Zip code art

April 16, 2009 04:00 am

— Artists and art lovers were aligned at a singular event, "12901 Art Spaces Open Late," presented by Jason Andrew and Norte Maar.
Andrew staggered art openings at Pine Harbour Assisted Living, Evergreen Valley Nursing Home and the Inn at Smithfield in Plattsburgh.
"It was a lot of work and something I want to continue to do on a more regular basis," said Andrew of Norte Maar for Collaborative Projects in the Art, which is based in Rouses Point.
"I think Plattsburgh and the North Country have a very rich artistic community, and there are many disparate groups working hard to develop the arts. We decided to take a leading role."
NOT TYPICAL
For the past five years, Norte Maar has presented art in alternative spaces.
"They're not your typical art exhibitions. Two of them are in adult day service programs connecting with nursing homes. The artists continue to comment how they like to have their work seen in such an environment. They see how inspiring they are to residents and visitors. It breaks down the walls where art is seen and can be seen. Let's hope we can still continue to do it. There are definitely other spaces we could be doing this at."
Through May 23, Art@Pine Harbour features the work of Eleanor Sweeney, Art@Evergreen features "Adirondack Vision: The Photography of Barry Lobdell" and Art@Smithfield features "Saranac Lake 5," the paintings of Meg Bernstein, Nancy Brossard, Matt Burnett, Tim Fortune and Sandra Hildreth.
"What we wanted to do was open shows at the same time and invite the community to see it all at the same time. It worked out very, very well. We had a great group of people able to move from space to space. It was rolling hours with one show opening when another was closing. We all met at the Inn at Smithfield for a wonderful spread of food and wine and were able to see another art show."
Attendees could also visit other participating venues, including Plattsburgh Public Library, North Country Cultural Center for the Arts, Irises Cafe & Wine Bar and Anthony's Restaurant & Bistro.
"They are great about supporting local artists and featuring art," Andrew said. "We will be doing the next one late during the summer and one in September. We will be doing it three times a year."
GREAT TURNOUT
Using the zip code 12901 in the show's title was a way to highlight local artists working in the community. Norte Maar's brand is vibrant in Bushwick, Brooklyn, too. A Brooklynite contingent came up by train to "12901."
"They loved it. They took two days off and wanted to see what we were doing. There were five people -- two collectors and three artists. It's a great honor to be working with so many artists in Bushwick, Plattsburgh, Rouses Point, Essex and Saranac Lake. We had a great turnout from Saranac Lake. Some artists ended up staying at the hotels where art was featured. That helps us all in so many ways."
"12901" was a successful experiment.
"It's not like New York where you can go to one street that has 50 galleries," Andrew said. "Artists are a little bit more forward thinking about their communities and the lives they want to live. It's up to artists in communities to facilitate exhibitions and shows and enlighten their community. There are a lot of ways of thinking creatively and using our imaginations. It's so great we are able to just get things started. The reception was so great. The next time we do it, we hope to have a lot of different venues."
rcaudell@pressrepublican.com

Photos

"September," a Polaroid transfer by Eleanor Sweeney.