Artwork courtesy of Joshua Brooks, Lexington Center
Voice! 8, the eighth annual juried art exhibition of work by artists with intellectual and other developmental disabilities from across New York State, will open with a free, public reception on Friday, August 17 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm at the Martin-Mullen Art Gallery, Fine Arts Building, SUNY Oneonta. During the reception, which includes refreshments, art for sale and music by John Zovath, $1,300 in prize money will be awarded and visitors will have the opportunity to cast a vote for the winner of the People’s Choice Award.
Presented by The Arc Otsego, Voice demonstrates the power of art to transcend disability and stereotypes to reveal common ground and celebrate unique abilities. This year’s exhibit features over seventy works by sixty-five artists representing nineteen counties in New York State. The eclectic exhibition addresses a variety of subjects expressed through drawing, painting, sculpture, fabric arts, photography, collage and mixed media. New to Voice this year are three, exhibition-only, collaborative works.
The 2012 exhibit poster cover piece, Slice of Watermelon, was painted by Joshua Brooks. Brooks, who studies art at Lexington Center in Fulton County, loves to paint and is a Special Olympian. According to Lynne Sessions, Director of Community Relations for The Arc Otsego, Brooks’ work was chosen as the 2012 cover art for Voice! because “his work captures the joy of summer and the exuberant spirit of Voice.”
Jurors are James Mullen and Thomas Sakoulas. Mullen is Professor of Art and Dean of Humanities and Fine Arts, Emeritus, at SUNY Oneonta. He taught courses in drawing, design, printmaking and art history and served as director of the Fine Arts Gallery which now bears his name. Mullen’s work is in a number of public and SUNY collections as a result of Purchase Awards. His latest watercolor is part of a traveling exhibition with Leading Age NY, a juried exhibition of art by residents of New York State Retirement Units. Mullen is an elected member of The Residents’ Council at Good Shepherd Village in Endwell the Broome County Arts Council.
Sakoulas is an Associate Professor of Sculpture and Computer Art at SUNY Oneonta. He works in a variety of media ranging from stone carving and metal fabrication, to digital media, 3D Modeling, Video and Web Design. His work has been exhibited nationally and is featured in collections in Florida, Maryland and New York. Sakoulas received a MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Rinehart School of Sculpture and a BFA from Florida International University.
Voice! 8 is made possible with the generous support of Gilroy Kernan and Gilroy Insurance, Gordon B. Roberts Agency, Inc., KeyBank and NYSID, Inc.; grants from Excellus BCBS and Corning Incorporated Foundation; and with the assistance of SUNY Oneonta and Timothy Sheesley, Director of the Martin-Mullen Art Gallery. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 11-3 pm. The exhibit runs through August 25th.
