Exhibition Opening

BOBBY ZIEMBA - IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT/THE FOREST - 08/04

On view August 4th – 27^th 2017
   
I've been photographing my surroundings for half a century, and to this day I am still amazed at the beauty that surrounds us. That's what I concentrate on in my art, the beauty; to remind people there is always wonder around us if we take time to stop and observe.

Our lifestyles become so hectic that we tend not to have time to rejuvenate our bodies and minds in the natural world. I take joy in the fact that I can live among nature, have time to splendor in the wilderness, bring back what I experience in the form of a photograph, and share it with the world.


After retiring as a Forest Ranger, I returned to school to pursue a degree in the fine art of photography. With that experience I've learned that art must come from the heart. An artist must extend to their audience, in the form of expression, their true values and beliefs. 

I have been fortunate in that I’ve been afforded many opportunities to share my photographs in a variety of venues; from local art galleries, to a magazine cover in Spain, to the crazy nomadic showings at fine art festivals. I have gained more than monetary awards and ribbons for my work, I’ve gained an outlet for my thoughts and beliefs. 

My work is an extension of my life. I value nature in all it's forms, and I try to enlighten my audience to an existence beyond our modern lives.

Most of the photography included in the show was taken with a dedicated black and white infrared camera during a fishing trip with my brother Keith at the Tooley Pond Tract. He fished, I photographed.

Bobby Ziemba

To see more of Bobby's work visit----->  https://www.natureswayfineartphotography.com/

Artist in Residence

KATIE M. WESTMORELAND - 7/29-7/31

Monotropa Uniflora - The Ghost Flower does not contain chlorophyll. Energy is taken by the roots from photosynthetic trees and decaying material on the dark forest floor. The plant turns pink as it matures and black when severed from roots. ▫️ I hiked down a section of a trail that was closed off by a beaver pond. Right before the pond, the trail widened out between dozens of these Ghost Flowers growing under many different types of trees. I chose this location to suspend an elongated and skewed, pentagon-shaped, fabric panel. When I paint in the middle of complex and mysterious ecosystems, features like barren rocks or previously trampled ground are necessary to stand on so that the consequences of my presence are minimized. (all photographs by Katie - pictured above: Canopy/Pond)

Katie M. Westmoreland participated in the Gateway to Wilderness Artist in Residence Program throughout the spring and summer of 2017 in the form of a handful of mini-residencies. During her third visit she continued to explore sites, specimens and concepts and create and share new work (Canopy/Pond, Sunburned Trapezoid) and ideas. She was also able to catch-up on the status of an outdoor apparatus which was installed during her previous residency - Visiting Landscapes (see below). Katie Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. To see more of her work visit www.katiemwestmoreland.com
 

Artist in Residence

ROBERT DERR - JULY 2017

During his residency at Otto's Abode performance artist Robert Derr explored the local and greater Adirondack region learning, reacting and performing along the way. Video documentation of these performances are in the works and will be showcased on-view at Otto's Abode as they become available - stay tuned! Pictured above is a peek at an "upstream" performance on the Oswegatchie River just above of the steel deck car bridge in Wanakena, NY.

Robert Ladislas Derr translates the world around him through visual manifestations that leave the viewers with a sideways glance. For Derr, life is a performance–it sets the stage for his making. Exhibitions and performances of his work have been held worldwide including the Canberra Contemporary Art Space (Australia), Mendel Art Gallery (Canada), Schirn Kunsthalle (Germany), Wexner Center for the Arts (US), and Irish Film Institute (Ireland), to name a few. Among his awards are the Urbana Public Arts Commission, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and Ohio Arts Council. Some of the permanent collections holding his work include Loyola University Museum of Art, Miami-Dade Public Library, and Indiana University Art Museum. Derr attended The Photography Institute National Graduate Seminar and received his degrees from the Rhode Island School of Design, MFA and Art Academy of Cincinnati, BFA ------> http://home1.arts.ohio-state.edu/derr34/

BOOTH

CURRENTLY ON DISPLAY IN BOOTH - 07/04

My found object sculptures, collages and digital works respond to a state of information overload. I present a point of view that elicits nervous laughter – half joy, half dread. Process involves using programs, tools and materials against their conventional intention. I play with control by gathering images that are at odds with their context and appropriate ephemera from my personal history or the street. I channel waste, finding space for meaning amidst excess.

Otto’s Abode artist in residence for the month of June 2017 - Charlotte Greene (b. 1992, New York) is an artist and curator. Her work explores trash, control and the Internet through found and appropriated media. 

To see more of her work visit -----> www.charlottegreen.com

Exhibition Opening

THE BRIDGE SHOW - 07/04-30

In conjunction with the July 4th dedication of the newly reconstructed Wanakena Footbridge, Otto's Abode invited the submission of artwork depicting or inspired by the span. The month-long exhibition featured a total of 27 works both old and new loaned by artists and collectors. Furniture, fabric, computer doodle, paint, photo and more all sharing the same space celebrating the same subject.

Artist in Residence

CHARLOTTE GREENE - 05/31- 06/30

Otto's Abode had the privilege to host visual artist Charlotte Greene during the month of June. Greene spent the month exploring solitude and the creation of dynamic interconnected futures. Inspired by the research of Syracuse's SUNY ESF graduate student Grete Bader on the orchids growing on the iron tailings at the nearby Benson Mine, Greene's sculpture and video works read the complex ecological and industrial history of the region in the context of the Anthropocene, or - more accurately and borrowing from Donna Haraway - the Cthulucene. Spending a total of five days alone in the Five Ponds Wilderness area, Greene pushed her normally urban practice to encounter its inverse. Fidget spinners, screaming herons, aliens, birthday balloons, remediated landscapes, bears, ghosts and a virgin forest all collide in a conversation she's calling "Big Shallow". 

To see more of Charlotte's work visit ------> www.charlottegreene.com

Local Events

ALL SUMMER LONG - WANAKENA, NY - 2017

Check out the 2017 Cultural Arts Committee's Summer Concert Series - All shows are under the stars, free and open to the public right across the street from Otto's Abode in Wanakena Greene/Z Park/the Gazebo. Otto's Abode will have extended hours on performance nights. Call or e-mail for more information including local camping options.