New exhibits celebrate alumni artwork at FLCC’s two galleries

FLCC showcases alumni artwork, featuring the work of Melissa Newcomb ’02 and Dee Westfall ’14 at Williams-Insalaco Gallery 34 and ArtSpace36.

Finger Lakes Community College’s two art galleries – Williams-Insalaco Gallery 34 and ArtSpace36 – will showcase the work of accomplished alumni in exhibits set to open later this month.

The Biennial Alumni Exhibition in Williams-Insalaco Gallery 34 will showcase the work of artists Melissa Newcomb ’02 and Dee Westfall ’14, both members of the Keuka College art faculty. The exhibit will open Thursday, Jan. 30 with a 2 p.m. talk by the artists, followed by an appetizers reception sponsored by the FLCC Foundation from 4 to 6:30 p.m.

Newcomb, associate professor of art at Keuka, earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from the State University of New York at Oswego and master’s degrees from Oswego and Rochester Institute of Technology. Her vast portfolio includes a six-by-eight foot pen-and-ink mural of the Rochester city skyline, created for the office of Marathon Engineering. She was honored by the college’s Alumni Association with the Outstanding Alumni Art Achievement Award in May 2013.

Westfall, adjunct instructor of ceramics at Keuka, earned a bachelor of fine arts in ceramics at RIT after completing her associate degree at FLCC. The owner of Westfall Ceramics, she has participated in numerous gallery exhibits and has created pieces for commercial facilities and private collections.

Three additional art alumni will be celebrated just a few miles away, at the College’s downtown gallery, ArtSpace36. Jessica Marianacci Valone ’08, Erica Bapst ’98 and Michelle Garlock ’87  will be featured in the exhibit, also set to open Thursday, Jan. 30. A free, public reception and talk by the artists is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 13 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

 

After graduating from FLCC, Marianacci Valone went to Alfred University, where she earned a bachelor of fine arts with a concentration in ceramics. She completed an apprenticeship at the Rochester Folk Art Guild and is now a studio potter with her own business, JMV Ceramics. She was back on campus this past May as an inductee in FLCC’s Athletic Hall of Fame for her many achievements as a national track and field champion.

Bapst earned a bachelor of fine arts in metalsmithing from Syracuse University in 2001 and ran a jewelry boutique, Adorn, for several years in the storefront that now houses ArtSpace36. Her community contributions and achievements have garnered several awards through the years, including an Outstanding Alumni Art Achievement Award from the FLCC Alumni Association.

Garlock earned a bachelor of science degree in art therapy from the College of New Rochelle and a master’s degree from SUNY Brockport. Her career has included positions at Happiness House and with area schools, including her current post as a teacher at Lima Christian School. She and her husband, Gary, own Master Peace Painting & Construction. The business combines his construction background with her work as a painter, specializing in faux finishing, a craft she studied in New York City, Italy and France. In addition to her professional pursuits, she has volunteered with organizations including the Canandaigua Rotary Club. Honors include a Rotary Paul Harris Award and an Outstanding Alumni Art Achievement Award.

Opening events for the Williams-Insalaco Gallery 34 and ArtSpace36 exhibits are free and open to all. The exhibits run through Feb. 28.

For more information about Williams-Insalaco Gallery 34, contact Barron Naegel, gallery director, at (585) 785-1369 or Barron.Naegel@flcc.edu. For more on ArtSpace36, contact Liz Brownell, professor of graphic design, at (585) 785-1359 or Liz.Brownell@flcc.edu.

Williams-Insalaco Gallery 34 is located on the first-floor of the main campus, 3325 Marvin Sands Drive, Canandaigua. ArtSpace36 is located at 36 S. Main St., adjacent to the storefront that housed the first art classes for the then-Community College of the Finger Lakes.