University Club Announces Sixth “Artist in Residence”
Bill Pettit to Exhibit Work from May-August 2016
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.
A Meet the Artist Reception will be held on 1st Friday, May 6 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 Off the Record, the Capital District’s only rock n’ roll lounge band, from 8:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Scheduled to run through Friday, August 26, 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, SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher and Joleen Button and David Hinchen. Their work spanned many artistic disciplines, including drawing, painting, sculpture, paper-craft, and photographs.
The proprietor of Pettit Design Studio, Bill Pettit has served for 14 years as the president of the Washington Park Neighborhood Association. While much of his work is inspired by the natural landscapes of the Hudson Valley and New England, the University Club exhibition will highlight his portraiture.
He was born in Worcester, Massachusetts and attended Middlebury College. He teaches painting classes at the Albany Art Room and at the Urban Scholars Program for middle school students in the Albany School District at Siena College. He has a collection of more than 180 volumes of the same book, Moby Dick. Most editions are in English, but some are printed in Japanese, Chinese, Latvian, Icelandic and a number of other languages.
Pettit’s work has been exhibited at the Way Out Gallery in Rensselaerville, New York, an artist-run art gallery space bringing contemporary art to the Helderbergs in southern Albany County. He was a featured artist at the Upstate Artist Guild on Lark Street in 2009.
His interest in the fine arts extends beyond his own work, as he often hosts salons in his home to showcase the work of other artists. Pettit frequently donates artwork to benefit local not-for-profits, including Historic Albany Foundation’s BUILT and the Washington Park Conservancy’s September Splendor.
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.
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 call 414-3555 or visit www.universityclubalbany.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.