SCHEDULE

30th Anniversary and Celebritory Members Show 2007

Albany Center Galleries will be having its second annual members exhibition in our new home located at 39 Columbia Street in the Arts and Theatre District in Downtown Albany! This will be our first exhibition in our new space, and we hope you will join us as we celebrate our 30th Pearl Anniversary in our new storefront facility across the street from the Tricentennial Park between N. Pearl and Broadway.

Please pick up your work on February 5th or 6th. Through your participation in the Members Exhibition, you are affirming your commitment to the mission of Albany Center Galleries. Please become a member, and download the exhibition form for further instruction. Thank you!

Translations Lost and Found, works by Tara Fracalossi and Harold Lohner

Tara Fracalossi has indexed and archived thousands of her own photographs for over a decade and has developed a regimented art practice. Before she stores her photographs away in a permanent archive, she shrinks and prints reproductions of the original photograph using a color copier, and draws a series of collages compiled of duplicated degenerated photographs composed directly on the wall or on paper. Fracalossi’s process of art making correlates with the ideas she has about systems and authenticity, and her artwork flows melodically in a pendulum that oscillates between order and the random.

Harold Lohner also translates and sorts photographs but uses a very different approach. Lohner explores concepts dealing with sensuality and spirituality using a technique of building textured layers of images and removing saturated colored inks, forming slightly larger than life masculine faces and male figures. Lohner’s monoprints are exceptionally gestural and exquisite and he often works in sequence, creating double-sided mono-prints. Combining classical art practices and contemporary issues, his work re-examines mythology in a fresh innovative way.

Both Tara Fracalossi and Harold Lohner received their M.F.A. from The University at Albany, State University. Fracalossi is the Gallery Director/Curator at the Hudson Valley Community College Teaching Gallery where she also teaches photography and gallery management. Recently she was included in The Only Book Show, Center for Book Arts, New York, NY. She has also exhibited at The Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, Smack Mellon Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, Roshambo Gallery, Healdsburg, California, and Goliath Visual Space, Brooklyn, NY to name just a few. Lohner is an Associate Professor of Art at The Sage Colleges and he most recently exhibited at ALL Gallery in New Haven, CT and the Dadian Gallery, Henry Luce III Center for the Arts and Religion in Washington, D.C. He has exhibited in nearly 100 exhibitions throughout the past twenty years. He is also known for his extensive font design, which can be viewed and purchased at www.haroldsfonts.com.

Jazz on Stage…Up Close and Personal, a Fundraiser for Albany Center Galleries

Jazz on Stage … “Up Close and Personal” will be an exclusive limited attendance function featuring original music and distinct jazz style re-capturing the “invention of the cool”. Attendees will dine directly on top of the Palace Theater’s elegantly ornate stage while being serenaded by intimate jazz performances. Prior to dinner, please join us for a marvelous evening with live performances from Michael Lamkin in Trio, Sonny & Perley and Donald Hyman. Create your own magnetic poetry and enjoy tantalizing hors 'dourves and complimentary champagne. Bid on a first class auction of art featuring artist Michael Eck, as well as many other attractive items and packages.

Following the auction, a short presentation will be held to honor Laurie Mazone from Sentron Associates for her Outstanding Community Service. Elizabeth Merena, Visual Arts Director will also accept an Outstanding Organization Award on behalf of the New York State Council on the Arts.

Following the awards presentation, guests will proceed to the stage and enjoy hand selected red and white table wine donated by William Harris, Esq. and Dr. Joel Spiro. During dinner, guests will be serenaded by The High Flyers and Gourmet Gallery Catering will serve you a scrumptious menu including tossed mesclun salad with raspberry balsamic vinaigrette with your choice of either chicken breast stuffed with wild mushrooms or salmon filled with asparagus and smoked mozzarella. Both dishes will be served with red roasted potatoes and sugar snap peas. Save room for crème brulee for dessert with coffee or tea.

Your commitment will contribute to the success of the Gala and help support Albany Center Galleries’ exhibitions and outreach programs. To reserve your seat, please R.S.V.P. by November 13 to Sarah Martinez by calling (518) 462-4775 or email her at director@albanycentergalleries.org. Seats are $125 per person.

Albany Center Galleries gratefully acknowledges your anticipated support, and we look forward to joining you at Jazz on Stage … “Up Close and Personal on November 17th, 2006 at the Palace Theater.

1976-2006: A THIRTY YEAR INTROSPECTIVE by Jan Galligan as told to art-therapist, Dr. S.M. Freund, MS, PhD

"So, Mr. Galliman, tell us a little of yourself," Dr. Freund says, soothingly.

The fall of 1975, Jan Galligan faced the certainty of moving his Wisconsin Video Theatre from its home in the mid-west. "Where to, was not so certain," says Galligan, "but it was clear that I needed a better term for the various art enterprises that were absorbing my time and energy. I got my start in the sixties as part of Ray Johnson's New York Correspondence School after graduating from the American Academy of Art in Chicago. Johnson had established a far-flung group of artists, and I found my self-exchanging notes and artworks with William Wegman, Bruce Nauman, Lowell Darling, Fred Escher and a host of others. My work took the form of photos, sound-collage, cutups, video, self-published books and pamphlets, and anything else you could stick in an envelope to send via the mail. We had some connections with Conceptual Art, but by the mid-70s, that was kind of passé. There was a very strong narrative component to my work and the subject and format were often social in nature. I decided to call it Post-Conceptual

Social Narrative art making."

"Yes, I see," says Dr. Freund, "continue puleze."

In 1976, Galligan packed the archives of the Wisconsin Video Theatre and Wisconsin Video Theatre Annex along with the accumulated contents of the Post- Conceptual Social Narrative School - filled his Ford Econoline van to the rafters, drove east, and arrived in Albany, NY on October 6th. By the following day, Galligan had encountered and befriended an energetic group of young artists operating as a collective, called WORKSPACE.

"What they were doing was right up my alley," says Galligan, "In Madison I had organized showings of emerging video artists - Vito Acconci, Chris Burden, Carolee Schneeman, Stan VanDerBeek, William Wegman, and hosted exhibitions of more conventional wall art at the Annex. When I hit Albany, and met the WORKSPACE gang, I found a group where I felt right in synch. In fact, on October 7th, I gave my first presentation- performance, hosted by WORKSPACE. They called it "JAN GALLIGAN: THE MAN, THE MYSTIQUE."

Over the next decade, WORKSPACE formed the nexus of much of Galligan's art activities. However, as his trajectory landed him in Albany, many WORKSPACE cohorts, most a bit younger, were just launching art careers and their arcs took them other places: Jacy Garrett and Richard Kelly to San Francisco, where they started the art and music nightclub Club Foot, featuring the Club Foot Orchestra; Spencer Livingston to New Orleans where he still paints, plays music and runs a gallery called Space; Richard Edson to LA and NYC, where he starred in Jim Jarmusch's breakthrough independent film "Stranger Than Paradise." Other members of the pioneering WORKSPACE collective have remained a part of the vibrant local art scene, including Cathy Frank and Ed Atkeson of the Firlefanz Gallery, Lori Lawrence - painter and educator, John Cirrin of the Albany Library, Jim Sande - musician, Greg Haymes - musician and art writer, Joachim Frank - physicist and poet, Scott Meyer - theater owner, and Roxanne Storms - performance artist.

"But, about zee moment? Vat about now, Mr. Gallimum?"

Starting Tuesday, September 26 and running through Saturday, October 28, the Albany Center Galleries will be hosting "JAN GALLIGAN PRESENTS: WORKSPACED-OUT - 1976-2006, A THIRTY-YEAR INTROSPECTIVE" at the Albany Public Library. The Opening Reception will be held October 6 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
"We're digging deep into the archive," says Galligan, "pulling a trove of historical and anecdotal material about those formative years. But, we're also collecting input from as many of the players as possible showing the work they are doing at the moment. The gallery will be a collage of material from the past mixed with work made just in time, and sent specially for this exhibition. We're really going to try to capture some of the spirit and energy of that time. During the six weeks of the exhibition at Center Galleries I will present six evenings of film, video and live performances, mixing work from the archives with work of the moment. For example, one night is tentatively titled: "ART FROM STRANGERS" and features the Jarmush, Edson film "Stranger Than Paradise" along with early films first shown at the Wisconsin Video Theatre, made by Dan Dinello who most recently worked with his nephew, Paul Dinello on the Comedy Central smash hit "STRANGERS WITH CANDY." Another night will feature a symposium on “ARTISTS and AUDIENCES” a discussion with Chip Fasciana of Albany Underground Artists and Laura Glazer, host of WRPI radio’s “HELLO PRETTY CITY!”"Uh-mmmm, very interesting," says Dr. Freund, "und vat else?"

Galligan will also be present in the gallery, holding office hours, or open studio, one hour per day, two days per week. Viewers are encouraged to bring questions about art, artwork for review, or contributions to the exhibition. In addition, Galligan will be constructing a blog, a website, and one or more additional web-mediated enterprises during the exhibition. Schedules for the special evening presentations, Galligan's on-site office hours, links to the various web activities and additional information will be available throughout the exhibition at the Albany Center Galleries website: www.albanycentergalleries.org

"OK already, Mr. Gallimon, I see by my clock, our time is UP."
Albany Center Galleries is located on the second floor of The Albany Public Library. There is free parking off of the Elk Street entrance behind The Library. For more information, please contact Sarah Martinez at (518) 462-4775.

ARCHIVES:

Mr. Prvrt Presents: The Playful Maidens of Spray with special guests; Dwell & Unit August 8 to September 16

Street art is their game, The Playful Maidens of Spray is their name. The Playful Maidens of Spray, a collective of artists comprised of Mr. Prvrt, Dwell, and Unit, transform the entire gallery space at ACG the first week in August with an elaborate mural installation stretching from the ceiling to the floor. Eight feet tall black and white silhouettes of eclectic ladies with hair-weaves made up of bees, moths, floating pollen, trees, skunks, boats, and flowers surround the entire expanse of the gallery.

The Playful Maidens of Spray use a signature technique combining stencils and spray paint bringing a level of elegance and intricacy. Highly detailed stenciled small and large panels will be included in the installation as well as one-of-a-kind T-shirts and a limited edition artist book made up of a series of stickers.

Mr. Prvrt has exhibited his signature style stencil work in galleries throughout the nation including Lothringer Dreizehn, Munich Germany, The Dirty Show sponsored by Juxtapoz Magazine at the Tangent Gallery, Detroit MI, The Metal Pig Show at the Gomi Gallery, Austin TX, WHAT! Crew and Friends, Bristol, UK and Vinyl Killers, and Hotel Des Arts in San Francisco CA just to name a few. He was also included in the well renowned Interventionist exhibition at MASS MOCA in North Adams, MA. Mr. Prvrt has invited Dwell and Unit to collaborate with the installation. This is the second collaboration between Mr. Prvrt, Dwell and Unit; their fist collaboration was exhibited at the Unification Show organized by the Albany Underground Artists this past May where they transformed a room with an elaborate mural.

The Last Dance, works by Seana Biondolillo on View June 20 to July 29

Albany Center Galleries presents The Last Dance, works by Seana Biondolillo: a collection of her artist books, large scale digital prints, sculptures and paintings.

Biondolillo uses lush saturated colors and poignant imagery to unveil issues society often chooses to negate through silence. Her imagery is farmed from media sources and old archives of popular culture, transforming the seemly benign into the haunting, using fresh innovations of technology and computer graphics. Her approach is to reveal dark poetics by reworking and juxtaposing found materials - whether archival images or discarded objects. Biondolillo confronts fears and battles them, reveling the wounds of struggle and exposing the chaos and fear associated with the issues of our time. Biondolillo documents the emotions of being a rider on a rollercoaster desperately in need of repair, “on which most of the other riders seem to be obliviously enjoying the ride but which you can’t seem to stop paying attention to fact that the carts are out of control and the railings are about to collapse, you shout, stop the ride, we’re falling apart, but your voice can not be heard above the laughter and screams of the crowd enjoying the thrill!”

A resident of Troy, NY, Biondolillo received a B.F.A. from Purchase College of Art and Design and an M.F.A. from SUNY New Palz. She most recently exhibited her artist books at Sterling Library, Yale University in New Haven Connecticut. She has also exhibited at The Contemporary Art Center in North Adams Mass., The Center For Book Arts in NYC, CBGB’s Gallery, NYC and The Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, NY. She received the Poets and Writers Grant in 2000 and was a resident artist of the NEXUS International Book Art Museum of Contemporary Art, Atlanta, Georgia. She currently teaches Advanced and Intermediate Digital Imaging and is the Studio Engineer at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the Integrated Electronic Arts Department.