ArtsWestchester Virtual Photography Exhibit

ArtsWestchester Virtual Photography Exhibit: Lawrence Sally Photography Award Exhibition: Due to the current New York State COVID-19 social distancing guidelines ArtsWestchester has released it’s Lawrence Sally Photography Award Exhibition on a digital publishing platform on their website. The virtual exhibition showcases 31 works from nine exhibiting Westchester artists including this year’s Lawrence Sally Photography Award-winner Arnold Katzenbaum.

This annual Award competition was started in 2018 by ArtsWestchester, the African American Men of Westchester and the Sally family to celebrate the life of Lawrence Sally who was an active member of both organizations. Sally who served over his career as Deputy Commissioner of both the Westchester County Department of Planning and Department of Transportation was also an avid photographer. His prolific collection of photographs chronicling his world travels include iconic images of the Grand Canyon, the Great Pyramids of Egypt and the streets of Havana from the backseat of a pink Cadillac.

The exhibition presents an eclectic range of styles from abstraction to photojournalism. Artist, master printer and this year’s award-winner Arnold Kastenbaum’s works present mundane objects in abstraction, creating an image, larger than the sum of its parts, that is ostensibly a new object altogether. Such as his Light at Middlebury College (upper left). All his works are in traditional black and white film and gelatin silver materials. “His photographs are like mysterious jewels – objects of wood in their own right” – Kathleen Reckling, Deputy Director of Public Programs, ArtsWestchester

Other artists in the exhibition show us portraits of life in our area and beyond. Like the work of Barry Mason who captures candid portraits of Mount Vernon daily life in a African Healing Circle, and a Step Team Performance on 3rd Street (second image left). Gina Randazzo’s overtly political portraits at World Refugee Day in Tarrytown will inspire many. And John Vermeer’s collection Sacred India including Laundry Day captures all the hope and piety of India envisioned in the 8X Academy Award winning movie Slumdog Millionaire (third left).

There are two photographs by Joseph Squillante that represent his year-long project to document the entire Hudson River – and Cube Squared (fourth left) one of his experiments with digital photography that reminds us of a next-gen Ellsworth Kelly Color Field painting. Jazz fans will appreciate Alan Haywood’s portraits of jazz musicians in live performances, that offer arresting compositions of light, shadow, texture and form. Another master of manipulating light, Howard Goodman’s black and white still lifes have equally great emotional impact.

Finally, two artists who chronicle very different worlds with different sensibilities. Margaret Fox captures iconic town landmarks in Sleepy Hollow including Christmas at Old Dutch Church, the Sleepy Hollow Light House and the Headless Horseman from Historic Hudson Valley’s famous Horseman’s Hollow boo-fest. And Tom Atwood captures whimsical portraits of LGBTQ life in his series Kings and Queens in Their Castles.

The artists in this ArtsWestchester Virtual Photography Exhibit represent Stamford, Ct, Mamaroneck, Sleepy Hollow, Ossining, Peekskill, Mt. Vernon, Hastings on Hudson, and Rhinebeck.

ArtsWestchester’s programs and services  help fund concerts, exhibitions and plays through grants; bring artists into schools and community centers; advocate for the arts; and build audiences through diverse marketing initiatives for many arts organizations throughout Westchester County.