Inspiration can be contagious. If you spend time in inspiring places or with inspiring people, eventually, you will become inspired. Two examples of inspiration in the flesh are the two exhibiting artists that will be showcasing their work at the Crary Art Gallery from Saturday, February 3rd through Sunday, March 3rd
Being homeschooled from 2nd – 12th grade gave Nate a feeling of independence and might have made him a little less risk averse. Nate’s journey to becoming a full-time artist and adjunct art instructor was a long and winding road that led him into the manufacturing industry for 20 years while supporting his family and finishing an undergraduate degree. Nate is an advocate of using fear to one’s advantage. He states, “One fascinating thing about life is that often what we fear is failure, and yet without the inherent tension that risk brings there isn’t any possibility for growth—if one isn’t willing to quit a job, go back to school, or move away then the current limitations remain. But what if a chance is taken?” Nate’s work is somewhat a documentary of his life and the people and places in it, but more than that, it is a way of looking for the profound in small ways. Nate views art, and life, as a series of adventures, obstacles, and mysteries that continuously piques his curiosity. Sometimes our most exciting journeys begin without a destination.
He has spent thousands of hours with his head in books at local libraries, his mother’s bookstore, and Edinboro University where he took some classes about art history, drawing, and color. Jesse enjoys the anatomy, mathematics, scale, creativity, and composition that goes into creating a realistic portrait along with deciphering the textures and dissemination of light that brings his work to life.
After sustaining a significant head injury Jesse spent years being limited. He was no longer able to play sports and memory impairments made daily routine tasks nearly impossible. He never felt limited by art and says, “I was able to freely roam the chambers of my mind and use paper, canvas, clay, or whatever else to express a brain that seemed all but lost- in reality, I was just exploring the new me.” Additionally, he states, “My head injury made it difficult to communicate with others. Art has blessed me with being an outlet in which I have become able to communicate with others. Art, saved my life.” Come to the Crary Art Gallery February 2nd - March 3rd and catch some inspiration. We're open Fridays and Saturdays 12 to 6 and Sundays 12 to 4. Admission is always free. See you at the CAG!
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Join us for Pysanky demonstrations wtih some of the most talented Pysanky artists of our area and, for a $20 donation, you’ll learn to create your own egg. Fundraising will also take place through a Pysanky sale and a silent auction.
What is Pysanky? Beautiful designs are achieved by writing on an egg with a wax-loaded pen or “Kistka” and then dipping in colored dyes to achieve layers, with the final step to melt the wax and reveal the design. In advance, we thank Janelle Turk, Shandra Wilson and Beth Jacobs for enthusiastically jumping on board for this effort to bring the community together in art while raising funds for the children of Ukraine. We'd like to share with you, today, this meaningful collaboration between sunflower painter Caroline Karp and 2021 CAG exhibiting artist, Wendy Bale. Caroline shipped her painting of a sunflower to Wendy and she cut the piece in half to add her cut paper touch, thus creating a pair (or diptych). Given the current humanitarian situation in Ukraine, the artists decided to sell the work and donate the money to the Red Cross in Ukraine. "I can't imagine a more appropriate thing to do with this beautiful sunflower art," the artist stated. Contact Caroline on facebook for details and take a moment to watch the video. The gallery is currently closed in preparation for the opening of our next exhibitions opening April 2nd.
Check our calendar page for more information. Inside Out, a collection of paintings by Erie artist Thomas Ferraro is one you want to see in person. Ferraro's vibrant use of color and thought provoking content provide a truly special experience. Visit us Friday and Saturday from 12 to 6 and Sunday from 12 to 4, when this exhibition comes to a close. Don't miss it. See you at the CAG! WE'RE EXCITED TO WELCOME YOU TO OUR FIRST EVENT OF THE 2022 SEASON!
“We live in a time when we have been challenged to navigate our lives, questioning not only past norms but also events that we witness with our own eyes, forcing us to see our world from two directions, from inside out and outside in. This collective experience is our shared reality and is the driving force for my work presented in this exhibition. I am fascinated by how we humans interact in both the natural and built environment. By placing figures in compartmental spatial compositions and heightened by text and color, my work explores the complexity and commonality of our human identity and questions assumptions of our divisive culture.”
In 2012, Tom cofounded The Looking Glass Art Project, a program designed to engage various community groups with visual stories and experiences from their lives, developed into public art projects. As a result of this work, themes in his personal studio work have broadened to include discourse on social issues such as global warming, racial and economic inequalities, gun violence and more. The Looking Glass Art Project has been involved in over twenty public art projects now on display in public buildings and outdoor spaces throughout Northwestern Pennsylvania. Ferraro has exhibited extensively throughout the region and his work resides in public, corporate, university, and private collections around the United States. Highlights of his exhibition record include over fifteen solo and two-person exhibits. He had two solo museum exhibits at the Erie Art Museum, including his recent 2020-2021 exhibition “Safety Zone”. Ferraro has exhibited his work in exhibitions with the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh (AAP), including their annual exhibitions at the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Society for Contemporary Craft, the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, and most recently, at the Pittsburgh International Airport. Tom has been a member of the AAP since 2005 and is also a member of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Artists Association, for which he has served as co-chair. Among other notable group shows, he has exhibited at The Hoyt Centre for the Arts, the Butler Museum of American Art, Mercyhurst University, Three Rivers Arts Festival, and the Grey Art Gallery at New York University.
Join us this Saturday, February 5 for a meet-n-greet in open house format with Thomas Ferraro.
Tabouli Street Eatz, with Chef Abed's Middle Eastern treats will be on site during the opening, from 12 to 6 PM. |