‘Made in Middlefield: Part II’ To Open This Evening

COOPERSTOWN—The Art Garage will host an opening reception for “Made in Middlefield Part II” today, Friday, April 5, from 5-7 p.m. The exhibition will feature eight artists, all full- or part-time residents of the Town of Middlefield—with an emphasis on photography and ceramic sculpture.

Photographers featured in the show are Jessica Marx, Abby Rodd, and Jamie Young, along with 3D artists Peter Marcalus (shadow boxes), and Eileen B. Murphy, Robert Seward, and Nancy Wiener (ceramics). The Green family of Middlefield also shares carvings by the late Ward Green and a small coffin hand-built by their great-grandfather, Frank, who lived on the four-generation family farm.

“We’re delighted at the range and excellence of the work,” noted Sydney Waller, gallery curator and director, in a press release announcing the opening.

According to Waller, the photography is comprehensive, covering the Middlefield landscape in “stunning painterly color (Jamie Young), the human form in classical beauty (Jessica Marx) and life at a local dairy farm (Abby Rodd).”

Waller went on to say that, for the sculpture component, ceramic is the main material for three of the five 3D artists.

“Yet, within this medium, the breadth of variety is staggering: Murphy’s salt-glaze vessels teem with the natural wildlife that surrounds her; Seward presents a tribe of big-personality small figures who come to life from leftover bits of clay; and Nancy Wiener investigates elemental abstract forms with her powerful, tall vessels,” Waller said.

Marcalus works with galvanized metal and the late Greens, with wood.

“Abby Rodd’s photos and the Greens’ pieces serve as homage to the farmers and farmland in Middlefield, while Young’s photographs celebrate the Middlefield landscape,” Waller added.

Made in Middlefield: Part II will be on view through May 11. The Art Garage is open Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and every day with a text or call to (315) 941-9607.

The Art Garage will offer two Thursday panel discussions in conjunction with this exhibition, on April 11 and 25, to encourage dialogue, understanding, and familiarity with different artists’ aims and ambitions. This exhibition follows on the heels of the first group show, Made in Middlefield: Part I, which shone a spotlight on paintings and textiles made in Middlefield. Visitors are asked to park on gallery grounds, not the road, when attending these events.

Now in its 13th year of serving the community, The Art Garage is located at 689 Beaver Meadow Road, Cooperstown. For more information, see Facebook and Instagram @theartgaragecooperstown, e-mail leartgarage@gmail.com, telephone (607) 547-5327 or text/call (315) 941-9607.