Burt Chernow Galleries Closed Weekends Through January 25

BRIDGEPORT – The Housatonic Museum of Art’s Burt Chernow Galleries, which are hosting the 25th anniversary exhibit of Art/Place through January 30, will be closed weekends through January 25.

The exhibit is the culmination of a year of exhibits throughout the country for Fairfield County’s unique artists’ cooperative. The venue is especially welcome as Art/Place has been without a space to call its own since a fire destroyed its “home place” gallery in the Southport Railroad Station in January 2008. That gallery space is currently being reconstructed by the State Department of Transportation, with plans for Art/Space to move back into the gallery some time in 2009.

The 25th anniversary exhibition encompasses a wide range of 21st Century artistic creativity, from representational to abstract and conceptual, in paintings, prints, photography and mixed media. One highlight is a wall with a grid of artist portraits created by member Arle Sklar-Weinstein. Inspired by studio visits to each artist, the individual portraits are mixed media compositions which capture the spirit of the artist as well as his or her image in photo montages.

The seeds of the project sprouted over a year ago when Ms Sklar-Weinstein was participating in an Artist Residency at the Fundacion Valparaiso in Mojacar, Almeria, Spain. Her first Artists Portraits series of the eight international artists and writers there were shown in an Art/Place exhibition here in 2007 and her colleagues proposed a similar project for their 25th Anniversary Exhibition.

Ms Sklar-Weinstein will discuss her work in an artist’s talk on Thursday, January 8, from 5 to 7 pm, at the museum.

A catalog of the Artists Portrait Project includes a quote from The New York Times on the 1982 opening of Art/Place in the Southport Railroad Station which described the gallery as “a blend of old architecture and new aesthetics, creating an exciting art environment.” The founders’ goals were to create a cooperative run by artists – not bound by the complex concerns of a museum, nor determined by the strong market concerns of a commercial gallery …. a place where artists were free to explore and develop their own potential, and where artistic concepts and space combined to benefit both the artists and the community.

“When we heard that this talented group of artists needed a place to hold a 25th Anniversary milestone exhibit, we were delighted to offer our galleries,” said Housatonic Museum of Art director Robbin Zella.

The galleries and the museum follow the calendar of Housatonic Community College, so the galleries will be open Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 5:30 pm,  and Thursday until 7 pm, while the college is open. Call 203-332-5000 to be sure that the college is open when you plan to visit, especially during the holiday season.

The museum is located on the Housatonic Community College campus at 900 Lafayette Blvd in downtown Bridgeport. For further information call 203-332-5000 or 203-332-5052.