Coffee and Tea Room
During May’s First Friday the Coffee and Tea Room, 217 W. Fourth St., will feature the photography of Sarah Gainer.
Gainer always has been fascinated with children.
“While babysitting when I was younger, I realized how enamored I was with the idea that these small people were capable of the inherent emotions and thoughts parallel to those of adults. This realization is what inspired me to start photographing children,” Gainer said.
Initially, she was interested in taking meaningful photographs of children just as they are, in their most introspective, thoughtful modes. This concept was a reaction against the sanguine portraiture that typifies commercial studios.
“I shot my photos solely in black and white and my viewers often were disturbed by the apparent emotional maturity of my young subjects. As my work developed, I began to see the children I was photographing as one element in a whole aesthetically driven composition — a visual object to be manipulated in space,” Gainer said.
Eagle Rock Winery
Photographers Stephanie Carey and Ralph Wilson will display recent photographs taken at the Raytowne complex at the Eagle Rock Winery, 1307 Park Ave.
The exhibit features portraits taken the natural light cast through the walls of windows as well as other architectural features found in and around the Raytowne building.
Peeling paint, dusty staircases and forgotten corners of the complex provide a gritty, timeless look to both the black-and-white and color images.
“We are fortunate to have a venue to display our work in the same buildings used to create the images” Ralph Wilson, co-owner of Street Light Photography, said. “Eagle Rock Winery is the perfect example of how new life and ideas can rejuvenate an existing space.”
“Everywhere I look I get new ideas for creating images,” Carey said, the other half of Street Light Photography’s photographic team. “It’s inspiring to incorporate the history of the building into modern portraiture.”
Street Light Photography has secured a 2,000-square-foot area of the complex with plans to open a full-time portrait studio this summer.
“We intend to distinguish our work by using the assets of the unaltered ‘factory-scape’ to provide the backdrop for portraits that will be unique to this area,” Wilson said.
The exhibit will remain on display throughout the month of May during regular hours of the winery.
The Peter Herdic House
The Peter Herdic House, 407 W. Fourth St., is celebrating First Friday with a Cinco de Mayo theme. Laura Roan and Catheal Weiser will be exhibiting hand-made hats.
Michael Boroswki will play Spanish guitar at 7 p.m. under the wisteria on the patio.
Joseph LeBlanc will conduct a Mexican spirits tasting. The Herdic chefs are working on a Mexican-inspired tapas menu, including a tortilla sandwich of grilled shrimp with goat cheese, red onions and cilantro. Flavored margaritas will be available.
For more information or reservations, call 322-0165 or e-mail marciamiele @gmail.com.
Thomas T. Taber Museum
The Thomas T. Taber Museum, 858 W. Fourth St., will host an opening reception at 7 p.m. First Friday for the Susquehanna Valley Shutterbugs’ 12th annual photography exhibition.
The juried exhibition features works by amateur and professional photographers from throughout the region. Awards will be presented during the reception and those attending may cast their vote for their favorite photographs.
The exhibit will continue through May 31. The reception is free and open to the public.
docentARTS
During First Friday in May, docentARTS Gallery, 417 E. Third Street, will show “New Ceramic Works” by Michael Seeber. The public opening will be from 6 to 10 p.m.
Seeber is a professional artist residing in Philadelphia but he has strong regional ties. Seeber was born and raised in one of the mountain valleys of the Susquehanna River.
Seeber is a versatile professional artist and has a broad range of mediums and skills. However, his true gift is his ability to evoke the quiet, peaceful power that is a reflection and expression of living on a wonderful piece of land. Somehow, Seeber’s work captures the feeling of simple joy, comfort and strength that living in the valleys of the Susquehanna River brings to many of us.
In Seeber, the power of the land is not there, just in his landscapes. It flows through his hands and informs almost everything he creates. His current works are explorations of ceramic materials, some farmscapes, and some abstractions influenced by jazz and dominated by bird and fish forms.
As always, flowing from the people and the land that shaped him, a quiet integrity seems to underlie Seeber’s work. No matter what the medium, the show will be in the Gallery throughout May. Gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday. For information or other times call 337-2973.
Java, Juice and Art Cafe
Java, Juice and Art Cafe will host a group exhibition with the theme “Still Life” from 6 to 9 p.m. for May’s First Friday at their Cafe Gallery, 125 W. Fourth Street. The show will run through May 31.
Artists will use various media, including pastel, oil, watercolor, photography and hand-painted ceramic. Included in the exhibition are Jessica Dougherty, Gail Fox, Mary Farr, Victoria Thompson-Hess, Catheal Weiser, Lisa Kolb, Theresa Spitler, Deb Perry, Bob Falk, John Hoffman and Suz Nelson.
“Still Life, a painting of the play of light and shadow on objects of various textures, is always interesting to me. Still life allows the artists to be the creator from the beginning. I can control the lighting and create the composition using objects I have collected, which sometimes become not just a painting but often tell a story,” Spitler said.
Fiber Artist Jackie Thomas will be Java, Juice and Art Cafe’s guest artist in the Main Galleryfor May’s First Friday with her exhibition titled “Dragons and Their Friends.”
She will hold two free workshops at Java during the month of May. On Saturday, May 10 she will hold a mask-making workshop for elementary age children and on Saturday, May 24 she will hold a friendship bracelet workshop for teenagers. Pre-registration is advised.
“Touch is important aspect of my work. I often design a piece with the intention that people will want to reach into it to experience the texture and form,” Thomas said.
CH’Arts
The CH’art’s Student Art Exhibition at Plankenhorn Stationary Store, will feature artwork from Stevens Elementary School.
“As the art teacher at Stevens, I’m excited about the excellent quality of student artwork that will be on display for the month of May,” teacher Edward Jonasen said. “I would also like to give a big thanks to the nice folks at Plankenhorn for letting us use their fine store and supplying equipment to assist with this exhibition! CH’arts is always an outstanding venue, and Plankenhorn sponsors this event every month.”
Jonasen is constantly amazed at the creativity and the high quality of artwork produced by his students.
“My students were extremely enthusiastic when I informed them about our school participating in this month long art exhibition,” Jonasen said.
Included in the exhibit will be: pastel drawings, watercolor-crayon resists, prints, folk art weathervanes, relief sculptures and colorful collages.
The Stevens Elementary CH’Arts exhibition will be on display at Plankenhorn Stationary Store, 144 West 4th Street, throughout the month of May. There will be a reception at Plankenhorn from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday.
Williamsport Frame Shop
The artwork of Edward E. Jonasen will be featured at The Williamsport Frame Shop, 40 West Fourth Street, throughout the month of May. The opening reception begins at 7 p.m. Friday. His exhibition, “Time In Boxes” includes a variety of assemblages and box constructions. These non-representational reliefs are constructed from found objects, various textures, and an array of mixed materials.
Jonasen is a native of Erie. He has lived and taught art in Williamsport since August 2000. He is a graduate of Mercyhurst College and has worked in many creative arenas. He is currently the Art Teacher at Stevens Elementary School and also teaches several classes at Jackson Elementary School. Jonasen is known for his assemblage sculptures, which he also teaches to his students.
”Assemblage pretty much means making art with non-art objects,” Jonasen said. “I often combine natural elements with man-made junk to create reliefs which are layered with rich textures and either presented raw or unified with a metallic finish. While assemblages can often be mysterious or poetic, sometimes they’re just whimsical or fun to explore. Other times they’re just aesthetically pleasing.”
Jonasen loves to take discarded objects people never think about and present them as interesting pieces of art.
“People now seem much more environmentally aware of the importance of recycling, which is a good thing! I’ve always had an attraction for collecting interesting pieces of junk. When I’m constructing an assemblage I look for certain harmonies, especially when it comes to colors and shapes.”
Jonasen currently has a sizable collection of his sculptures on display in the Kada Gallery in Erie. In addition, Jonasen’s assemblages have been selected and included in juried art exhibitions. This will be Jonasen’s third solo show in the past year, but will be the first time that Jonasen will not include any of his drawings or paintings with his assemblages.
Gustonian Gifts
Local artist Wendy Wool has created everything from paintings on canvas, wood carvings, and signs, to her current painted glassware and wire and bead jewelry. Her favorite creations of jewelry are made from using thin wire and curling it and soldering the pieces together to make beautiful filigree. She then adds glass or semi-precious stones to add color to her work. Wendy is married and has one beautiful little girl. Being at home with her is her ispiration for making her creations.
With “a relentless song stampede of love that tramples all anguish,” recording artist and “Singer at Large” Johnny J. Blair will perform from 6 to 9 p.m. for First Friday.
Blair was born in the Susquehanna Valley, but moved around the country. Part of his time in California was spent working as a bicycle messenger in San Francisco. H
“I was on the street ten hours a day, seeing the best and the worst in people,” Blair said. “I called it ‘the asphalt ballet.’ ”
He lyricizes over everything from abuse to baptism to slapstick to coffee addiction, with images borrowed from classic comedy and novelists Raymond Chandler, Graham Greene and John Steinbeck.
Putting on an energetic performance is one of Blair’s trademarks. He has shared the stage with Howie Day, The Dead Kennedys, Bob Geldof, Chris Isaak, L
Soundclips can be heard at www.johnnyjblair.com.
There is no cover charge; CDs will be sold. Surprise guest artists may also “turn up.” For information phone (570) 322-3242.
June Baskin Gallery
“The World We Live In,” a kindergarten though 12th grade display, showcasing examples of Discipline Based Art Education curriculum.
Opening from 8am to 4pm on First Friday. Exhibit will run for approximately one month at the Williamsport Area School District Service Center, 201 West Third St., Williamsport
Bald Eagle Art League at the Visitor’s Center
Lindi Schneck, artist and creator for Stained Glass by Lindi relocated her business here in 2000 from Tennessee where she lived for 17 years. She started working with glass over 30 years ago as a hobby and fell in love with it. When friends wanted windows for their church she was commissioned to do the job and her hobby became a business.
Schneck’s business includes custom-designing windows, giving classes, selling supplies, doing repairs and restoration work.
Custom work is Schneck’s specialty. Because each custom piece is drawn by Lindi, it is an original work of art. She tries to capture what the customer likes or has in mind; i.e. hobbies, collections, and so forth. She has designed and built windows for churches, offices and homes — including one that was published in Southern Living magazine.
The hardest thing to design and make in glass are landscapes. In February 2005 she finished a piece that was installed into a footboard of a bed. The footboard took a year to do, has a combination of 25 animals, foul and fish and has the four seasons and landscapes of Colorado. Some of the glass pieces were so small 4 of them would fit on a dime. As with many of her original pieces she had to make some of the glass herself because she could not find the exact glass she needed. The oddest commission was to make a glass bra for a local nightclub. Since she is able to do portraits in glass, the most touching design is the memorial window of Mrs. Illes that is now at the James V. Brown Library.
After years of fusing glass Lindi started creating one-of-a-kind jewelry such as earrings, pendants, bracelets, watchbands, etc. These include her custom-made glass nuggets in addition to using natural gemstones, CZs, pearls, Swarovski crystals, Czech and glass beads. All the designs are made with a method or wire wrapping of 14Kgf, sterling silver, and/or solid gold. If you are having trouble finding that one perfect piece of jewelry stop in and see Lindi.
Collegetown Gallery at Community Arts Center
The Collegetown Gallery is proud to announce its relocation to The Community Arts Center, 220 West 4th St. The May First Friday featured artist will be Sam Foreman exhibiting charcaol and graphite drawings. Sam is from Pittsburgh and is a sophomore at Lycoming College. He plans to pursue a career in teachig art and lacrosse.
The Collegetown Gallery is a student gallery designed to showcase the quality of art students being developed by our regional art teachers and programs. The opening reception is from 6 to 9 PM and the public is invited.
Gifts of Art
Bonnie Hedden, of Bath, N.Y., will be one of the featured artists at Gifts of Art.
Hedden is a self taught jewelry artist that works primarily in sterling silver wire and sheet. She began her career as a jewelry artist in 2001. What started out as an experiment with a few simple beads, wire and pliers, quickly blossomed into an all out passion for jewelry making and the limitless amount of tools that help create it.
“I like to think of my jewelry as small abstract sculptures,” Hedden said. “Each piece inspired from imagination, hand forged and crafted with attention to texture, shape and movement. Every link in every chain is fabricated by hand so no two pieces are exactly alike.”
Hedden executes all creative aspects of her designs in her home studio. It is here that she’s been able to learn and develop her own signature style. Hand fabrication is the cornerstone of all my jewelry giving each piece its own identity. This complemented by beautiful semi-precious stones, freshwater pearls and fused glass makes for art jewely that is meant to be worn and enjoyed.
Hedden will be premiering pieces from her new line.
“This new line is an exciting departure for me and will feature mixed metals of silver and copper, and new textures in one of a kind designs,” Hedden said.
The Milissa Augustine Dance Academy
The Milissa Augustine Dance Academy will feature a Disney Princess Party in the dance studio from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Activities include: hair,nails, makeup, costume dress-up, arts and crafts, refreshments and princess movies and music. The sidewalk area will feature a meet and greet with Disney animated characters, face painting, bakesale and hotdog stand from 5 to 8 p.m. to benefit the non-profit Disney Dance Company 2008.
