Each year, nearly 30 artists at the AHRC East Meadow Art Gallery create dozens of pieces to showcase in their annual exhibit. This year, the artists picked New York City as their theme and created an exhibit highlighting the most illustrious parts of the city.
“The NYC: City of Lights” show will run through August 16. Stop by Monday-Friday, 10:30 a.m.–2 p.m., at 198 East Meadow Ave., East Meadow, NY 11554.
At the East Meadow Art Gallery, artists have the space explore their creativity and develop skills of daily living from Direct Support Professionals, which can include organizing the art space, selecting the appropriate materials, cleaning and drying the brushes, preparing for lunch, taking medication if needed, personal care as well as mental and emotional support.
Every week at the gallery starts with Motivation Monday. Artists take turns discussing what’s on their mind, their rights and how to advocate for themselves and others. Also, at the beginning of the year, they brainstorm the theme of their annual exhibit.
From Queens’ airports to Christmas at the Rockefeller Center and NBC Studios, the artists left no stone unturned in their captivating representation of the Big Apple. The works featured in this year’s exhibit show pieces from both people supported and the staff who support them.
The theme stemmed from the artists desire to visit NYC and take photos by the Empire State Building. Unfortunately, chartering a bus to the city was out of their price range and driving in individual vans didn’t capture the group spirit the artists wanted for the experience. So, they decided to bring the Empire State and New York City to the gallery.
One of the most popular landmarks represented was the Brooklyn Bridge. Richard Infante created a nighttime painting of it while Elizabeth Rondall created a rosy diamond art version. It took Elizabeth a month to complete it. She wants whoever buys it to feel the sensation of travelling over the bridge.
“I’ve gone over it plenty of times,” said Elizabeth. “I feel the sea air and see the people and the traffic.”
The East Meadow Art Gallery empowers artists to pursue their passion by creating work that is showcased and sold to the public. The funds are used to organize events like their summer beach trip and holiday party. Artists like Richard Infante have won awards for their art and created works shipped and sold to customers across the country.