The Evelyn Peeler Peacock Gallery has been host to a number of member, juried, and solo exhibitions throughout the years. Here’s a snapshot of recent exhibitions:
Home
A solo show by Becky McNeill, Spring 2022
From the beginning of our species, the concept of “home” has provided us with a sense of identity. In telling the story of our dwelling, we reflect the core of who we believe ourselves to be. I examined these “stories of home” through modern interpretations of the iconic Log Cabin quilt pattern.
Historically, the Log Cabin block was at its peak popularity in the late 1800s and is often thought of as the quintessential American quilt block. Traditionally, it features a red center which represents the warmth of the hearth fire or the love of the family.
Color is the story-teller in this collection. Consider what the presence or absence of the red center means to each story. How do you think the selection of colors for each piece reflects the title? And what story do you think each piece tells?
Our sense of “home” is integral to our individual identity. As you explore the collection, is there a piece that reflects your story? Whether you have recently relocated, moved numerous times, experienced feeling “different” because of your family structure, immigrated, or simply felt the warmth of home, I hope you see yourself in the gallery today.
The Spell of Seeds
A solo show by Emma Percy, Fall 2021
Anna Warfield describes the exhibit saying, “My mostly sc
Understanding the ways that land, water, air, and living beings communicate and shape one another is fundamental to living well on this planet. The earth speaks in a multitude of languages that often go woefully unheard, but we can learn to listen, and perhaps even to speak back. One of these languages is that of seeds –both the end and the beginning of most plants’ cycle of life, exquisitely simple yet endlessly fascinating. Each plant species exists as an answer to a unique set of ecological circumstances, and as plants express the character of a landscape, their seeds are both an account to their experiences and a promise to continue surviving in place.
Gary Paul Nabhan summed up the enchanting power of seeds in a brief poem -“we don’t just study seeds, we study under the spell of seeds, for we can only conclude that we are their understudies; they are the masters.” A seed is simultaneously the message and the messenger –a body that holds memories and desires in safety until the time is right to emerge and transform. I believe that the spell they cast over us comes from their embodiment of hope.
The work in this show comes from years of slow observation of the Western New York landscape (the traditional homeland of the Haudenosaunee), the place that has made me who I am. Art can be a pathway through which to communicate with the land and to learn to listen more closely. By studying plants and working with their fibers, colors, and forms, I learn more and more about the more-than-human world and hope to inspire others to explore and listen as well.
ulptural, often text-, and always textile-based work is aspirationally frank. The stitched, stuffed didactic poems and commands are confrontational, mesmerizing and frightening, and veer between dead serious and casual. The work addresses complexities in sexuality, female ownership of self, language and voice, with an underlying sexualization of speech. The materials and construction further complicate the picture in not only employing “women’s work” in the service of an unabashedly feminist voice, but also initially reading like comfort objects, squishable and soft, before revealing themselves to be explicit, demanding, or contorted. The fabric’s light colors and soft textures mask the tone of the text, disguising dominance with submission. I deftly catch and hold attention by moving text off the page and into the oversized, dimensional world of my soft sculptures. The work broadcasts its intentions, summarizes memories, and demands conversations with a single other person; it’s intimate, personal, political.”
On a Ley Line
A solo show by Claire Fall Blanchette, Fall 2021
Considering history, nostalgia, and place, my studio practice examines the connection between personal experience and collective history. Referencing geological monuments and the maps that might lead to them, I strive to depict our attachments to landscape by extracting structures from the terrain to create new spaces and forms. Inspired by Ulrika Sparre and Steingrimur Eyejord’s text The Ley Line Project, the works in On a Ley Line consider the theory of the hypothetical magnetic pathways that link distant spaces and objects. Often associated with geological and ancient monuments, I am interested in how these unseen forces might connect us through space and time. If a place holds and emits energy, could it pull you there? Using a visual language built through mark making, I created 2D and 3D pieces through an intuitive process of layering and rubbing. These works reflect and connect to each other, the sculptures acting as a portal into the peculiar world of the etchings. Ultimately, this work is about relationships to place, whether intimate or distant, and reflects my fascination with how we connect with landscape throughout space and time.
Use Your Tongue
A solo show by Anna Warfield, October 2020
Anna Warfield describes the exhibit saying, “My mostly sculptural, often text-, and always textile-based work is aspirationally frank. The stitched, stuffed didactic poems and commands are confrontational, mesmerizing and frightening, and veer between dead serious and casual. The work addresses complexities in sexuality, female ownership of self, language and voice, with an underlying sexualization of speech. The materials and construction further complicate the picture in not only employing “women’s work” in the service of an unabashedly feminist voice, but also initially reading like comfort objects, squishable and soft, before revealing themselves to be explicit, demanding, or contorted. The fabric’s light colors and soft textures mask the tone of the text, disguising dominance with submission. I deftly catch and hold attention by moving text off the page and into the oversized, dimensional world of my soft sculptures. The work broadcasts its intentions, summarizes memories, and demands conversations with a single other person; it’s intimate, personal, political.”
Pride: An Invitational Exhibition
Featuring the work of eight regional LGBTQ artists, Pride: An Invitational Exhibition was on view starting May 22 through the Corning Pride event on June 15, 2019. The artists were chosen for their artistic excellence and have each written statements to let LGBTQ youth and other marginalized people understand that pride in one’s identity is a path toward a hopeful future.
Going Nowhere
A solo show by Caleb Harrington, April 2019
Going Nowhere is a surreal suggestion of place taking inspiration from the small towns and communities in the New York Finger Lakes region. Going Nowhere pairs bold black, ink lines on crisp, hand-made paper with a variety of materials including concrete, recycled wood, and glass. Pieces of buildings come together and burst apart in washing and hazy fields of light. Balanced walls and structures stack dangerously atop one another to form towering shapes bigger than their parts. Going Nowhere asks “why?” It questions the direction one is headed in. It questions the direction that we are all headed in.
The Suffrage Show
A regional, juried show celebrating New York State Women’s Suffrage Centennial, over two dozen regional artists explore a variety of responses on the notion of Suffrage, the fundamental right to vote in public, political elections. Whether direct commentary on the New York State Centennial or a larger reflection on voting rights issues affecting us today, this show highlights all Suffrage, past and present.
3c [Combinatorics, Cybernetics, Chrystallography] Installation II
A solo show by Michael Mykola, October 2018
I am obsessed with patterning systems. I care equally for formal arrangements of color and shape as I do for matters of human behavior. In particular, the cyclical pathways of life within a landscape have long captured my attention. As individuals travel, by foot, by car or by bus, they create circuitous loops and almost always return to an origin point. My work is a process of layering these various looping systems of activity onto one another. Each piece starts with a grid-based system formed by a simple mathematical relationship. As layers are added over time, the resulting configurations mutate and expose emergent structures. Variations in texture and detail arise giving a sense of unpredictability to the construction of these pieces. I operate each piece as a game or a simple algorithm. It informs me what to do next as I interact with its many layers. Once the many different layers begin to interconnect over time, the connection points between layers become corrupt or used and mark the end of the piece. Repeat.
The Spaces Project
by Maia Mahosky, Summer 2018
Presented in collaboration with Corning’s Gaffer District, The Spaces Project was a series of site-specific dance pieces designed to explore different spaces throughout the Gaffer District. Exploring how spaces can be enhanced through the presence of movement, music, and art, four performance occurred simultaneously from 5 – 6pm during the Urban Arts Crawl on August 31, 2018 at the following locations throughout the Gaffer District:
- Centennial Scultpure
- Centerway Square
- The Evelyn Peeler Peacock Gallery at The ARTS Council
- Bridge Street Green Space
We Are Called
A solo show by Filomena Jack, April 2018
We Are Called… to be friend, saint, and good neighbor. Sometimes we feel as though we are not called for greatness, that we are less than capable, less than worthy, and alone in our journey. We Are Called depicts the interpretations of dreams filled with anxiety and striving, a journey from separation and darkness to relation and enlightenment. Primarily working in acrylic and ink, Filomena Jack’s paintings are made up of literal and metaphorical layers. Each new painting in the studio begins by wiping away extraneous paint onto new substrates, allowing these layers of paint, ink, and acrylic skins to collect until she is ready to begin a focused painting using these surprising backgrounds. In this way, she states that “the DNA of every painting lives in every other painting” she creates.
The Sanctuary Show
A regional, juried exhibition, this show sought to capture the grace and humanity that sanctuaries highlight, revealing the very best of our communities – the unwillingness to live in fear of the other, the unwillingness to give in to hate-fueled political or ideological bigotry, and the unwillingness to close our doors to those who most need safety and protection. Thirty-five regional artists explored this notion through a variety of responses across a diversity of mediums and techniques including painting, photography, pate de verre, ceramics, fiber art, and more.Portrait, Interrupted: Recycling and Renewing the Personal
A solo show by Mary Milliken, October 2017
Cities of Innovation
A regional, juried exhibition, Cities of Innovation is a juried member show that highlights the cities, businesses, and individuals that have advanced glassmaking throughout our region.
Endless
A solo show by Jessi Moore, April 2017
The exhibition’s title, Endless, was inspired by the first lines of Walt Whitman’s poem “Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking” and calls to mind the relationship between nature and consciousness. Endless draws attention to experiences of perception and awareness. Subtle color change and frozen movements of glass highlight a phenomenon known as liminatlity, the point of conscious awareness below which something cannot be experienced or felt.
Endless draws reference from water and waves; the ocean is used as a metaphor for our unconscious and conscious mind, implying that what occurs beneath impacts what is seen above. Endless also pulls inspiration from sky and clouds, seeking to capture the intrigue and reflection we feel when gazing at the sky or out at an ever-receding line on the horizon.
The Sexuality Show
A regional juried exhibition showcasing 36 regional artists, this show was inspired by the centennial anniversary of Planned Parenthood and explored issues surrounding sexual expression, sexual orientation, gender expression, reproduction, and sexual health and consent. It featured hanging, pedestal, and floor artwork in a variety of mediums and techniques including painting, photography, encaustic, linocut, pyrography, woodcarving, found objects, fiber art, and more.
GOOF BALLS AND COOL BEANS
A solo show by Brad Leiby, October 2016
Influenced by Street art, Brad uses strong lines to depict movement and chaos. The paintings in the show are primarily acrylic on canvas or Masonite board. Adding water to the paint, Brad creates transparent layers, letting the acrylic drip through the painting or sometimes wash away entirely. The rapid drying time of acrylic allows him to quickly apply multiple layers, but rather than blending the layers together, he builds them atop one another. Finally, by washing or scratching away a layer, the images becomes less controlled and more organic. This allows him to realize the tension between structure and chaos, calm and instability.Inspired by Black Voices of Corning Exhibition
Artists were invited to reflect on the theme and topics on display in the Black Voices of Corning project. Artists considered themes such as the relationships between identity and place, between voices and histories, and between freedom and expression. These themes may be considered broadly and can include issues of race, sexual orientation, class, gender expression, and ethnicity.
Seeing Light
A regional, juried glass art exhibition inspired by the theme of the 2016 Glass Art Society Conference, Creating Context: Glass in a New Light. This exhibition was on display throughout 2016 Glassfest and the 2016 GAS Conference.
Member Exhibitions
The ARTS Council hosts a number of exhibitions each year featuring the work of our member artists. With no theme or topics, member artists present a variety of medium, themes, and sizes.
