Invitational event ever.
“Yes, it was quite a squeeze.” Says Deb Ruggerio, who organized the show along with Longyear members Gail Freund and Bonnie Mitchell. “We had the most attendees and the most number of works that we’ve ever put up on our walls at one time. People arrived to see what their fellow artists did, what their friends and relatives did and many arrived just to share in the goodwill and the upbeat atmosphere of the opening. We were eager to show work new to our gallery and display these works side by side with our gallery members.”
The result is an exhibit that’s a feast of form, color: and excitement, showing a broad range of styles, techniques and materials: fiber art, sculpture, painting, drawing, photography, mixed media assemblages, ceramics, and 3D video imagery, in styles ranging from realism to abstract expressionism, to humorous, campy images one might see in the panels of graphic novels. In past years the event was directed by member Elaine Grandy, longtime Catskills resident and close friend of organizer Bonnie Mitchell. Grandy died tragically in a fire right after last year’s event.
“We wanted to carry on,” says co-organizer Gail Freund. “We wanted this to be in honor of her.” This year’s Holiday Invitational Exhibit is a product of long range planning and a lot of gathering of Grandy’s notes from past years.
“A lot of hands went into this effort,” says Freund. “In early summer, we contacted all the member artists of Longyear and asked them to invite artists they thought might participate. They asked friends and colleagues they had known for years as well as artists they’d seen in homes, studios and shows all over. We wound up with 71 invited artists and 151 works including those of member artists.”
Longyear Director Wayne Morris likens the result to a carnival. “The quality might be uneven but that’s part of the joy of it.”
Emerging and seasoned artists who are new to Longyear are juxtaposed with members. As well as seeing new works to the gallery, frequent visitors can see how Longyear members have evolved.
“When I first became aware of the Longyear, I thought it was this little folksy gallery,” says Morris. “But it’s so much more than that. Many Longyear members have used this as a launching pad.”
“I think Elaine would be really happy to see this show.” Says Mitchell.
I think she would be pleased. “
The Longyear Gallery is a Members co-op and one of the first galleries in Delaware County, preceded only by the Roxbury Arts Group.
Established in 2007 by Helene and Frank Manzo, it was the first year-round gallery in Delaware County, and is still one of the biggest. As a co-op, the members run the shows, do their own social media and advertising and manage the gallery.
“I love to sit in the gallery and have people ask me questions about the pieces on the wall,” says Deb Ruggerio. They’ll ask “What’s a monoprint? How was this done?”
The members also vote on new members when there are openings.
“We are looking for new blood,” says Morris.
“The art scene up here is booming,” says Membership Chair Robin Halpern. “I remember when I first came here and 90% of the art work was landscapes. “It’s not like that now.”
Halpern says that Longyear looks for members with a solid art practice. To look at the backgrounds of many of the members, however, it’s plain to see that they come from many sorts of disciplines and unusual backgrounds. Gail Freund for example, was an illustrator and design director for a costume jewelry company in New York City before heading full time into her art practice. Bonnie Mitchell was a psychotherapist with a passion for photography but little formal training before she joined the gallery. Ruggerio, like many of the artists in the Catskills area, is a retired art teacher, in her case, for the New Jersey public school system.
“There is no specific time to apply for membership,” says Halpern. “We fill the spots when they come up.”
Stop by Longyear to see what’s on view—and to apply for membership, contact robinhalpern@gmail.com
The 15th Annual Invitational Exhibit runs through January 4 at the Longyear Gallery, in Margaretville’s Commons Building, with entrances on both Main and Walnut Streets.
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