News

December 1, 2016

New Art Exhibition Opens at Albany Public Library on December 2

Albany Public Library celebrates its newest art exhibition, “Mediating Illusion: Landscapes,” with an opening reception on Friday, Dec. 2, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Pine Hills Branch (517 Western Avenue). The opening reception is free and open to the public, and includes light refreshments and live music. The exhibition can be viewed during regular library hours and continues through March 26.

“Mediating Illusion: Landscapes” offers a contemporary spin on landscape art and features works by Theresa Bloise, Thomas Lail, Michael Oatman, and Charles Sommer. The art show was curated by Jessica Cone, the library’s art exhibition coordinator.

“It is no secret that our surroundings can influence people’s behavior. However, what shapes our environment? A reoccurring theme in life is alteration,” Cone said. “The great race to move forward has triggered drastic change. Our ‘way of life’ has desolated our ecology, the controlled variable needed to sustain our existence. ‘Mediating Illusion: Landscapes’ reveals a change in one’s conception regarding our surroundings. Each artist’s views of the human relationship with nature is widely divergent. Surreal scenes are based upon our ability to mentally remove ourselves from the natural world. Exhibiting works are carefully constructed based upon the representation of what is and can be, as well as the driving forces behind them.”

Support for the exhibition was provided by the Albany Public Library Foundation.

Exhibition Artists: Theresa Bloise, Thomas Lail, Michael Oatman, Charles Sommer

Public Reception: Friday, Dec. 2, at 6:00 to 8:00 pm, Albany Public Library’s Pine Hills Branch, 517 Western Avenue. The art reception is part of Albany’s 1st Friday events.