In the Arts Archives

The Hyde Collection Celebrates Winners of High School Juried Art Show 2023

Written by Staff Report on May 18, 2023. Posted in Community, Education, Featured, In the Arts, News.

GLENS FALLS, NY – The Hyde Collection is pleased to share the winners for The Annual High School Juried Show 2023. The exhibitions are open to the public through June 4, 2023, Thursday through Sunday, from 10 am⁠–5 pm.

The 32nd Annual High School Juried Show 2023 showcases the artistic talent of young artists from Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Hamilton, and Essex counties. A jury composed of local art professionals reviewed all submissions. High school artists employ diverse styles and mediums, including drawing, painting, digital illustration, photography, mixed-media, jewelry, sculpture, and ceramics. The Hyde Collection is honored to support promising young artists and students in the capital region.

“The High School Juried Art Show is an amazing opportunity for area high school student artists to learn and experience the finer points of a professional competitive exhibition process. As one of the nation’s longest-running high school juried shows, we are proud to continue providing this opportunity for our region’s amazing young artists,” said The Hyde Collection’s Curator of Education & Engagement, Katelyn Foley.

In an extensive jurying process, judges selected 100 pieces of artwork for the exhibition from just over 500 submissions from 213 students in 16 schools. The entries were judged by a panel of jurors featuring three regional art professionals: Belinda Colón, Exhibitions Director at Spring Street Gallery; Rita McDonald, Professional Artist; and Pearl Cafritz, Executive Director at Salem Art Works.

Winners were announced on Saturday, May 6, at the opening reception in The Helen Froehlich Auditorium. Awards were presented to the following:

Best in Show: McKenna McWhorter, Argyle Central School, “Sweet Work”
Curators Award: Sophia Verdu, Saratoga Springs High School, “Off to the Show”
Curators Award: Lara Stanco, Lake George Senior High School, “Brevis” & “Ollam Manubriis”
Jurors Award: Hailey Hamm, South Glens Falls High School, “Eggs in a Carton”
Jurors Award: Emma Nero, Saratoga Springs High School, “Stingray City”
Jurors Award: Sterling Towers, Glens Falls High School, “Spider Bowl”
Jurors Award: Camdyn Champaigne, Queensbury High School, “Jack’s House”
Jurors Award: Audrey Cook, Ticonderoga Central School, “Brooch”
Jurors Award: Nicholas Ogden, Queensbury High School, “Cards”

Autumn DeMatties, The Other Half, 2023, Digital photograph, Queensbury High School

Emma Nero, *Stingray City,* scratchboard drawing, Saratoga Springs High School

The Visitor’s Choice Award will be awarded at the conclusion of the exhibition. Winners received a $250 scholarship for an art class at SUNY Adirondack or a $300 gift certificate to attend a Salem Teen Arts summer program. Every student artist received a prize pack.

A total of thirteen school districts are featured in this year’s exhibition. Included are students from the following New York school districts: The Charlton School, Glens Falls High School, Queensbury High School, Lake George Jr and Sr High School, South Glens Falls High School, Saratoga Springs High School, Schroon Lake Central School, Whitehall Junior-Senior High School, North Warren Central School, Argyle Central School, Cambridge Central School District, BOCES of Southern Adirondack, and Ticonderoga Central School District.

*With thanks to our generous sponsors:

Salem Art Works
Sarah Parker Ward & Chris Ward
SUNY Adirondack

Accompanying Educational Program Offerings

Museum Guided Tours
Art After Hours, Third Thursday of every month
Date Night @ The Hyde, May 18
Painting with Patrice: Sailboats at Sunset, May 18
Open Studio: Figure Drawing with John Hampshire, June 15
FREE Artful Afternoons, Second Thursday of every month

*With thanks to Stewarts Shops and The Dake Family for their lead sponsorship of 2023 Education Programs and special gratitude for the 2023 Songs of the Horizon Programming Sponsors, Francine and Robert Nemer.

THE HYDE COLLECTION’S 2023 SEASON

Celebrating 60 Years & Reimagining the Future

May 6 – June 4: Annual High School Juried Show
May 6 – September 17: Recent Acquisitions and Celebrating 60 Years: The Collector Charlotte Pruyn Hyde
June 24 – September 17: Songs of the Horizon: David Smith, Music, and Dance
October 7 – December 31: Edgar Degas, The Private Impressionist: Works on Paper by the Artist and His Circle

About The Hyde Collection

The Hyde is one of the Northeast’s exceptional small art museums with distinguished European and American art collections. Comparable to that of a major metropolitan museum, the core collection, acquired by Museum founders Louis and Charlotte Hyde, includes works by such artists as Sandro Botticelli, El Greco, Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, Edgar Degas, Georges Seurat, Pablo Picasso, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and American artists Thomas Eakins, Childe Hassam, Winslow Homer, and

James McNeill Whistler. The Museum’s Modern and Contemporary art collection features works by artists including Josef Albers, Dorothy Dehner, Sam Gilliam, Adolph Gottlieb, Grace Hartigan, Ellsworth Kelly, Sol LeWitt, Robert Motherwell, Ben Nicholson, Robert Rauschenberg, and Bridget Riley. Today, The Hyde offers significant national and international exhibitions and a packed schedule of events that help visitors experience art in new ways. Visit www.hydecollection.org.

Throughout the years, the Museum has expanded considerably from the historic Hyde home. It includes a modern museum complex with an auditorium, classroom, five galleries, and a state-of-the-art storage facility.

Media Contact: Katie Alessi | kalessi@trifectacollaborative.com

The World Awareness Children’s Museum

Written by Kate Haggerty on May 11, 2023. Posted in Business, Community, Education, Featured, In the Arts.

The World Awareness Children’s Museum – located at 89 Warren Street in Glens Falls – has a mission to “bring our diverse world to children”. This museum was the vision of Dr. Jacquiline Touba, who believed that sharing and exchanging the visions of children around the world would promote appreciation and understanding of cultural diversity. It was started in 1985, and chartered in 1995 by the Board of Regents of the New York State Department of Education.

Bethanie Lawence is the Executive Director of The World Awareness Museum, which is currently home to over 10,000 cultural and historical objects, as well as over 8,000 pieces of international art made by children. These are both educational, and cultural artifacts… The Museum is unique because it is a collecting institution as well as a children’s exploration space. The art is made by kids all over the world from 140 different countries: “It is a great collection all made by kids all over the world. We use it in an educational way. These objects are educational tools to show how the world looks through the eyes of children… We have rudimentary as well as lovely pieces and kids can learn from all levels of the art and we treat the art with the utmost of care,” Bethanie said.

The museum teaches kids to examine art with a critical eye; they can examine art from other cultures, and see what is similar to their experiences and what’s different. This opens up discussions regarding traditions in different cultures, and children can learn to compare and contrast the traditions that they have with the traditions of others. “The culture that children experience at the museum creates an opportunity for the kids to explore diverse cultures in a safe and nurturing place. This way the kids are not fearful… Just curious. This creates a situation where they can celebrate diversity,” Bethanie said.

As an example of the importance of letting children express themselves, Bethanie showcased a set of COVID-19-themed art projects that the museum featured – the museum reached out to ten schools across the country in 2021, and received hundreds of responses from kids in grades K through 12… Out of these submissions, the museum accepted 52 pieces into their permanent collection. This exhibit shows kids’ experiences during the pandemic, and their perception of what the pandemic was like.

“It was therapeutic for the kids to express what they were feeling. It gave teachers an opportunity to talk to the students about their experiences during the pandemic… It created a space where kids felt safe talking about deep and challenging topics, and they were able to do so because they were asked to create something that resonated with them. This project was helpful to the students, the teachers, and the parents because it was a conversation starter, and the adults were able to see what the kids experience through their art… These kids have been dealing with trauma from the pandemic; the trauma of an interrupted social life, interrupted school life, and in a lot of ways, the pandemic is still affecting them,” Bethanie said.

Bethanie is an empathic leader at the museum, but her empathy didn’t start with her career there: “I was an elementary teacher for about five years before coming here… I came here to work as the education coordinator. The former director and I worked closely together, and when she left, I was promoted to the executive director position… The staff is all paid staff. We do have a small and strong volunteer program… We have part-time staff, and I am full-time, and we would like to build up from here. We have 10 of us working here, and we all work collaboratively together… Every aspect of the work we do for the museum is collaborative,” she said.

The Children’s Museum is a part of the Glens Falls Art Community, and is also a member of the Glens Falls Art District… The museum will be participating in International museum day on Thursday, May 18th, 2023, along with The Hyde Museum and The Chapman Museum. The theme of the event this year is “The Power of The Museum”… Having a theme for the day helps to bring harmony to the celebration, and Bethanie believes that the arts community creates a “rising tide lifts all boats” kind of collaborative mentality.

The Children’s Museum consistently has nine or ten exhibitions with the expectation that one exhibition will be rotated each year. The most popular exhibit currently on display is the “Mexican Kitchen and Garden”: “The kids just gravitate toward it. Kids love playing in the kitchen… I work with a volunteer team to put together the exhibits. There is a lot of planning, we get funding from outside sources like LARAC, and sometimes we have to hire a contractor to build the structures for us… These exhibits start out as a dream, and then we add in the logistics. We always bring the concept back to our mission of cultural education. The kids experience cultural education, diversity awareness, pretend play, making their own crafts… Just being in a room, they learn through the textile experiences,” Bethanie said.

In the Fall, the Museum will be installing a new exhibit which will be called “Mountain Tops” that will highlight the people and culture in the Adirondacks – landscapes, mountains, and bodies of water. The age focus of this exhibit will be children 0 to 3 years old.

The museum is visited by anywhere from seven to eight thousand people a year! Most recently, they have seen an increase of visitors from the Albany area… There are programs that the museum features that attract a wide participation, like a kids version of “Paint and Sip” and child-friendly yoga.

The Children’s Museum uses every inch of the space that they have… There are some limitations to the museum’s space, because there is no outside space and there is no parking provided. However, creative solutions and partnerships have made it possible for the museum to overcome these challenges. Over the summer, the museum hosts summer camps from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and the staff walks the kids around the Glens Falls area… This year, the theme of one of the summer camps is the “Amazing Race”, based on the popular TV show: “When the kids arrive, they receive a clue, and the destination of that clue can be anywhere from LARAC, or The Hyde or Chapman museum. When we get there, the kids participate in a challenge that leads to another clue… We are very excited about that camp for the older kids. For the younger kids, we have a ‘Pirate Adventure’ camp. The kids will learn about different ports around the world, and we will have some kind of treasure hunt at the end of the week… We are very excited for our summer camps,” Bethanie said.

One of the most important aspects in the overall running of The Children’s Museum is the board of directors – the board is made up of 11 people, who are very supportive and helpful in both a hand-on and fundraising capacity: “The board oversees the finances while adhering to our mission, to bring the diverse world to children… What that looks like is really the board and the executive director working together to decide and implement changes for the full organization. We work together on fundraising and the finances, as well as running events, and getting our name out there,” Bethanie said.

Bethanie is looking forward to their Annual Fundraiser on May 21st, 2023! It will be held at The Queensbury Hotel, and is a celebration of the Museum’s 33rd year: “We raise money for all of our programs… Our typical fundraising goal is $50,000. It’s an international cuisine dinner and auction… We have about 200 guests. The event has a live auction and silent auction, there will be live music by local musician Rich Ortiz… This event is really fun,” she said.

For more information about the Museum or the Fundraiser, please visit http://worldchildrensmuseum.org

Annual High School Juried Show at The Hyde Museum

Written by Kate Haggerty on May 8, 2023. Posted in Community, Education, Featured, In the Arts.

The upcoming Annual High School Juried Show 2023 will showcase the artistic talents of young artists from Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Hamilton, and Essex counties. The art will be comprised of a variety of styles and mediums including drawing, painting, digital illustration, photography, mixed media, jewelry, sculptures, and ceramics, and local art professionals will make up the jury and review all submissions. This exhibition will be on display from May 6th to June 4th, and is sponsored by Sarah Parker Ward, Chris Ward, SUNY Adirondack, and Salem Art Works.

The Juried Art Show is a competitive event designed for artists who would like to see how their work stands up against others’. Participation in juried art shows can also improve their resume, and satisfy their desire to win approval for their work… There is a strong competitive aspect to juried art shows, because not all artists are chosen. Juried art show allow the artist to think critically and tactfully about their art, and provide an opportunity of reflection for the artist as they compare their own work to that of their peers. Artists who are not chosen for a juried show can still learn from the experience – it allows the artist to look critically at their work, and discover how it could be improved.

A juried show is based on the jury’s opinion, and a piece may not be selected due to need for balance in the show. There are some categories that are more competitive than others – more traditional mediums will have more submissions than other categories. Juries often provide written feedback about their impressions of the entries, and what they look for in an entry… This information, although often broad, can help the artist evolve and improve upon their entry.

The Hyde Collection’s Annual Juried Art Show will display 100 pieces narrowed down from 500 submissions. Along with the Juried Art Show, visitors to the Hyde will have the opportunity to see other exhibits as well – The Hyde will be featuring “Celebrating 60 Years: The Collector Charlotte Pruyne Hyde”, a showcase of works acquired by museum founder Charlotte Pruyne Hyde, and The Hyde will also have recent acquisitions on display.

For more information, please visit hydecollection.org

Glens Falls High School Annual Art Expo

Written by Staff Report on May 4, 2023. Posted in Education, Featured, In the Arts.

Glens Falls High School will host the 18th annual Art Expo on Thursday, May 18th, from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM. Every art student in grades 9 through 12 will be showing at least one piece of art created during the school year, and this year’s exhibit will also include selected pieces from the Middle School and Elementary Schools. The lineup will include drawings, paintings, ceramics, photography, creative crafts, computer art, and more!

The Seniors Portfolio Exhibit will also be on review for those in attendance.

The fun doesn’t stop at viewing all the art work, either – there will be a bake sale, a ceramic ice cream bowl sale, a silent auction, an art sale with proceeds benefiting the Permanent Student Art Collection, and much more!

The 18th Annual Glens Falls High School Art Expo is free and open to the public, and will be held in the main hallways of the high school building.

For more information, please visit gfsd.org

John Lefner Elected New CEO of The Hyde Collection

Written by Kate Haggerty on February 8, 2023. Posted in Featured, In the Arts.

The Hyde Museum is one of the region’s most significant art museums, and John Lefner has been elected as the new Chief Executive Officer of The Hyde Collection. Lefner will replace retiring CEO Norman E. Dascher Jr. on May 1, 2023.

Jason Ward – Chair of the Board of Trustees – said via press release: “We are very thankful to Norm Dascher for his exceptional leadership during a difficult period for The Hyde Collection. His vision and business acumen financially stabilized our organization, reducing expenses by creating a five-year capital replacement plan and instituting smart financial decisions to minimize monthly expenses for the organization. He established a successful new department program, implemented a new position for the Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, updated hardware, software, and the security system, led the organization through a successful American Alliance of Museums MAP review, updated the strategic plan, and so much more. The Hyde is very well positioned for a leadership transition.”

John Lefner will take over as CEO beginning May 1, 2023. Lefner is deeply committed to pursuing his vision to bring exceptional exhibitions to The Hyde. He will be working alongside three new curators to deliver an unparalleled experience for members and visitors.

Lefner is known as an accomplished leader and community builder – he currently serves as Chief Operations and Development Officer at The Hyde Collection. In this role, Lefner provides leadership to fundraising, relationship cultivation, marketing solutions and physical solutions for the organization. During his tenure in this position, Lefner and his team have been able to exceed fundraising targets, launched the campus Reimagine Project, executed two highly successful galas, and improved community confidence in the organization.

“I am honored to be leading The Hyde Collection, which I have long admired. With its internationally renowned collection, exceptional educational programs, and incredibly talented personnel, the museum is one of the world’s most important cultural institutions” Lefner said.

Current CEO Norman E. Dascher Jr. endorsed his successor: “John’s appointment comes at a moment of incredible transformation for The Hyde Collection, and his exceptional leadership experience will contribute greatly to further strengthen our mission and reach.”

John Lefner has a Bachelor of Arts from Champlain College, and he previously served as District Executive Director at Capital District YMCA, Director of Operations at Saratoga Independent School, and Assistant Director of Operations at Double H Ranch.

Lefner has focused his career on developing the structure and management needed for organizations to meet their goals and live up to their values. Lefner will be the 16th leader in the Hyde museum’s 60-year history.

Extensive Collection of African American Art Featured at The Hyde Museum

Written by Staff Report on February 1, 2023. Posted in Community, Featured, In the Arts.

The Harmon and Harriet Kelley Collection of African American Art: Works on Paper is a traveling exhibition celebrating African-American artists and their contributions to American art and culture. This exhibit is now on view at The Hyde Collection.

Curated from the extensive collection of Harmon and Harriet Kelley, this exhibition’s featured artists include Grafton Tyler Brown – the first documented professional graphic artist on the West Coast – contemporary printmaker Margo Humphrey, and internationally known figures Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Aaron Douglas, Jacob Lawrence, and Henry Ossawa Tanner. Presented by The Hyde Collection and organized by Landau Traveling Exhibitions of Los Angeles, the exhibition began on January 28, and is on view through April 23.

“It’s a very special collection of nearly 70 watercolors, pastels, drawings, and a variety of print media by leading African American artists,” said Derin Tanyol, The Hyde Collection’s Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art. “The show chronicles the lives of Black Americans through a series of representative themes: labor, landscape and cityscape, portraiture, community, and entertainment. The Kelleys’ curatorial vision focuses on uplifting, positive themes, although a small section of the show confronts racism and injustice. Sourced from one of the most celebrated private collections of African-American art, this exhibition is sure to provide visitors with a rich and thought-provoking experience.”

This exhibition provides an opportunity for visitors to experience the master graphics of African-American art on a large scale. The majority of the works were produced during the Great Depression period of the 1930s and 40s; during this period, the Federal Arts Project – a relief effort to employ struggling artists as part of The New Deal – helped many artists continue to create throughout that difficult time.

Elizabeth Catlett (1915–2012), *Sharecropper*, 1952. Two-color linoleum cut, The Harmon & Harriet Kelley Collection

Many works depict rural and urban settings in a bold Post-Cubist style, including scenes showing factory workers, dockworkers, farmers, bridge builders, and road-menders. By the 1950s, some African American artists began to favor Abstract Expressionism, choosing nonrepresentational content over traditional imagery; other artists, including Charles White, Jacob Lawrence, John Biggers, Claude Clark, and Elizabeth Catlett – all of whom are featured in this exhibition – defied this influence, and continued their figurative exploration of African-American themes.

The 1960s and early 70s gave birth to the politically-motivated and African-inspired art of the Civil Rights period – while African-Americans had always made valuable contributions to American art, they had yet to be truly recognized, due to the brutalities of slavery and the systemic racism of Jim Crow laws. Despite continued oppression, African-American artists continued to create works that would reflect their experiences; among the civil rights-themed works in this exhibition are a 1963 lithograph by Jacob Lawrence titled Two Rebels, and Elizabeth Catlett’s well-known print Malcolm X Speaks For Us from 1969.

More recent artists, such as Margo Humphrey, Alison Saar, Robert Colescott, Lionel Lofton, CharlesCriner, and self-taught artists Bert Long and Ike E. Morgan, bring a contemporary perspective to this extensive exhibition.

The Hyde Museum is located at 161 Warren Street in Glens Falls, NY. Hours of operation are Thursday through Sunday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

General Admission is $12 for adults over the age of 18, $10 for Seniors (of age 60 and up), and free for Hyde Members, NARM (North American Reciprocal Museum Program) members, ESMRP (Empire State Museum Reciprocal Program) members, students (with ID or other form of proof), children 12 and under, and veterans and active-duty military and families.

For more information, please visit Hydecollection.org

New Curator at The Hyde Museum

Written by Kate Haggerty on January 24, 2023. Posted in Community, Featured, In the Arts.

Dr. Bryn Schockmel Ph.D. is the new curator of the permanent collection at the Hyde Museum, located at 161 Warren Street in Glens Falls. The Hyde Collection is housed in the refurbished historic home of Louis and Charlotte Hyde – Charlotte Hyde established a trust in 1952 that dedicated her home and her extensive art collection to the community.

Charlotte Hyde’s vision was stated in the trust: “To establish and maintain a museum for the exhibition of art objects… and to promote and cultivate the study and improvement of fine arts, for the education and benefit of the residents of Glens Falls and vicinity and the general public.“

As curator, Dr. Bryn Schockmel will be responsible for carrying out Charlotte’s mission at the Hyde Museum. Bryn has strong ties to the Glens Falls area – a decade ago, she had an internship at The Hyde, and she earned her Bachelor’s degree from Skidmore College.

Bryn’s education continued overseas at The Courtault Institute in London. This is where she earned her Masters Degree in Northern Renaissance Art History; then, she attended Boston University, where she earned her Ph.D in Italian Renaissance Art History. Bryn began her career in Oklahoma City at OKCMOA with a fellowship of provenance research – through this research, the ownership and history of a piece of art is traced. Bryn stayed in Oklahoma City for a total of about three years, and stayed on as curator of several exhibitions after completing her fellowship.

On January 9, 2023, Bryn started as the curator of the permanent collection at The Hyde. “My background is in Renaissance, and I wanted to be back in the Northeast. I wanted to be in a museum with a strong renaissance collection, which the Hyde has; we’ve got our Botticelli, and early modern in general like the Rembrandt, and the El Greco, so I saw this opportunity as a good fit for me” Bryn said.

Bryn has an abundance of energy and enthusiasm when she talks about both her role at the Hyde and Charlotte’s Collection: “As I’ve been learning more and more… reading about Charlotte and going through our collection’s database, I’m impressed by how diverse her tastes were… We have some medieval stained glass windows, and we have all of these early modern paintings. We also have our Picasso, so it’s such a broad spectrum. There is a lot of furniture and decorative art… It’s going to be a lot of fun to work with because there is such a variety, and there are so many things that I can do.”

This year is the 60th Anniversary of The Hyde Museum. To celebrate, The Hyde is putting on a David Smith exhibition – Smith, an American Abstract expressionist sculpture and painter, is best known for creating large steel abstract geometric sculptures, and is recognized as one of the great sculptors of the 20th century. This exhibition will feature around 25 pieces, on loan from both public and private collections and the estate of David Smith. Smith was a friend of Charlotte Hyde, and a key figure in the founding of The Hyde Museum – he was one its earliest trustees.

For the celebration, Bryn will be putting together a show in one of the smaller galleries in the museum. This show will focus on Charlotte, and feature items from the vault that have not recently been on display, showcasing Charlotte’s diverse taste in art. There will also be a recent acquisition show, to remind the public that the Hyde Collection is still growing: “The recent acquisition show will feature the works that we have acquired over the last five years or so. These are pieces that maybe haven’t been out on view yet… Some people might think that our collection is static, but we are constantly acquiring new works of art” Bryn said.

Dr. Bryn Schockmel has an intrinsic enthusiasm for The Hyde family, Charlotte herself, the house, and the art collection, and this enthusiasm has been recognized by Norman Dasher Junior, the CEO of The Hyde Museum: “We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Schockmel to The Hyde Collection team. A dynamic expert in her field, she is joining The Hyde at an incredibly exciting time as we celebrate the museum’s 60th anniversary. Dr. Schockmel shares our passion for the mission of The Hyde: To maintain a museum for the exhibition of the permanent collection and to promote and cultivate the improvement of the fine arts education and benefit of the residents of Glens Falls and vicinity and the general public” he said.

In her role as curator, Dr. Schockmel will be able to advance the vision of Charlotte Hyde, as well as a greater understanding and appreciation of the collection through research, lectures, and writing. The Hyde Museum is open Thursday through Sunday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM; for more information, please visit hydecollection.org

The Sunflower Collection at The Shirt Factory

Written by Kate Haggerty on November 29, 2022. Posted in Business, Community, Featured, In the Arts, Local Leads.

The Shirt Factory’s 21st Annual Holiday Open House coincided with Small Business Saturday this year. The Shirt Factory is the home of crafters and artisanal small businesses, and vendors filled the hallways with their offerings. Crowds of people enthusiastically wandered the halls of the former industrial building, turned home of the arts community.

Kim and Jim Vasiliou are the owners of The Sunflower Collection, which is located in The Shirt Factory’s Suite 304. The Sunflower Collection is happy to have found a home; founder Kim Vasiliou said about The Shirt Factory, “It’s a great place for small businesses.” The Sunflower Collection is an artisan producer of handcrafted soaps, bath bombs, sugar scrubs, and candles, and Kim has attributed the success of The Sunflower Collection to the help from family and friends: “My sister has been a huge help, and a lot of support (has come) from friends and family” she said.

All of the products are phthalate & paraben free – Parabens are commonly used in cosmetics as a preservative, and Phthalates are a group of chemicals that make plastic more durable. The Sunflower Collection doesn’t use any of that! They use a unique blend of scented essential oils, and butters with sunflower derived vitamin E; the collection also uses natural fruits and botanical extracts. These are high in minerals and vitamins, and help maintain a healthy glowing skin.

“Artisan soap is probably our biggest seller” Kim said. The soap is made with a special blend of oils, including camellia seed oil; this type of oil is very nourishing for the skin. All of the products have unique qualities that customers love: the whipped soaps create a rich and foamy lather, while the sugar scrubs moisturize the skin with a handmade blend of butters and oils, and the body oils that they sell have soft and soothing fragrances.

The Sunflower Collection has also kept the traveler in mind: They sell “Lotion Bars”. These solidified lotions moisturize the skin just like regular lotion, and because they are in a solid form, can’t ever spill in your travel bag… This makes the lotion easy to pack!

And of course, The Sunflower Collection has not forgotten about the four-legged members of the family: They have pet lotions for the paws and noses for your furry friends as well!

For more information, go to www.sunflowercollection.com, or to place an order online, orders@sunflowercollections.com

North Country ARTS Opened “Celebration Exhibit”

Written by Kate Haggerty on November 21, 2022. Posted in Community, Entertainment, Featured, In the Arts, Local Leads.

On Saturday, November 19th, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, North Country ARTS hosted an open house for their ”Celebration Exhibit” in their main gallery at Suite #120 in The Shirt Factory. The atmosphere was festive as patrons, art lovers, artists and community members mingled throughout the gallery.

The day before the event, Artist Colleen Shannon spoke of the two pieces that she was featuring and the process of creating her art. She said, “I love a blank canvas, because the possibilities are endless with a blank canvas.” When filling out her canvas, Colleen sometimes uses word prompts, or simple swatches of color. As she adds to the canvas, the image begins to take form; at that point, the process starts to slow down. There are times during the process that she has to walk away from the piece and give her thoughts time to evolve… She admits that it can be hard to know when a piece is finished, and that she has occasionally taken paintings too far and had to start over. But, when a painting is just right and near completion, she adds texture to it. Colleen is currently exhibiting two of her creations: Never Alone and Wanderlust.

During the opening, artist Paige was a welcoming presence at the wine, cider and apple bar. Paige and partner Prince own and operate Pastel Prince out of the Garden Level of The Shirt Factory. They provided two pieces for the show – Daddy Krumpus and Surreal Celebration. Surreal Celebration is a commentary on modern society’s programming of youth and the evolution of finding one’s own way through life’s challenges.

The exhibit will be open to the public for six weeks, and can be viewed Thursday through Sunday, between the hours of 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Paintings and ceramics will be on display and for sale through the holiday season. For more information, email Info@northcountryarts.org, or check out the website at NorthCountryArts.org

The Wood Theater Presents School Of Rock: The Musical

Written by Kate Haggerty on November 18, 2022. Posted in Community, Entertainment, Featured, In the Arts, Local Leads.

Thursday, November 17th… School of Rock: The Musical opened at The Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls N.Y… And it’s a Hit!

School of Rock: The Musical will run though Sunday, November 20th. Tickets are either $20 or $30, depending on the day of the performance. Theater-goers have raved about the show, noting that they loved the range of emotion that the performance inspired, thanks to the incredibly talented cast! Amanda Rabine of Fort Edward, New York, took her daughter Spencer to the show. She said afterward, “We laughed, we sang, I cried, and we never stopped smiling!”

School of Rock: The Musical is based on the popular 2003 film starring Jack Black. The main character – Dewey Finn – is a washed up rock star wannabe turned substitute teacher by a chance turn of fate; he then seizes the opportunity to teach his students about the power of music! The first adaptation of this movie to the stage was on Broadway in 2015, and its lasting success is a true testament to its quality!

The Wood Theater is located at 207 Glen Street, in the heart of Glens Falls. This theater is a non-profit, year-round event space; nearly 350 events happen at the 300-seat theater every year! The Wood Theater’s mission is to promote cultural and artistic endeavors which help foster economic development, and improve the quality of life in the Glens Falls area. For tickets or more information, visit Woodtheater.org