Autumn at RTPI

Hello friends, and Happy October! What glorious weather we are having! Are you looking for a fall adventure? It's the perfect time to take a drive, come walk the trails through the preserve, and then wander inside to see our current exhibitions before they close this Sunday, October 8. Don't miss Art that Matters to the Planet: Interconnectivity and Joseph Grice: Taking Flight.

Art that Matters to the Planet: Interconnectivity

Noah DiRuzza, Gaea, 2021, mixed media & found objects

Margaret LeJeune, Two Trees Marigram from Thirteen Hours to Fall, 2022,

photo montage © Margaret LeJeune

Jack Elliott, Vorso, 2020, white ash, linseed oil paint © Jack Elliott

We'd like to share some comments from guests after they visited this year's signature exhibition, Art that Matters to the Planet: Interconnectivity:

“The rock stone, stick, camera sculptures – Absolutely Amazing!!!”

“This was a lovely exhibit, both thought provoking and disturbing at the same time. I especially enjoyed the contrast of natural and man-made materials.”

“You have all made the lines between in and outside blur. The importance of trees and how our impact can support or hinder is a constant reminder.”

“This was a very interesting exhibit. The artists really were varied in their work and thoughts. I found it refreshing, and it made me think about trees in different ways. Thank you so much for providing the space for this opportunity.”

Don't miss your chance to see this exhibition before it closes October 8.

Plan Your Visit

RTPI Plein Air Festival Winners Announced

We had beautiful weather for the second annual RTPI Plein Air Festival in September. It’s a privilege for us to see the beauty of Chautauqua County through the eyes of the artists that participated.

Congratulations go to this year's winners: Sara Baker Michalak (best in show), Judson Brown (1st place), Joe Rice (2nd place), and Donald Michalak (3rd place).

We'd like to thank our local partner locations once again, for providing beautiful vistas, including the Audubon Community Nature Center, Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, Jamestown Riverwalk, and Johnson Estate Winery.

Selected works will be featured in Chautauqua County en Plein Air, opening October 21.

Artwork below on left: Sara Baker Michalak, Impressions of the Meadow, paper collage, 2023, depicting the meadow at RTPI. Artwork below on right: Judson Brown, Early Departure, oil on linen, 2023, depicting the RTPI Pond.

Art After 5 featuring LTM Trio

The LTM Trio joins us this month for Art After 5!

The LTM Trio focuses on jazz and is dedicated to the works of the great American songwriters such as Gershwin, Mancini, and Ellington. They also mix in some Bossa Nova, and the funky sounds of Herbie Hancock, Ramsey Lewis, and more.

Included with each Art After 5 ticket is full access to the museum, along with a drink from the RTPI bar, charcuterie, and two hours of live music.

This month's Art After 5 featuring LTM Trio will be Friday October 27 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Put it on your calendar today!

Purchase your tickets today!

Spencer Frazer, Up in Flames, 2002, oil on linen © Spencer Frazer

Exhibitions Opening October 21

We're very excited to introduce you to three upcoming exhibitions opening October 21.

Small Worlds: Betsy Abbott and Spencer Frazer

With their intricately patterned art, quilt artist Betsy Abbott and painter Spencer Frazer embody the phrase that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, both in art and in nature. The works featured in Small Worlds serve as vignettes that capture single moments in nature, while also expressing larger concepts about the beauty and wildness of the natural world. By inviting viewers to participate as spectators–observing the moods and stories of specific places and species–Abbott and Frazer encourage us to reflect on our place in and impact on the world that we all share.

Ergo Sum: A Crow a Day

On August 1, 2014 Canadian-born artist Karen Bondarchuk set out to mark the passing time that her mother – diagnosed with dementia in 2010 – no longer could. For 365 days, she produced a crow a day on a hand-cut, hand-gessoed panel, remembering her mother as she once was and grieving her loss. The resulting work explores communication and an artist’s relationship to the world; it resonates for its depth, beauty, and elegiac and potent whimsy.

Chautauqua County en Plein Air

Selected works created during the 2023 RTPI Plein Air Festival will be on view celebrating the natural beauty we have throughout Chautauqua County.

Upcoming Exhibitions

Exhibition Opening Reception

Join us on October 20 from 6 to 9 pm for the opening of three exciting new exhibitions at RTPI: Small Worlds: Betsy Abbott and Spencer Frazer, Ergo Sum: A Crow a Day, and Chautauqua County en Plein Air.

We are very excited to announce that both Betsy Abbott and Spencer Frazer will be on hand to talk about their work.

The exhibition opening is free for RTPI members. For non-members, a regular museum admission fee is required.

Enjoy music by Mandy Majtan, charcuterie and a cash bar.

Join us for the Opening Reception

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