U Club Announces 4th "Artist in Residence"

Joleen Button to Exhibit Work from September - December

In addition to paintings by Jonathan Bradley Morse and Walter Launt Palmer and sculpture by Terri Boor, the Living Room, Lobby and Dining Room of the University Club of Albany have long featured works from a variety of local artists.

From September through December, the University Club will present a solo exhibition of the works of Joleen Button, who will serve as the Club’s fourth Artist in Residence.

The exhibition will open with a Meet the Artist Reception on Friday, September 4 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the National Register-listed University Club at 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street. The reception is free and open to the public as part of the University Club’s participation in 1st Friday, the arts walk that showcases the lively art scene in downtown Albany. Guests are invited to stay on after the reception for live music in the Grille Room with founding member of Irish folk band Donnybrook Fair and longtime member of The Fabulous Newports, Jeff Strange, from 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. RSVPs are appreciated. 

Scheduled to run through Monday, December 28, the exhibition will be on view during public and special events at the Club, and by appointment with the artist, who will receive an honorary membership in the University Club for the duration of the show. Previous Artists in Residence were Ken Ragsdale, Channing Lefebvre, and SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher. Their work spanned many artistic disciplines, including drawing, painting, sculpture, paper-craft, and photographs.

The Artist in Residence program furthers the University Club and Foundation’s commitment to promote the use of the historic Clubhouse as a venue for performing and visual arts as well as cultural events. It builds on the success of the October, 2011 Athletic Annex Exhibition curated by local artist Chip Fasciana. For 9 days, the University Club’s former fitness annex was transformed into a “pop up art gallery” with an exhibition featuring some 20 local and regional artists. The Athletic Annex Exhibition was part of MoHu – the Mohawk Hudson Art Festival featuring theatre, dance, music, visual and random acts of art throughout the region.

A single mother of three girls and local artist, Joleen Button possesses profound inspiration and appreciation of this world. Particularly, she is charmed by common peculiarities of life such as existence, beauty, desire, and the passage of time.

Joleen’s fine art subject matter and style stems from her life experiences and studies at The Sage Colleges in Albany and Parson’s School of Design in Paris, France. Her portfolio consists of a variety of work such as still life, landscapes of the Hudson River Valley, abstracts, and portraits in oil, acrylic, and watercolor paintings and drawings as well as photography, graphic and fashion design.

“Since early childhood I have had awareness that I am an artist, having possessed a passion to express and exhibit my awe, appreciation, and curiosity of this world,” said Button. “I was born in the Midwest, and at a young age my family relocated to Upstate New York. It is here my creativity flourished with the support of family.”

Button has been a part of the local arts community for nearly a decade, through producing, teaching, or exhibiting. Her works have been showcased in galleries, vacant spaces, restaurants, local publications and television and have received honors and awards. Apart from exhibiting art, she has worked as a freelance graphic designer, a personal assistant to established national and international artists, and as an art and graphic design adjunct professor. For information about commissions of landscapes, still life, or portraits, visit www.JoleenButton.com .

This event is presented by the University Club of Albany Foundation, Inc., and one need not be a member of the University Club to attend. The 501c3 Foundation which was formed in 2009 to recognize and maintain the unique historic and architectural significance of the University Club building and property, its neighborhood and the city of Albany, where it has been located since its inception in 1901. Support for educational programming presented by the University Club Foundation is provided by AT&T. For more information contact the University Club at 518-463-1151 or online at www.universityclubalbany.com.


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