‘OOPS! TOO LATE!’ and ‘Patterns’ Open at CAA Galleries
COOPERSTOWN—This Friday, April 14, the Cooperstown Art Association Galleries will hold an opening reception on the front porch from 5-7 p.m. for two shows, “OOPS! TOO LATE!” by Jules Feiffer in Gallery A and “Patterns” by Melissa Tevere in Gallery B. The exhibits are on display concurrently through May 10.
“OOPS! TOO LATE!” is described as a playful exhibit of current work by renowned illustrator Jules Feiffer, meant to surprise, give a sense of spontaneity to the viewer and give the illusion that the work hasn’t dried yet. The drawings presented are all new and allow the viewer see Feiffer’s view of the times we live in. Fred Astaire consistently dances throughout the entire exhibit, leading us through the joys and triumphs as well as the sorrows. Feiffer seemingly effortlessly creates movement and excitement with every line and brushstroke to paper; working from his heart, not his head. There is no pre-planning or goal, just his pure sense of self leaping from pen to paper. Contextual panels by Katherine Novko of the Cooperstown Graduate Program will be interspersed throughout the exhibit to give viewers a more comprehensive understanding of who Feiffer is and his creative process as it relates to this exhibit.
Feiffer’s “Village Voice” comic strip began in 1956 and continued for 42 years. It appeared in “The Observer” (London) and other newspapers and periodicals in the U.S. and around the world. His cartoons have won a number of awards, including a Pulitzer Prize, and have influenced several generations of cartoonists and writers. He illustrated the children’s book classic, “The Phantom Toll Booth,” after which he wrote and illustrated 19 children’s books. Among his plays and screenplays are “Little Murders,” “Carnal Knowledge” and “Popeye.” Feiffer’s hope was that his work would help make this a better world. The world has grown worse while Feiffer has gotten famous—as his friend Kurt Vonnegut liked to say, “So it goes.”
“Patterns,” in Gallery B, is based on Melissa Tevere’s visits to Otsego County and includes both small, straight-forward, plein-air paintings that reflect her interest in light and weather as well as larger studio paintings that use mixed media materials to expand the boundaries of the central paintings. These materials include writings by Cooperstown natives James Fenimore Cooper and Susan Fenimore Cooper, who wrote extensively about the New York wilderness and the connection between spirituality and nature.
Tevere, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1966, received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art in 1988. She spent a semester of her junior year studying painting in Rome, Italy, where her interest in the landscape was cemented. In 1987, she was awarded a fellowship to study at Yale University’s “Yale at Norfolk” visual arts residency program. Tevere is the founder of MamaCita, an award-winning Philadelphia-based women’s cooperative in the arts. She is the editor of two fine art and creative writing compilations, “Extraordinary Gifts: Remarkable Women of the Delaware Valley” (for which she wrote the forward) and “Forgotten Philadelphia: Art and Writing Inspired by Philadelphia Heritage Sites,” both published by Philadelphia Stories Books. She has exhibited extensively, including solo exhibitions at the Love Park Visitors Center, Philadelphia; the Smyrna Opera House, Smyrna, Delaware; and group exhibitions at the State Capitol building, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Goggleworks, Reading, Pennsylvania; Community Arts Network of Oneonta; and 25 Main Collective, Cherry Valley. Tevere is also a singer-songwriter, currently working on her first album, tentatively titled “Write Your Own Song.”
The CAA is located at 22 Main Street in Cooperstown in the Village Hall, on the corner of Main and Fair streets. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call (607) 547-9777 for more information or visit www.cooperstownart.com.
