Gold Coast Arts Center Exhibit Focuses on Environmentalism

Artists whose works revolve around man’s relation with our planet is the subject of a new art exhibit coming to the Gold Coast Arts Center. “Collective Consciousness” will be on view from February 14, 2018 to April 1, 2018 at the Gold Coast Arts Center, 113 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, New York 11021. The exhibit is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition, a free reception featuring many of the artists will be held on March 4, 2018 from 4 to 6 p.m.

“The gallery affords these artists a platform from which they use their artistic power to bring the subject of environmentalism to the forefront and to make green initiatives the subject of cultural conversations,” says curator Jude Amsel. “Many artists take the relationship between art and the environment a step further and create works from nature itself, using natural elements of stone, bone, plants, sand or seeds, to make the artistic statement they seek. Others make bold statements about the natural world through the use of multi-media, graphic design and video installations, expressing their views about the imprint that humankind has left and continues to leave on our planet.”

Participating artists include Lauren Skelly Bailey, Yoon Cho, Charles Cohen, Linda Cunningham, Beth Williams Garrett, Nancy Gesimondo, and Luba Lukova.

Statements from the artists demonstrate the wide range of their approaches. Below are excerpts:

Lauren Skelly Bailey: “My work explores methods of making assemblage sculptures, conglomerations, installations, and figurines. There’s that sensation of falling for process, the chase of finding the unexpected, and learning how it occurs.”

Yoon Cho: “The Desert Walk Photo and Video Series encapsulates beauty, destruction, and preservation of the land we live in.”

Charles Cohen: “My work exposes reductive dualities and challenges the ordinary relationship between perceiver and perceived by provoking reflexive thought.”

Linda Cunningham: “Collaged canvas with torn edges convey contradictions documented with photo-transferred images, layered with acrylic and pastel revealing a broken South Bronx history, an urban renewal tragedy, an area once the retreat of choice for fresh air and greenery.”

Beth Williams Garrett: “I was a painter until 2010, when searching for suitable sculpting material, I stumbled upon using plastic bags as a medium.”

Nancy Gesimondo: “My work is a reflection of my appreciation of nature’s beauty and diversity, as well as my concern for its decline.”

Luba Lukova: “[Lukova’s] thought-provoking posters address essential themes of humanity and injustice worldwide.”

All works in the “Collective Consciousness” exhibit are available for purchase. For more information about the artists or the exhibit, or to arrange school or docent-led tours, please visit www.goldcoastarts.org, or call 516-829-2570.

About the Gold Coast Arts Center
The Gold Coast Arts Center is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting the arts through education, exhibition, performance and outreach. Located on the North Shore of Long Island, it has brought the arts to tens of thousands of people throughout the region for more than 20 years. Among the Center’s offerings are its School for the Arts, which holds year-round classes in visual and performing arts for students of all ages and abilities; a free public art gallery; a concert and lecture series; film screenings and discussions; the annual Gold Coast International Film Festival; and initiatives that focus on senior citizens and underserved communities. These initiatives include artist residencies, after-school programs, school assemblies, teacher-training workshops and parent-child workshops. The Gold Coast Arts Center is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Partners in Education program, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. More information can be found at www.goldcoastarts.org.