“Art Meets Life,” SUNY New Paltz exhibition to open in NYC

NEW PALTZ- “Art Meets Life”, an exhibition organized by the The State University of New York at New Paltz’s Art Department, and curated by New Paltz professors Rimer Cardillo and Francois Deschamps will open at the Dorsky Gallery / Curatorial Programs with a reception on Sunday, July 14 from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. The exhibition will remain on view through August 16th. The gallery is located at 11-03 45th Avenue, Long Island City, NY. Summer gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Art Meets Life showcases the work of six artists, all alumni from SUNY New Paltz, each of whose work addresses issues of social or personal life.

Greta Pratt’s work addresses issues surrounding American iconography and national memory by depicting settings in which people re-enact pivotal events in American history. Bridget Lanigan photographs her family members in a personal yet detached manner transforming mundane moments into extraordinary experiences. Marla Sweeney photographs at beaches where her subjects are at once relaxed and vulnerable, revealing the inner workings of the mind and the body. Todd Martin uses paper pulp to make blind embossings in order to create an air of comfort, peace, silence and reflection. His work recreates emotions and feelings. Jon Irving’s work is based on tales of personal experience and intimate stories, and takes the form of two-dimensional prints that mix woodcut, silkscreen and collaged paper. Carmen Doyon’s lithographs investigate the impact that invasive species have on the biodiversity of our planet. She explores the life of animals in fragile ecosystems.

Rimer Cardillo is Professor of Art at SUNY New Paltz. In 1997 he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and represented Uruguay at the 2001 Venice Biennial. In 2006, Cardillo received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities, and the Research and Scholarship Award, both from the State University of New York. Recently the Nassau County Museum, located on Long Island, NY organized a retrospective of the artist.

Francois Deschamps, Professor of Art at SUNY New Paltz, creates work that involves travel and cultural relationships. He has received two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as two New York Foundation for the Arts fellowships. He was awarded a Fulbright fellowship to Mali, Africa, for the 2010-11 academic year.

The Dorsky Gallery / Curatorial Programs (DGCP) is a not-for profit organization that presents independently-curated exhibitions of contemporary artwork. Working with curators, writers, and art historians, DGCP aims to illuminate and deepen the public’s understanding and appreciation of issues and trends in contemporary art. For further information, please contact David Dorsky at (718) 937- 6317 or via email: david@dorsky.org.