The Art Guild announces 2019 Members Showcase Exhibit Awards

The Island Now
Left to right: North Hempstead Town Councilwoman Dina DeGiorgio; First place winner Heather Heckel; Second place winner Alice Riordan; Honorable mention winners Joan Stevens and Laura Montilor; Third place winner Ilene Silberstein; Art Guild Executive DIrector Lisa Kaye Grossman; Art Guild Co-President, Shelley Holtzman. (Photo courtesy of Elizabeth McDermott)

The Art Guild celebrated the opening of its 2019 Members Showcase Exhibition on May 31. Nearly 250 guests were treated to a garden party reception on Elderfields’ sunny patio, with live music provided by Chris Kinnear.

This exhibit features the artwork of 80 artists in a wide variety of styles and mediums. Local dignitaries in attendance included Nassau County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (d- Glen Cove) and North Hempstead Town Councilwoman Dina De Giorgio.

Dr. Charles A. Riley II,  executive director of the Nassau County Museum of Art, was the juror-of-awards for this exhibition. Riley is a lecturer, art critic, educator and an author of over 30 books on the visual arts. “It was an utter joy to view [the] work closely, and it is wonderful to think of all this super painting, drawing and creating coming from a lovely house around the corner from my museum,” said Riley.

First place was awarded to Heather Heckel for her colored pencil and gold leaf painting, “Amanda;” second place was awarded to Alice Riordan for her terracotta sculpture, “Walt Whitman;” and third place was awarded to Ilene Silberstein for her oil painting, ”Bowl of Roses.“

Honorable mentions went to Joan Stevens for her oil painting, “Morning Ritual;” Laura Montllor for her watercolor, “Panacea;” and Donna Litke for her mixed media work, “Silent Speech.”

The Terri Shkuda Award for Broadening Creative Pursuits was awarded to Marceil Kazickas. This award is presented to the member who best epitomizes the four principles of the organization’s mission statement: “Encouragement, Education, Exploration, and Exhibition.” Kazickas is a board member and was instrumental as a liaison for the “Wallflowers” exhibit which hung at Northwell Health’s facilities in Lake Success. She is always one of the first to volunteer to help with events, exhibit hanging and receptions. Her positive attitude and encouraging words are always welcome.

The Art Guild presented scholarships to five deserving high school seniors who plan to pursue a career in the visual arts. Christine Chai, Plainview-Old Bethpage High School, Animation; Sarah Kim, Plainview-Old Bethpage High School, Animation, Massachusetts College of Art & Design; Emily Lee, Great Neck South High School, User Interface Design, Rochester Institute of Technology; Isabelle Lin, Manhasset High School, Architecture; and Ashley Zhang, Plainview-Old Bethpage High School, Photography.

The next exhibit in the gallery, “The Best of The Art Guild 2018-2019” from July 11 to August 25, will celebrate the exhibit award winners and scholarship recipients from September 2018 through June 2019. A call for artists has gone out for “About Face: The Portrait,” with a deadline of August 5. The exhibit will be on view from August 31 to September 29.

Five Summer Art Workshops for ages 5 to 8 and 8 to 12 are registering now. The workshops for ages 5 to 7 are July 8-12, July 15 – 19, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The workshop running from July 22 to 25 is sold out.

The workshops for ages 8 to 12 are July 29 – August 2 and August 5 – 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The fifth annual “CreARTive” will be held on Saturday, August 10 from 1 to 4 p.m. This fun and free art-focused afternoon is for children ages 5 and up and their families.

An Advanced Portfolio Studio for High School Students (grades 9-12) is being offered twice a week for six weeks beginning July 15. This course is designed to assist advanced drawing/painting/2-D design students to develop their skills and with an emphasis on their art-making process and creating a cohesive body of work.

Adult classes include New Strategies and Techniques in Portraiture (oil, pastel, charcoal or watercolor) with Robert Silverman; Get Sharper (all levels – drawing and other media) with Stephanie Navon-Jacobson; Oil Painting (all levels) with Joan Stevens; Abstract Painting in Acrylics with Kevin Larkin; and Beginning Drawing with Barbara Silbert. Please visit the website for dates, full descriptions and registration.

The Art Guild is located at Nassau County’s Elderfields Preserve, 200 Port Washington Blvd., Manhasset NY. For more information call 516.304.5797 or visit the website: www.TheArtGuild.org. The Art Guild is a not-for-profit 501c3 organization.

Left to right: North Hempstead Town Councilwoman Dina De Giorgio; Scholarship winner Isabelle Lin of Manhasset High School; Art Guild Co-President Ilene Silberstein; Scholarship winner Emily Lee of Great Neck South High School; Art Guild Co-President Shelley Holtzman; Scholarship winner Christine Chai, Plainview-Old Bethpage High School; Art Guild Executive DIrector Lisa Kaye Grossman; Board member Diane Bares. (Photo credit of Elizabeth McDermott)

Submitted by The Art Guild. 

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