By Caroline Roosevelt, Columnist, The Times
Welcome back to Mixed Media after a little midsummer hiatus! I hope everyone enjoyed their Independence Day celebrations and have successfully digested all of that potato salad and recovered from any fireworks related injuries. We’ve got a few events coming up.
Thursday, July 19, Art Trust in West Chester will be hosting the artist talk for their current exhibition, “Forest for The Trees,” from 7 – 8pm. The event will feature the exhibition artists, Frank DePietro, Joy Kreves, and Michael Wiley. The purpose of this exhibition is to shed light on the human connection to nature. Incorporating painting, multi media collage, and sculpture into this exhibition ensures the audience receives a few different perspectives on the human/nature relationship. Enjoy through the end of July.
Art Collectors! Be sure to stop in for the Delaware Contemporary On Art: Collectors Talk this Wednesday, July 18th featuring Art Preservationist, Hugh Phibbs. Phibbs has given preservation workshops all over the world including such prestigious institutions as the Smithsonian and the Louvre, in Paris.The talk starts at 5:25pm.
A work by Neal Breton
While you’re there, check out the two new July exhibitions at Delaware Contemporary. The first, “Little Things,” features artists Neal Breton and Haley Lauw. The mission of this exhibition is described as examining the “small moments of the day when something finally clicks, or is rendered obscure. Normal experiences often go on unnoticed, only when things veer in a different direction do we pay attention. The Little Things presents a catalog of the details that challenge the “normal experience.”
As a viewer, I gravitate towards exhibitions of this nature, because they hinge on the idea of discovery, which I find to be the most universal element to exist in art. The work itself, the context in which it is placed, and the lingering importance placed on its’ recreation of the mundane, make it a great mind game. You could probably trigger some deja vu here and then ask “what does it all mean?” On view until September 12.
The other exhibition at Delaware Contemporary, “Journeys,” featuring Carson Zullinger and Shawn Baron Pickney. Zullinger’s photography focuses on the intersection of reality and the dream state. Pickney’s multimedia works challenge societal norms using the intersection of history, fashion, and literature. Check out this show in the Elizabeth Denison Hatch Gallery through July 31.
Next week, Gallery 222 will host the opening reception for the upcoming solo exhibition of painter Monique Sarkessian. The reception will be held July 18 5:30-7:30 pm. Exhibition continues through August 4th. Sarkessian has shown throughout the region, and has received several awards for her paintings from a variety of institutions and events including the Chester County Art Association and Artists Equity. Pop by for a glass of wine and meet Monique!
Boardwalk in Ocean City by Keith Cummins
If you didn’t make it out to First Friday in Kennett Square last week, you still have all month to visit Square Pear Gallery for their group show, “For the Love of the Sea” featuring Rhoda Kahler, Keith Cummins, Jack Giangiulio,Joe Milligan, David Eldreth, Randall Graham, Jill Beech, Joe Sweeney and Jack Hanson. If you aren’t a beach dweller yourself, you can enjoy everyone’s favorite summer activity from Square Pear. You may recognize David Eldreth from his winter exhibition at the Oxford Art Alliance. His gentle colorscapes, along with Rhoda Kahler’s more ocean inspired ceramic art, and Keith Cummins’ hyper realistic beach themed etchings, pay beautiful homage to the nostalgia that comes with summertime beach life. Save this visit for the end of July, as the Square Pear will be closed from July 12 – July 19. On view through the end of the month.
Rose Finch by Rinal Parikh
Finally, check out the exhibition “Contemporized” at the Palette & The Page through July. This exhibition features painting by Rinal Parikh and ceramic work by Andrew Snyder. Both paintings and ceramics in this exhibition are bright, and vibrant – perfect for a summer visit! Check it out before it ends on July 27. That’s it for now– until next time!
