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Isabel Margolin: Little Stories
Mar 14, 2019
April 4th – 27th
Glass mosaics created via the indirect method by Amherst artist Isabel Margolin.
Isabel’s most successful designs have come to her while dreaming: “I see the mosaic completed, the colors simple and true; the pattern a perfect rhyme. The next day I embark on recreating this vision, remaining as close to the design as possible. Even with all my good intentions to remain true to my dream, on the second or third day of work all hell breaks loose and the pattern has taken a life of its own. It is as though I am having a conversation with the mosaic and I no longer solely control the design. In the end, my dream gave me the impetus to start the process, but the actual process led me to interpret my dream in an entirely new way.”
Opening Reception: Thursday, April 4th, 5-8pm, during Amherst Arts Night Plus.
Meet the Artist & Mosaic Demo: Saturday, April 13th, 4:30-6:30pm – Isabel will discuss and demonstrate her mosaic process and create a piece that everyone can contribute to.
About Isabel Margolin:
Raised in beautiful northern California, Isabel currently resides in Amherst. In the spring of 2009 she took her first course in mosaics, one that focused on the indirect method, a technique that she has employed ever since. It is through a certain controlled randomness, a willingness to cede one’s expectations to gravitational forces and the power of sticky tape that she applies the indirect technique to expand the boundaries of this art form. It is a process of chance, choice, and discovery. isabelmargolinmosaics.com
David Hyde Costello: Real Life Imaginary Friends
Feb 14, 2019
March 7th to 30th
A show of small watercolors featuring charming and lovable animal characters from the imagination of picture book author and illustrator David Hyde Costello. These adorable paintings appeal to all ages. Come by and find a new imaginary friend!
David explains, “My hope with each painting is to give someone a reason to smile, to lighten their burden for a moment, and, with humor, to reflect back at them the best parts of human character. It’s a lot to ask of cute cartoon animals, but I believe in them – and I hope you will, too.”
A reception will be held on Thursday, March 7th, during Amherst Arts Night Plus, 5-8pm. David will be sketching in the gallery on Saturday, March 16th, 1-3:30pm. Come by and ask him to sketch your imaginary friend!
A coloring zine featuring drawings by David will be for sale for the duration of the show.
Opening Reception: Thursday, March 7th, 5-8pm, during Amherst Arts Night Plus.
Meet the Artist: Saturday, March 16th, 1-3:30pm – David will be sketching in the gallery.
About David Hyde Costello:
David is the author and illustrator of HERE THEY COME, I CAN HELP, LITTLE PIG JOINS THE BAND, and LITTLE PIG SAVES THE SHIP. He is the illustrator of A CROW OF HIS OWN by Megan Down Lambert. He created the cover illustration for SHELLY AND THE SECRET UNIVERSE, a book which exists only in the Wes Anderson film Moonrise Kingdom. With a background in theater as well as visual arts, David has painted scenery for plays and motion pictures including Amistad, Spider-man (2002), The Fighter, and The Heat. In his own studio, David’s work is divided between children’s books and the design and construction of puppets. He is also a ukulele player, “self-taught through the productive use of procrastination.” David lives in Amherst.
Jon Crispin: American Demographics
Aug 20, 2018
October 4th to 27th
This is the first time these hand-colored silver gelatin prints by acclaimed Pelham photographer Jon Crispin have been exhibited. The photographs date from the mid-1970s to the early-90s, and were published in the 1980-90s in the now-defunct American Demographics Magazine (a monthly magazine about marketing and consumer trends). Most of the images were shot in the US, some in Europe — rather than working on assignment, photographs from Jon’s extensive personal archive were selected to illustrate stories in the magazine. The 11″x14″ prints were meticulously hand-colored by artist Robby Aceto, making them one-of-a-kind works of art, and unique modern examples of the almost-disappeared craft of hand coloring.
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 4th, 5-8pm, during Amherst Arts Night Plus.
Gallery talk with Jon: Saturday, October 20th, 4:30-7pm.
A selection of pieces from the show can be purchased in our online shop.
About Jon Crispin:
Jon has been working as a photographer since 1974, dividing his time between freelance assignments and documentary projects. Freelance work includes national publications, higher education, and non-profits. His documentary projects include exhibitions and publications concerning social and rural topics in New York State: 19th-century state insane asylums, state prisons, rural living conditions, county fairground architecture, agriculture, and food and nutrition programs for the needy. In the past few years, he has photographed over 300 plywood panels that had lined the Fulton Street area overlooking Ground Zero at the site of the World Trade Center (and over 100 panels from Liberty Island). Jon is perhaps best known for the “Willard Suitcases” project – a poignant documentation of suitcases left behind by patients at the Willard Asylum in upstate NY. His photographs have been exhibited extensively in museums and galleries in the US and abroad. joncrispinposts.com