The Gallery in New Paltz hosted its third show on Feb. 16, called the Eros Exhibition.
The Gallery is a unique opportunity for artists to easily share their art with others. “There’s nothing for visual artists that you don’t need connections to get into, so that’s really what we were going for,” said Sean O’Neill, a member of The Gallery. As every person involved in The Gallery is an artist, they knew the importance of making art accessible.
For the Eros Exhibition, the visual art was set up museum-style, hung on the walls upstairs. On the ground floor, there was a bake sale and a space to mingle and connect. The basement was where the live music played and members of The Gallery set up tables for others to purchase their work. They wanted to have a space for their artists to get their stuff out, “now that the Thursday Market is done on campus,” said Greta Hahn, member of The Gallery.
Their first two shows featured visual art only, taking open calls for submissions from the community. “We didn’t think we would actually run out of room and then we got upwards of 20 submissions,” O’Neill said, speaking about their first show which took place in the fall. While The Gallery displays work from its own members, they try not to make it a habit to put their own stuff in, said Hahn. They have had people from New Paltz as well as other areas submit art, following their goal of accessibility and community.
After the success of their first two shows, The Gallery decided to start adding live music.
The Eros Exhibition featured two bands: Vael Sarela and In the Greenhouse. This show was particularly important for In the Greenhouse, as they made their debut. Talking about the combination of visual arts and music, Kade Fornof, singer and guitarist of In the Greenhouse and member of The Gallery, said, “the tying of the two together is celebrating all forms of art.” In the Greenhouse has been a few different names and groups of people, and The Gallery allowed them to have a space to debut this new era. “It’s really important to share expression and fun, fun above all.” Fornof said.
A limited number of spaces to share the visual art and music of young artists and new bands is what makes The Gallery special. Fornof shared that there needs to be as many spaces of experiencing the creations of your fellow peers as possible. O’Neill expressed how they had never heard of a house having a visual arts space and hopes that other places will follow after their time in the house is done. “The Gallery is going to be over, but that doesn’t mean the idea of making a gallery is over,” said O’Neill, sharing that it’s possible to make your own space and to build your own community.