CLOSING RECEPTION: JUANITA GUCCIONE: DEFIANT ACTS With Remarks by Djelloul Marbrook, son of Juanita Guccione Saturday, November 1 5:30-7:00pm Seligmann's Studio Free Juanita Guccione (1904-1999) is one such artist whose work -- and life -- mirrored the radically creative and philosophical underpinnings of Surrealism. Guccione infused social realism, cubism, surrealism and abstraction with her own indefinable and audacious style, creating an independent mythology and challenging social conventions in her art and life. Women populate her canvases in wonderland environments, alongside animals, architecture, and fantastical landscapes, at times hinting to world events, other times mystic explorations. The writer and poet Anais Nin said of Juanita, “Few people can paint the world of our dreams with as much magic, precision and clarity.” Guccione’s work continued to evolve and elude the interpretations of critics worldwide – ultimately to her peril, as her name and art fell into relative obscurity.  The art critic Michael Welzenbach of the Washington Post writes that Guccione’s “single-minded approach to her work, [her] willingness to follow its development wherever that might lead…locates [her] squarely among the few but formidable ranks of the modernist avant-garde – a group whose integrity and vision will not be seen again in this century.” Djelloul Marbrook is the author of five books of fiction and three poetry books, Far from Algiers (2008, Kent State University Press, winner of the 2007 Wick Poetry Prize and the 2010 International Book Award in poetry), Brushstrokes and glances (2010, Deerbrook Editions), and Brash Ice (forthcoming late 2014, Leaky Boot Press, UK).  His poems have been published by American Poetry Review, Barrow Street, Taos Poetry Journal, Orbis (UK), From the Fishouse, Oberon, The Same, Reed, Fledgling Rag, Poets Against the War, Poemeleon, Van Gogh's Ear Anthology, Atticus Review, Deep Water Literary Journal, and Daylight Burglary, among others. He lives in the mid-Hudson Valley with his wife Marilyn. WRITING WORKSHOP WITH TERESA MARTA COSTA READING WITH LAUREN CAMP Saturday, November 1 Workshop: 1:00pm, Reading 3:30pm Seligmann's Studio Free Teresa Marta Costa will present a workshop on writing and the avant-garde. Costa is the author of Cosmic Orgasms, CO2- What We breathe Out, and Bon(e) Appetit(e).  Her work has appeared in numerous journals including Mombacchus Journal, The Woodstock Times, Chronogram, Home Planet News, and Wildflowers; an Woodstock Anthology.  She is also known for her work producing readings in the Hudson Valley, in the past at the Cross St. Gallery and presently at the Bohemian Book Bin.  Her poetic influences include Captain Beefhart and Alice Cooper. Lauren Camp is the author of two volumes of poetry, most recently The Dailiness, winner of the National Federation of Press Women 2014 Poetry Book Prize and a World Literature Today “Editor’s Pick.”  Her third book, One Hundred Hungers, was selected by David Wojahn for the Dorset Prize, and is forthcoming from Tupelo Press.  She is the winner of the Más Tequila Review Margaret Randall Poetry Prize and the 2012 Anna Davidson Rosenberg Poetry Award.  Her work has also appeared in Tinderbox Poetry Journal, Beloit Poetry Journal, The Laurel Review, Nimrod and elsewhere.   She hosts Audio Saucepan, a global music/poetry program on Santa Fe Public Radio.  More information is available at www.laurencamp.com. POTLUCK SUPPER Wednesday, November 5 7:00pm Seligmann's Studio Free There's a seat for you at the table! Enjoy a good meal with others from the community. Held on the first Wednesday of each month, our Potluck Suppers provide a space for people to meet, eat, and share. Please bring a dish to share along with your own plate and cutlery. All are welcome.  AN UNWRAPPING: THREE SELIGMANN WORKS RETURNED & A LECTURE BY STEPHEN ROBESON MILLER On view for one night only.  Friday, November 7, 7:00-9:00pm Seligmann's Studio Free In August 2014, three of Seligmann's paintings, executed in Paris, were returned to the Seligmann Center. Join us for a one-night exhibition, reception, and lecture by author, scholar, and curator Stephen Robeson Miller.  GONG PUJA: AN ALL NIGHT FULL MOON GONG MEDITATION Saturday, November 8, 9:00pm-6:30am (November 9) Seligmann's Studio  $65, Register Throughout the night and into the early morning, seven gong players will rotate every 45-50 minutes while guests relax and sleep with the vibrations of the gongs. In the early morning, the gongs will become silent and the puja will end. Participants will rise on their own time, before sharing breakfast. Finally, the group will return to the Puja space to review their experiences. OPENING RECEPTION:MAGICAL EVENTS Friday, November 14, 7:00pm-9:00pm Seligmann’s Studio and Foyer Gallery Free A national, juried, small-works exhibition featuring works by 27 artists. Exhibited in Seligmann's Studio and Foyer Gallery (located in the Robert Fagan Art Library).

LEIF VOLLEBEKK

Leif Vollebekk spent two years searching for perfect takes. This search took him from his home in Montreal to a studio in Manhattan, from a farmhouse in Woodstock, NY to a mansion outside Paris, and the result is a dusty, polished, new, old record called North Americana. "I wrote the songs, I found the best band in the world, and then all I had to do was find the right studio, for the right take," he says. "And it took forever." After his 2010 debut, Vollebekk knew the kind of album he wanted to make next: a record like the ones he loves by Gillian Welch or Ryan Adams, that feel old and familiar even when they're new. But also a record that speaks to the listener through its lyrics, with songs "that can hold up in a storm," that are packed full of perfect little mistakes. So he started writing. Ten new songs, the best he had ever written, with lines about love and the end of love, about journeys and homecoming, about the death of friends and drinking yourself dry. Now Vollebekk laughs: "I thought the record was done when I was finished writing the songs. 'All we need to do is record it!'" But when you're searching for the perfect take, recording is no small task. It happened only piece by piece, session by session, song by song, over the course of seasons. The players were these: Vollebekk, singing, playing guitar and piano, harmonica, rusty fiddle on "When the Subway Comes Above the Ground"; the jazz musicians Hans Bernhard (bass) and Philippe Melanson (drums). "I wanted to be able to roam with them wherever I go," Vollebekk says. Arcade Fire's Sarah Neufeld played violin, arranging her own parts. Joe Grass played pedal steel, and Adam Kinner played tenor sax. The heart of the songs were always recorded live, to tape. Old school, spontaneous, one real captured moment. To find these moments, they travelled. To Montreal's legendary Hotel 2 Tango studio, working with Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Coeur de Pirate, Godspeed You! Black Emperor). To New York City, working with Tom Gloady (Ryan Adams, Sigur Rós, Patti Smith). To La Frette studios, in La Frette-sur-Seine, France. And then back to Montreal, for one song at Breakglass studios. Vollebekk even tried recording with John Simon, the producer whose credits include Music from Big Pink and Songs of Leonard Cohen. At his home in upstate New York, Simon listened to "Cairo Blues," then travelled up to Montreal to record it. "There was just not a good take," Vollebekk says. "I ended up doing it a few months later, again at the Hotel, between takes of something else  and that's just how it went." North Americana took years. "All this time," Vollebekk says, "trying to get one take." But the result is a beautiful, alive, human  shambling ballads, noisy folk songs, vivid portraits of a 27-year-old's watercolour life. "I feel like I created a record from 1970something that no one's heard before," Vollebekk says. "I'm haggard and this record is all I got." http://leifvollebekk.com/ Opener TBA Doors: 6:30pm Show: 7:00pm All ages event. Limited seating available. Call 845.469.9459 to reserve seats.

Get Tickets

Date Oct 26, 2014 7:00 PM Admission Level Price Quantity Advance Tickets $15.00 ($16.52 w/service fee) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50  Seated and Standing Day of Show $18.00 ($19.62 w/service fee) Sales begin on Oct 26, 2014 12:00 AM EDT Delivery (United States - Change Country) Will-Call (No additional fee!)

JOIN THE SELIGMANN CENTER FOR A  FALL EQUINOX  CELEBRATION    SATURDAY,SEPTEMBER 27    BEGINNING AT 4:00PM   WITH    THE BREATHERS OF BROOKLYN, NY + MOE AND TOM OF WARWICK, NY +ART+VIDEO+FIRE+FOOD Join us as we welcome autumn with an evening of art, music, good company, and (simple) food and drink. The celebration will feature musical performances by the Breathers (Brooklyn, NY) and Moe and Tom (Warwick, NY) as well as a screening of "Fairfield, Iowa: A Transcendental Dairy" by Nicholas Wynia. Enjoy a second look at our exhibition,  "Juanita Guccione: Defiant Acts," or a studio visit with Olivia Baldwin, then hang around the fire, explore the grounds, and make an evening of it!  All ages event. Free.  Film still from "Fairfield, Iowa: A Transcendental Dairy" by Nicholas Wynia     ALL AGES WELCOME. AND IT’S FREE QUESTIONS? 845.469.9459     23 WHITE OAK DRIVE, SUGAR LOAF, NY 10918

JUANITA GUCCIONE: DEFIANT ACTS

Presented with Weinstein Gallery

On view September 13-November 1, 2014

Opening Reception: Saturday, September 13, 5:00pm-8:00pm

Lecture: Susan Aberth, "Women in Surrealism" Sunday, September 14, 2014 3:00pm

Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday 10:00am-3:00pm, nights and weekends by appointment

In Seligmann's Studio

Juanita Guccione (1904-1999) is one such artist whose work--and life--mirrored the radically creative and philosophical underpinnings of Surrealism. After a childhood in Massachusetts and Brooklyn, Guccione became a fashion model in New York City in the 1920s; rather than falling into the romantic role of 'muse,' she studied at the Art Students League before venturing to France, Italy and Greece, supporting herself through portrait commissions. From there she sailed to Egypt, eventually settling in 1931 in Bou Saada, an artists' colony in Algeria, amongst the Ouled Nail tribe. Traveling among Bedouin nomads in the Sahara, she produced a diverse oeuvre of portraits and landscapes that in1935 would be exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum, alongside works by Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. After the birth of her son in 1934, Guccione returned to New York, designing murals with David Alfaro-Siqueiros for the Works Progress Administration and studying for seven years with Hans Hofman. Guccione infused social realism, cubism, surrealism and abstraction with her own indefinable and audacious style, creating an independent mythology and challenging social conventions in her art and life. Women populate her canvases in wonderland environments, alongside animals, architecture, and fantastical landscapes, at times hinting to world events, other times mystic explorations. The writer and poet Anais Nin said of Juanita, "Few people can paint the world of our dreams with as much magic, precision and clarity." Guccione's work continued to evolve and elude the interpretations of critics worldwide-- ultimately to her peril, as her name and art fell into relative obscurity. 

The art critic Michael Welzenbach of the Washington Post writes that Guccione's "single-minded approach to her work, (her) willingness to follow its development wherever that might lead...locates (her) squarely among the few but formidable ranks of the modernist avant-garde--a group whose integrity and vision will not be seen again in this century."

LECTURE

Renowned author and art historian, Susan L. Aberth wrote the first monograph on the artist Leonora Carrington, Leonora Carrington: Surrealism, Alchemy and Art (2010), and is currently writing for the upcoming monograph of Juanita Guccione. Susan is recognized for her research in the fields of women artists and the Surrealist movement, as well as all Latin American art. She received her PhD in Art History from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and is currently an Associate Professor of Art History at Bard College.

The exhibition and lecture are presented in partnership with Weinstein Gallery of San Francisco, California. The exhibition and lecture will be presented in Seligmann's Studio. Admission is free. 

Juanita Guccione, Symphony in Orange, Oil on canvas, 27 x 34", 1937 

CALL FOR ARTISTS

MAGICAL EVENTS: A SMALL WORKS EXHIBITION

The Seligmann Center, welcomes submissions for its upcoming exhibition, Magical Events: A Small Works Exhibition, on view November 14-January 3.  Artists are invited to submit two-dimensional and three-dimensional works of any medium. There is no width restriction, however works may not exceed 10” in height or depth, including frames and peripheral elements.  The exhibition will occupy two galleries on the Seligmann Center property: Seligmann’s Studio and Foyer Gallery, located in the converted barn and farmhouse.  Submission deadline: Friday, October 3. 

ABOUT

The Seligmann Center at the Orange County Citizens Foundation is an artist-run center located on the 50-acre rural homestead of Swiss-American Surrealist Kurt Seligmann (1900-1962) and his wife Arlette (Wildenstein Paraf) Seligmann (1906-1992). The Seligmann Center is committed to presenting readings, concerts, exhibitions, workshops, performances, and interdisciplinary works by emerging and established artists.  Founded in 2010 by the Orange County Citizens Foundation and a group of artists, the Seligmann Center offers several unique exhibition and performance spaces in its converted farmhouse buildings and throughout its grounds. In July 2014 the Center dedicated the Robert Fagan Art Library, the largest public collection of art books in the county.

The Center is located about 50 miles northwest of New York City in a vibrant rural area of Orange County in the village of Sugar Loaf.  The history of the site is palpable—Max Ernst slept in the Guest House; Marcel Duchamp shot five bullets into the barn foundation; Alexander Calder pulled prints from the very same press that is still in use today, and others, including Yves Tanguy, Kay Sage, Peggy Guggenheim, and Meyer Schapiro, spent time on the property.  In its four years the Seligmann Center has presented works by such notable artists as Robert Whitman, Hiroaki Sato, Jacob Kirkegaard, Katinka Fogh Vindelev, Philip Pearlstein, Chaim Gross, Forrest Myers, Cy Twombly, and Lynne Sharon Schwartz.  The Seligmann Center honors the Seligmann’s tradition of bringing people together and welcomes the new, presenting contemporary work that enriches, challenges, and connects.

THE GALLERIES

The Kurt Seligmann Studio is a 19^th century dairy barn modified with a full wall of north-facing windows (33 x 16’).  Foyer Gallery is located in the Robert Fagan Library on the second floor of the farmhouse. The gallery consists of four columns of six 2’ x 1’ shelves and two 8 x 8’ walls. In addition to these spaces, the homestead features Guest House Gallery, a cubic space for new media and site-specific work, a bog garden and trails, and expansive grounds for outdoor works.

TERMS

Submissions will be reviewed by an anonymous jury of artists.  Artists will receive notification by Friday, October 24. Selected artists are responsible for the shipment, delivery, and if unsold, return of all work.  Works needn’t be framed, but must arrive ready to be hung or displayed.  Artists may submit up to five images. All submissions must be accompanied by an image list with the title, medium, dimensions, and date of all works. Images must be formatted as jpegs, 72 dpi, with maximum (digital) dimensions of ten inches.

Submission fee: $25 for three submissions, $35 for four submissions, $45 for five submissions, payable through PayPal. The Seligmann Center will receive a 20% commission for all sold works.

SUBMISSIONS

Artists may send up to five images (jpegs, formatted at 72dpi) and an image list (with title, medium, dimensions, and year of all works) to seligmanncentersubmissions@gmail.com and pay the corresponding entry fee via PayPal. Please do not mail submissions—they will not be reviewed. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.  All submissions will be kept on file in the Robert Fagan Art Library.

Questions? Contact us: seligmanncenter@gmail.com

DATES

Submission Deadline: Friday, October 3
Notification by: Friday, October 24

On View: Friday, November 14-Saturday, January 3

Opening Reception: Friday, November 14

SUBMIT: seligmanncentersubmissions@gmail.com

ENTRY FEE

1-3 Submissions $25.00 USD 4 Submissions $35.00 USD 5 Submissions $45.00 USD

UPCOMING EVENTS

WRITING WORKSHOP WITH STEVE HIRSCH & POETRY READING BY MICHAEL GRAVES Saturday, August 2 Workshop: 1pm, Reading: 3:30pm Held in Seligmann's Studio Free  Steve Hirsch will offer a workshop titled “Capturing The Muse: A Workshop in Radical Imagination," presented by the College of Poetry, followed by a reading by Michael Graves, presented by Poetry on the Loose.  WORKSHOP Steve Hirsch is the author of Ramapo 500 Affirmations.  His work has also appeared in such journals as Hunger, Napalm Health Spa Report, For Immediate Release, Pudding, Big Scream, and Hazmat Review.  For many years he has edited Heaven Bone, one of America’s most exciting literary reviews.  He studied writing and theatre at Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado where he was a student and apprentice of Allen Ginsberg and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.  READING Graves is the author of Adam and Cain and Outside St. Jude’s.  He edits the journal Rattapallax and hosts the Phoenix Reading series in Greenwich Village.Interview and reading.  In partnership with the College of Poetry and Poetry on the Loose, the Seligmann Center offers a free workshop and reading on the first Saturday of each month.  CONCERT WITH STEVEN FRIEDER GROUP Presented with the Hudson Valley Jazz Festival Thursday, August 14, 9pm Free Hailing from the Hudson Valley, Steven Frieder has established himself as a versatile, and robust saxophonist, fluent in the styles of jazz, funk, rock, and free improvisation.  Frieder is an alumnus of The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, where he was awarded the honor of Valedictorian. Frieder has performed with Joe Lovano, Cameron Brown, Sol Yaged, Harvie S., Jake Hertzog, Jay Azzolina, Dave Gibson, Shunzo Ohno and recorded with Jon Burr, Bob Meyer, John Hart, Neil Alexander and other jazz artists. He is also a member of a number of New York City funk/R&B bands including Massive Brass, Roof Access, and Pete Ayres Band, as well as the Bob Meyer Project.  Frieder has taught extensively at the Lagond Music School in Elmsford, NY. He is currently the woodwind teacher at the Cortlandt School of Performing Arts in Croton On Hudson, NY. Frieder recently released his debut album with Luke Franco on Guitar, Peter Brendler on Bass and Bob Meyer on the drums and cymbals. Steven Frieder GONGS AND HIMALAYAN SINGING BOWL MEDITATION: SERENITY THROUGH SOUND Led by Lapis Studio Saturday, August 23, 6:30-8:30pm $35, Reservations Join Lapis Studio (Dean and Kat Baker) for an evening of harmonic energy at the Seligmann Center. With rare Nepalese gongs forged from the 16th, 17th, and 18th century and Himalayan Singing Bowls, Lapis Studio presents a fusion of shamanic and Tibetan traditions to offer a deep physical, and spiritual experience.   Please dress comfortably and bring a yoga mat, blanket, and pillow. Eye pillows and covers are highly recommended.  43rd ANNUAL MEETING & PICNIC  HONORING COMPOSER & MUSICIAN RICHARD KIMBALL WITH THE SELIGMANN CENTER AWARD Thursday, September 4th, 6pm On the Seligmann Lawn $75 Register Join us in celebrating the end of summer and welcoming the harvest! The event will feature delicious local fare, a preview of our exhibition, Juanita Guccione: Defiant Acts, remarks, and recognition of our 2014 Seligmann Award Winner Richard Kimball.  LOOKING AHEAD THE AIR PIRATES RADIO THEATRE:  SPACE CADET, TAKE ME TO YOUR LENDER Saturday, September 6, 7:00pm Seligmann's Studio $20  THE SELIGMANN CENTER AND WEINSTEIN GALLERY PARTNER TO PRESENT  JUANITA GUCCIONE: DEFIANT ACTS An exhibition on view September 13-November 1 Opening Reception: Saturday, September 13, 5:00pm-8:00pm LECTURE: "WOMEN IN SURREALISM" Presented by Susan Aberth, Professor of Art History, Bard College Sunday, September 14, 3pm Seligmann's Studio Free FALL EQUINOX CELEBRATION Saturday, September 27 Throughout the Seligmann Grounds SURREALISM SALON: LOUIS ARAGON Friday, October 3, 7pm Seligmann's Studio Free VISIT THE ROBERT FAGAN ART LIBRARY Open Monday-Friday 10:00am-3:00pm, or by appointment Explore our impressive collection of over 1,000 art books, generously donated by the family of Robert Fagan. The Robert Fagan Art Library is a reference library, equipped with  chairs for reading. The photographs and ephemera of Kurt and Arlette Seligmann are currently on display in the library.  As we continue to expand the collection, we appreciate your support and donations. Click here to make a donation or contact seligmanncenter@gmail.com to arrange a book drop-off.

7/27/14: The Seligmann Center and the Warwick Summer Arts Festival Partner to Present the Warwick Summer Dance Festival at the Seligmann Center. Admission by donation. 

8/2/14: The College of Poetry Workshop presents “Capturing the Muse: A Workshop in Radical Imagination” led by Steve Hirsch. Followed by a Poetry on the Loose reading by New York City poets Michael Graves and Robert Viscusi. 
Workshop:1pm, Reading: 3:30pm

8/14/14: The Seligmann Center presents The Steve Frieder Group as part of the Hudson Valley Jazz Festival. 9pm. Tickets: 845.469.9459

8/23/14: Tibetan Singing Bowls Presentation, 6:30-8:30pm 

9/4/14: Annual Late Summer Open House with Local Fare, an Exhibition Preview, and Recognition of the Seligmann Award Winner

9/6/14: College of Poetry Workshop Led by James Cotter(1pm), Poetry on the Loose Reading (3:30pm)

9/13/14: Opening Reception of Juanita Guccione: A Retrospective, 5:00pm-8:00pm. 


Unless otherwise noted, events are free and held in Seligmann's Studio (Second level of barn. Enter by rear parking lot.)
23 White Oak Drive, 
Chester, NY 10981