William Waite, Biosemiotics: Where the Red Fern Grows, mixed media on canvas, 2019

JAMESTOWN – A reception celebrating the works of several current and former Jamestown Community College faculty members will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, September 12 in JCC’s Weeks Gallery.

The event, free and open to the public, will include refreshments.

The exhibition is on display until October 17. Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday, and by appointment.

The artists will discuss the works in the show at noon on September 18. Coinciding with the exhibition will be a noontime poetry reading on October 2 featuring JCC faculty members Gerry Crinnin, Neil Flory, Justin March, Chris Munde, and Karen Weyant.

The exhibition features works by current faculty members David Anderson, Ray Bonilla, Gary Deckard, Debra Eck, Deric Ence, Don Hill, Diane Howard, Heather Kanazawa, Yu Kanazawa, Mark Kirsch, Marilyn Martin, Richard Minard, Mike Thornton, and retired faculty members William Disbro and William Waite.

Viewers will see works ranging from abstraction to naturalism. Large abstract painting by Richard Minard and Heather Kanazawa suggest the inspiration of nature. Yu Kanazawa and Ray Bonilla, who work in a naturalist style, focus their works on scenes from everyday life.

William Disbro presents decorative and colorful collaged landscapes pieced together from hand-painted paper while works by William Waite depict poetic illustrations of woodlands with mystical qualities. A series of photographs featuring close-up views of a frozen pond in winter are presented by Mark Kirsch.

Sculptural and two-dimensional works on paper by Debra Eck make use of natural dyes, hand sewn lines, and prints drawn from plants grown in the artist’s garden.

The exhibition, featuring a 30-year retrospective of paintings and drawings by William Waite, also includes works by JCC’s fine arts faculty members Deb Eck, mixed media; Deric Ence and Peter Goergen, ceramics; Theresa Heinz and Heather Miller, painting; Yu Kanazawa, printmaking/drawing; Mark Kirsch and Deb Lanni, photography; and Marilyn Martin, digital illustration.

The reception features wine and beer tasting, hors d’oeuvres, and music by ukulele virtuoso Stu Fuchs. The event is free and open to the public.

Both the exhibition and reception are made possible by support from JCC, JCC Faculty Student Association, and the JCC Foundation. For more information, visit weeksgallery.sunyjcc.edu or call 716.338.1300.

The Creations Art Program of The Resource Center is hosting an Art Life Conference on Thursday, Nov. 1 and Friday, Nov. 2. The conference is designed to bring together art educators and professionals working with people with disabilities and high-pressure situations to network and attend workshops. An art exhibition and auction will be open to the public on November 2. The conference will be held at the Lillian V. Ney Renaissance Center.

Keynote speaker, Lucy Andrus, will open the conference on Thursday November 1.  Leading workshops for the rest of Thursday will be visual artist Debra Eck, art facilitator Valeriae Walawender, Arc community relations director Lynne Sessions and hand drumming instructor, T.R. McKotch.

Among Friday’s workshop leaders are painter Thomas Annear, yoga instructor Tess Kerzner, puppet and mask-maker Renee Pye and photographer, Mark Kirsch. A live art auction and exhibit will close the conference on Friday evening.

Registration for each day is $50.

Art Life Conference is made possible by The Resource Center’s Creations Art Program with support from Downtown Jamestown Development Corporation and Arts Council For Chautauqua County.

For full schedule and registration information, visit www.artlifecon.com.