Exhibitions & Events
Contrapuncti: Recent Works by Thomas Matyas
Opening Reception: Thursday, 30, 2021, 6-8PM
This show will be on view Sept 30- Oct 30, 2021.
Join us for the opening reception of “Contrapuncti: Recent Works by Thomas Matyas” at the Carnegie Art Center on Thursday, September 30, 2021, 6-8PM.
This solo exhibition will feature paintings, sculpture, drawings, collages and prints from 2018 to the present.
About Thomas Matyas:
Thomas was born in 1969 in Buffalo, New York, where he now lives and works. After receiving a degree in art history from Canisius College, his main creative pursuit was music composition until he began painting in 2014. Growing up amid the abandoned factories and machine graveyards of Buffalo fueled a lifelong fascination with industrial design and architecture.
His work now includes sculpture, drawings, collages and monoprints, all drawing on a personal, metaphoric visual language that explores the psychological implications of manufactured shapes.
Artist Statement:
“The first word that might come to mind when viewing my work, abstract, is not quite accurate. I’m not trying to depict the world as it is, but I do use some of the tools of representational art. There’s a kind of perspective (although not rational) and sometimes a suggestion of light falling on surfaces. Objects pass in front of other objects. Maybe a better word is metaphoric. Geometric and architectural structures stand in for mysterious states of mind. This visual language probably evolved unconsciously in the margins of my school notebooks, where I obsessively doodled lines, boxes, and curves that somehow calmed my anxieties and conjured a more sensible world.
There’s a feeling of nostalgia in the work I make now. The forms hark back to early 20th century modernism and memories of the machine graveyards of North Buffalo, where I grew up. The materials (oils, graphite, ink) are mostly traditional. Like many of the artists I admire, I’m unapologetic about trying to make beautiful objects. The word beauty might suggest something pleasant, decorative, and useless. To me, it means something uncanny, inexplicable, and more valuable than ever in our age of incessant digital noise.”
World of Napkins
From the Collection of Jacob Kedzierski
Opening Reception: Thursday, November 4th, 6-8PM
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE WORLD OF NAPKINS WEBSITE
This show will be on view November 4- 27, 2021.
There is no doubt that local artist Jacob Kedzierski has lived the life of his choosing: as soon as possible, he dove right into the world of visual arts and the production of motion pictures. This began with rudimentary, hand drawn flip books, eventually documenting skateboarding videos featuring his friends, himself an avid and able skateboarder. His passion for filmmaking forged a path that lead to him becoming both traditionally educated (Colorado Institute of Art) and professionally experienced; living and working in NYC for over a decade devoted to his craft, working on countless top-tier projects and making integral connections in the industry. This ensured newly-available opportunities were readily converted into physical work, finding himself in the production and art departments of both major motion pictures and a slew of both popular and infamous cable television shows. These shows are routinely beamed to millions of dedicated viewers, captivating a vast swath of Americans. To be sure, these high profile, professional opportunities are reserved for the very best production talent which Jacob clearly brings to the table. But how did he get there?
What was the first impression, the initial driving force that took ROOT, compelling Jacob to live a life of his design in pursuit of the arts?
A napkin. Specifically, a bright red and white graphic paper napkin featuring none other than the perennial child favorite: Santa Claus
This important connection occurred during Jacob’s 3rd grade class Christmas party. His young impressionable mind was struck; captivated by how the colors and design “popped” as he describes it. Surely, that raw, unfiltered childhood excitement reserved for Christmas Day enhanced his perception well enough to seed a solid connection which blossomed into a true passion. Santa Claus, as an American cultural icon, has certainly evoked an emotional reaction from many of us as children and all of this together makes for a potent impression, especially at that age.
This day not only sparked his mind for visual arts in general, it set off a lifelong mission to collect as many different graphic napkins as possible. They are the ultimate in wasted, overlooked art, each featuring its own artist and/or theme. That’s not to mention the production method of the graphic napkin, manufacturers utilizing varied printing methods spanning the 20th century. Indeed, you are viewing but a fraction of his entire collection, each handpicked & curated by Jacob for your viewing experience. An interesting note: per Jacob, several of these napkins he credits with helping to save a memory, not unlike how the sound of an old song momentarily transports us back to a feeling. Many have entertaining backstories, don’t hesitate to inquire.
He’s inherited collections from the 80s and 90s, bequeathed with many napkins from Europe and beyond. Always technologically inclined, the internet connected him with a solid scene of worldwide collectors which are always in the market of trading or selling, something he says he hasn’t been interested in as of yet. He’s always on the lookout for napkins from the 1960s and 1970s vintage, his favorite era for graphic design.
It’s been a longtime goal for Jacob to share his collection with the curious in the form of a show. You are experiencing the fruit of an artist & collector’s inherent goal of sharing their passion presented in their way, both directly as we gather today and indirectly archived on the internet in order to share with the world.
Written by Bryan Tallmadge
Through My Eyes
Recent Paintings by Michael Cancilla, Jr.
Opening Reception: Wednesday, November 10, 6-8PM.
On view November 4-27, 2021.
Everything I am, have and have done I owe to Jesus Christ. Galatians 2:20 says: “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me:”
I am a self-taught artist. In addition, I am a Roycroft Artisan in Painting and Drawing. I recently won First Place in Painting at the Orchard Park Festival of the Arts, September 18 and 19, 2021. For more than 55 years I have been creating art. During my career as an educator of individuals with disabilities, I enrolled in Graduate Fine Art classes as electives.
My artwork can best be described as Representational Realism. My images are based on my personal travel, local, national and international. My art is a way to communicate the beauty of God’s creation in everything I see around me. I have held solo exhibits and have had rotating displays as a member and as the President of the Grand Island Art Society. I have collected many awards over the years and have been in many exhibitions. I currently have my work on display at the Roycroft Schoolhouse Gallery and the Antique Shop on the Roycroft Campus. I am currently a member of the Carnegie Art Center in North Tonawanda and the Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society. I am excited about what creations are in the future for me and look forward to sharing them with you. Please enjoy.
Michael A. Cancilla Jr
2021 Art Off the Wall
IN-PERSON VIEWING AND VIRTUAL ART SALE!
Save the dates:
Artwork Submissions Deadline:
Saturday, November 20, 2021, 12-4PM
In-person VIEWING ONLY (free to attend)
Saturday, December 4, 2021, 10am-4PM
VIRTUAL Art Off the Wall Art Sale
December 9-12, 2021
All are welcome to view the artworks in person at a free public, in-person viewing event on Saturday, December 4, 2021 from 10AM-4PM. We will NOT be selling art that day.
All artworks must be purchased online between December 9-12, 2021. You must purchase a ticket to access the online event in December (links below).
Join us for this unique opportunity to purchase original 5 x 7” pieces of artwork for just $20 each. Hundreds of 5 x 7” sized original pieces of artwork will be for sale online for $20 each to support the Carnegie Art Center.
Each piece is donated by award-winning, local and emerging artists committed to supporting arts programming within our community.