Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) will be highlighting the work of its accomplished art faculty and alumni at its Annual Faculty and Invited Alumni Art Show, which opens today, Jan. 17, and continues through Saturday, February 17. This year the annual show will be held at MCCC’s Fine Arts Gallery, North Hall, West Campus, 16 High Street, Pottstown.
A Meet-the-Artists reception will be held Wednesday, Jan. 24, from 5-7 p.m. Both the exhibit and reception are free and open to the community. Everyone is welcome, especially students interested in art who will have the opportunity to meet some of MCCC’s art faculty and learn about the College’s Fine Art Program .
The exhibition includes a wide array of styles and media, including ceramics, sculptures, oil paintings, drawings, photography and digital arts.
One participating artist, alumnus Alfred Ortega, of Philadelphia, for example, is known for his bold use of vibrant colors in abstract paintings.
“I believe in being comfortable in the unknowing, said Ortega, describing his creative process. “After the paint is on the canvass, it starts to take life and I slip into the moment and seem to know when to add more yellow, more red or less red, and finally, I reach a point, where I tell myself, ‘stop, don’t touch it, it’s finished.’”
Another participating artist, adjunct instructor and alumnus Doug Smock, has taught part-time at MCCC for more than 17 years while working full-time as a director of creative services for Philadelphia publishing firm Wolters Kluwer Health. He will be sharing his narrative realism style artwork featuring a series black and white retro headshots of women with beehive-style hairdos.
“I like to tell a story with images,” Smock says. “I include a bit of nostalgia and an emotional quality to capture a mood and create an impact. It’s always interesting for me to hear people’s interpretations of the artwork.”
Participating faculty artists include: Keiko Lessing, Frank Short, Dianne Zotter-Mill, Patrick Winston, Lane Heise, Deborah Riccardi, Aina Roman, Sandra Scicchitani, Michael Price, Janice Trusky, Cheryl Gelover, Michael Connelly, Ron Dorfman, Doug Smock, Karen Kappe, Marlene Gaudio, Ryan Wheeler and Young Kang.
Participating alumni artists include: Maria Maneos, Alfred Ortega, Alice Chung, Clara Kim, Bill Vitiello, Becky Skeens, Jessica Libor, Michelle Lee, Frank Genuardi, Amy Stephen, Kathryn Noska, Victoria Rivers, Eunice Choi, Ally Super and Helen Webster.
The gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m. and Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Group tours may be scheduled by contacting Galleries Director Patrick Rodgers at prodgers@mc3.edu or 215-619-7349.
Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DestinationArts for information about upcoming performances and art exhibitions.
Help support the arts and art education programs at Montgomery County Community College by becoming a Friend of The Galleries. Donations are tax deductible. For more information, contact the College Foundation at 215-641-6530.
Photo caption: Artwork on wall: Flower of Silence, mixed media, 2012, and artwork on bench: Individual Time and Space, handmade mulberry paper, paper clay, clock and mirrors – both by MCCC alumna Michelle Lee.