From left are Craig Brashear, Rebecca Kelly, Alison Haas and Kelley Tucker. (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

Brian LaVallee and Scott Renderer co-curated the exhibition “Divergent Spectrums: A Multi-Media Art Show,” which was held at Keene Arts from Friday through Sunday, Sept. 6-8. It is is part of the East Branch Friends of the Arts 2024 summer season of cultural events.

The exhibit featured 84 works of art created by regional artists who have received little or no exposure in Keene and a wide range of ages of the artists selected.

In addition, the opening on Friday featured music by Matt Dunne and Paul Meyers.

The featured artists were Mavis Agnew, Sam Cecil, Alison Haas, Judy James, Stephen Longmire, Shane McIntosh and Orra Sprague. Their media ranged from collage and ceramic sculpture to acrylic and oil painting, photography and watercolor.

Dune, president of East Branch, and board member Nick Gulley approached Brian and Scott to curate the show, which they did, including hanging the art.

Brian LaVallee and Scott Renderer, co-curators (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

“We were both included in East Branch’s exhibit last year, which is, I think, why we were considered for curating this year,” said Scott. “We decided to do a by-invitation exhibit and were looking to feature a broad and diverse spectrum of artists, ages and experiences. For example, I invited Orra Sprague, whom I have mentored for a number of years. I think she’s 14. I thought it was important to have her in the show and for Orra to have the experience of having her work exhibited.”

“I was looking for different people,” said Brian. “In the exhibits held in Keene, you see a lot of familiar names, so we wanted to pull in some artists who were not so well known and help their work become more visible. We drew from Saranac Lake to Plattsburgh; we pushed out beyond the valley.”

“For example, I saw Judy James’ work in an Upper Jay library show and other artists’ work at the Tahawus Art Center in AuSable Forks,” said Scott.

Tom Hughes, former publisher and editorial director of Adirondack Life, now of Lake Placid, noted that while the exhibit featured many landscapes, it included some very different work, such as Mavis Agnew’s large ceramic fish that incorporated driftwood in their construction and Haas’ collages constructed out of pressed flowers and other plants.

“I also like Sam Cecil’s photographs,” said Hughes. “They are quite good. So it’s a very mixed show, which I like. It’s nice to see that even in a small community, you can find a lot of diversity of work if you look for it. I don’t think I’ve seen the work of any of these artists before, so kudos to Brian and Scott for putting it together. They have a great eye for new stuff, which includes provocative work. It’s a great mix.”

Artist Shane McIntosh with his mother Barbara Darring (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

Rebecca Kelly, co-founder and artistic director, and Craig Brashear, co-founder and board member, of the Tahawus Art Center, are very pleased that a couple of their artists were featured in the exhibit and believe that such collaborations benefit the region.

“It’s very nice to see familiar names with new works in a venue new for us,” said Kelly. “We follow the work of the artists we know to see what they are developing, what new ideas they are pursuing, and it’s nice to see the works of artists that are new to us. It’s synergy. This cross-collaboration should be happening. We have a lot of artists in the AuSable Valley. The number of thriving, creative, dedicated individuals along the AuSable rivers is an unsung story. I think it’s a growing movement, and we should name and own it.”

One of those featured artists is Shane McIntosh of Saranac Lake, who was delighted to be in the show and see the works of so many artists whose work he hadn’t seen before.

“I think this is a fantastic show. There are so many unique pieces here,” said McIntosh. “I love the pressed flowers, the bird with bugs, the other oil paintings, the photographs and these ceramic fish are a great concept.”

Haas, who lives in Wilmington and grew up in Potsdam, said that when she was very young, her interest in turning pressed flowers into art began with a passion for collecting and preserving four-leaf clovers. Later in life, finding her pressed clovers in books her parents kept, she wondered what to do with them. At the time, now a mom, her daughter, then a toddler, inspired he to find, collect and press many colored flowers, and soon she began assembling them into the collages she has become known for today.

“When many first look at my work, they think it’s a painting, but when you look closely, which is what I want people to do, they pause and notice they are not paint strokes, they are petals,” said Haas. “Being able to put my passions into creating what I want to create now brings a lot of joy to me, and I hope to others.”

For the first time, Sprague exhibited nine pieces in the show, many of which were arresting portraits.

“I’ve been painting since I was very little,” said Orra. “I do it all the time to express myself in a way that words can’t. Painting people inspires me because there are so many ways to express a person and so many possibilities of what you can do. There’s no limit. There’s no one way that a person is.”

“I’m so proud of Orra,” said her mom, Annie Stoltie. “She paints in all her spare time. She’s passionate about it. It’s exciting that she’s been given an opportunity to share what excites her with other people.”

Stoltie praised Renderer for all the assistance, time and support he has given Orra, describing him as a great mentor.

Dunne said he was very pleased with this event, their second exhibition of local artists whose work was not well known. He said that last year they proposed the idea to Malcolm MacDougall, owner of Keene Arts. He agreed, and as the exhibit went so well, they decided to do it again, this time asking LaVallee and Renderer to seek artists outside of Keene.

“I thought the exhibit was incredible,” said exhibit viewer Charlie Cowan, of Lake Placid.

(Naj Wikoff lives in Keene Valley and has been writing his column for the Lake Placid News since 2005.)