“Nature Inspired: Open CVA Members Exhibition 2024” is displayed on the first floor of the Fowler-Kellogg Art Center.
As the 2024 summer season nears its close, Chautauqua Visual Arts’ final exhibition of the year sheds light on its most important factor: the community.
CVA’s “Nature Inspired: Open CVA Members Exhibition 2024” is situated on the first floor of Fowler-Kellogg Art Center and is curated by Susan and John Turben Director of CVA Galleries Judy Barie and Associate Director of CVA Galleries Erika Diamond. The exhibition is on view through Thursday.
Mary Khosh’s “Red Birds in Branches.”
The summer has welcomed visiting artists from many parts of the world who have brought their art to Chautauquans. Artist talks and lectures have prompted thought-provoking conversations and ideas, artists-in-residence have been challenged to push themselves, their work and their horizons and exhibitions have prompted viewers to think critically and engage with the role of art both in Chautauqua and in the surrounding world.
Collaboration between the CVA Galleries, the School of Art and Friends of Chautauqua Visual Arts has brought shared experiences such as the “Simpatico” exhibition showcasing the faculty’s talent to the greater community, the opportunity to purchase residents’ work during Art in the Park and the CVA Lecture Series, allowing faculty and visiting artists to share their processes and ideas with Chautauquans outside of the gallery and studio walls.
After witnessing the breadth of art being made and shared within the Institution, it’s only fitting to conclude this conversation with a show focused on the members of the visual arts community.
Audrey Kay Dowling’s “Tribute to Maples.”
In Fowler-Kellogg, paintings, collage, ceramics, photography and other mediums are joined together for a snapshot of the visual arts community at the Institution. Given a theme of nature-inspired work, Chautauquans rose to the challenge with a broad selection of art, ranging from traditional portrayals of nature to more experimental ones.
In both figurative and abstract works, exhibiting artists examine the natural world that surrounds them, with many pieces portraying land and seascapes, animals and other details of nature.
Acrylic, oil and watercolor paintings are interspersed with everything ranging from ceramics, collage, fiber, stone and electronic art. Representational environments depicted by artists such as Ana Paula Manaf de Carvalho, Gary Cardot, Janet Hyland, Sally Hootnick, Shirley Dort, Pam Spremulli, Mary Farmilant, Gail Gamble, Lynn LeFauve and Helen Power contrast with the experimental, abstracted work of Eric Olson, Passle Helminski, Jack Stone and Craig Dolbeer.
Some artists are drawn to the close-up details as opposed to the wide-angle view. Dan Rys, Josette Rolley, Norma Rees and Michael Flanagan hone in on the specifics of nature, often turning their attention to a wildlife creature or the details of a plant.
In combination with the landscapes that look as if they might continue on forever or capture a mere moment in time, the exhibition shows how closely Chautauquans study the surrounding world. As an exhibition, “Nature Inspired” showcases Chautauquans’ enduring interest in the world around them and the desire to understand and engage with it.
