UNIQUE Artwork Held Over at Delavan Art Gallery
The 8th annual publication of UNIQUE was unveiled at the Delavan Art Gallery on October 16th. UNIQUE, an art and literary magazine, is coordinated and published by ARISE, a non-profit agency based in Syracuse. UNIQUE is the only publication of its kind in the Central New York area featuring creative works by artists with disabilities.
Senator John DeFrancisco, whose Arts, Culture and Heritage grant provided support for UNIQUE 2008, spoke briefly to the more than 150 people in attendance who spent the evening enjoying artwork and live music by the Clinton String Quartet. Despite the crowd, it was easy to identify the artists from their beaming faces as they circulated the gallery and showed off their work. Click here to read a message from a UNIQUE 2008 artist.
As the celebration drew to a close, William Delavan, Gallery Director, asked that two sculptures remain on display at the Delavan for several weeks to give visitors time to enjoy the fun-spirited creativity of the works. The pieces, titled “Surfin’ Pirate” and “George McRooster,” use Plaster of Paris and plaster gauze over a framework of wood skewers, chop sticks, wire, and pins. Other interesting components include a clothes hanger for the pirate’s hook, a piece of redwood for the surfboard, and fabric feathers on the rooster. Both sculptures were created by 15 people participating in the art program led by art instructor Tony Ferro at the Cortland Community Reentry Program.
The sculptures can be viewed at the Delavan Art Gallery, 501 West Fayette Street, Syracuse. The gallery is open Thursday and Friday from noon until 6:00 p.m., and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
More information about UNIQUE, and a copy of the publication, is available from ARISE at (315) 472-3171.