Printed November 19, 2003
After helping themselves to finger sandwiches, vegetables and punch, guests wandered into the gallery which is located in the in the back of the Fine Arts building, beyond Goodrich Theater. Mingling with the artists, students and other faulty could take in the intrigue and creativeness that lingered in the artwork, and possibly ask the artist him or herself the meaning and inspiration behind their work. "I love summer and vegetables, so even when I go to Wal-Mart, I flip out because the vegetables are all there; they're so pretty! So, I would just bring something home and put it in the bowl and it sort of glorified each little vegetable," said Nancy Callahan on her piece "Produce Sections." The piece was arranged uniquely, with three squares running down the center and two tilted squares/diamonds. On each of the square pieces, there was one vegetable, such as an eggplant, against a brightly colored background. "I did all the pieces separate and was actually going to make it into a table and call it 'Veggie Table,'" continued Callahan. "When I started, I just thought that I'd like to have a few little drawings, so I didn't realize how it would all overlap and work together till I got it all done."
Callahan's other piece, "Iron Man and the Maiden" was one that held a deeper, more personal meaning. "That's the dark side. I was going out with someone and it didn't work out. It was so heartbreaking for me and I felt like I was crushed. Drawing that piece actually made me feel better." A prime example of how people can find solace in artwork.
"Everything here is so diverse, with different mediums, different approaches, we have figurative work, abstract work, digital stuff, traditional stuff, a whole range of people, and ages, I think it functions on a number of levels, it's a feel good kind of thing as well," said Mackiewicz.
The "Faculty and Friends" show will be displayed until December 21, 2003, so get down to the Fine Arts building and see the talent and originality showcased by Oneonta State's very own professors. The next student art show will be held late April 2004.
Other faculty pieces displayed, included paint, charcoal, and colored pencil drawings by Tyler, black and white photographs of Native Americans by Charles Winters, Conte crayon depictions of around the Oneonta State campus by James Mullen, prints using different mediums of paper by Yolanda Sharpe, and several mosaic-looking oil paintings on square boards by Rebecca Schoonmaker, some entitled "Battered Fighters," "White Wins," and "Where I end and You Begin."
Each faculty artist had the opportunity to invite a local artist friend, to help get their name out there in the artistic world. "I don't know if everybody did [invite a friend], but I kind of didn't because then there would be more wall space," laughed Schoonmaker. "I think the idea behind this gallery is a great idea. The students get to see what the faculty can do; you get to see what each other does. It's kind of like motivation to get new work out there if you have a show coming up."
Aside from students getting to see their professors' work in action, this event also gave the community and other professors a way to come together. "I have been on board here at Oneonta State for only a year now, and I feel that I don't know everybody. This gallery is a nice way of us all getting together to meet and get know each other," said professor and Gallery Director Rose Mackiewicz. "Even for people who work as adjuncts may not know each other. They get here, do their class and leave." Mackiewicz had several pieces using different digital photography techniques and printing, including LightJet and Giclee printing from color negatives.