I Am Everybody: Reda Abdelrahman
In Visible: DB Lampman
Old Timers, New Starts: Composite Darkroom Manipulations
February 25, 2020 | Staten Island, NY— Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden is excited to announce three new visual art exhibitions at the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art in Buildings C & G. The new exhibitions (I Am Everybody: Reda Abdelrahman; In Visible: DB Lampman; Old Timers, New Starts: Composite Darkroom Manipulations) will launch on February 29, 2020 in a free opening reception from 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM at the Newhouse Center. All exhibitions were made possible by the Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
“Our spring 2020 exhibitions are about connection, exploring the power of communication and community through different media,” said Melissa West, Vice President of Curation, Visual & Performing Arts. “Reda Abdelrahman’s I Am Everybody explores global humanitarian and environmental concerns through traditional Egyptian painting techniques while Alyssa Rapp and Raul Barquet’s Old Timers, New Starts illuminates hyper-local stories about business owners and entrepreneurs through their composite photography. And DB Lampman’s sculptural, installation work interweaves the space between language and meaning. Each of these exhibits invites audiences to experience these projects against the beauty of Snug Harbor’s 19th century buildings.”
I Am Everybody: Reda Abdelrahman
The 2020 Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art exhibition I Am Everybody explores the work of contemporary Egyptian painter and art historian Reda Abdelrahman. Contemplating the impact of ancient Egyptian history on contemporary Western culture, I Am Everybody delves into the social, humanitarian, and environmental complexities that emerge out of these divergent histories. Using form and visual language, Abdelrahman considers his own emigration from Egypt to the United States and the everyman archetype to bridge communication and understanding across cultures.
Reda Abdelrahman (b. Egypt, 1966) studied the fine arts at the University of Mania. He received a master’s degree in mural painting at the Faculty of Fine Art, Cairo (1995) and earned a PhD in the same field from the University of Minya (1999). Since 2002, Abdelrahman has worked in art and public art, including 32 solo exhibitions in Egypt and countries around the world.
I Am Everybody will be on display from February 29 – December 31, 2020 in the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art’s Main Hall Gallery. Snug Harbor and Abdelrahman will host monthly events in the Newhouse Center to dive deeper into the exhibition’s themes and provide a more meaningful experience to visitors year-round:
I Am Everybody: Ancient Techniques Workshop | March 7 | 11:00 AM | $10
I Am Everybody: Artist Talk with Dr. Reda Abdelrahman | April 4 | 11:00 AM | $10
I Am Everybody: Acrylic Monoprints Workshop | May 2 | 11:00 AM | $10
I Am Everybody: Interactive Painting Workshop | June 6 | 11:00 AM | $10
Tickets are available at https://snug-harbor.org/exhibitionevents/
In Visible: DB Lampman
In Visible is an exhibition of drawings and sculpture by artist DB Lampman which explore the tension held between two spaces, literally and metaphorically. Drawn and sewn threads stitch relationships between what we see and what we don’t see, what we talk about and what we don’t hear, and ultimately who we are in relationship to the world around us. It is about the visible and hidden ways in which we connect with one another and how our world is affected by the ways in which we do, or do not, communicate.
DB Lampman is an artist who specializes in large-scale sculptural installations, video, and performance art. DB is a former classical ballet dancer, and her artwork is inspired by movement and the relationship of the body to the environment. She received her BFA from Maryland Institute, College of Art in 1994 and her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in 1996. DB won a Pollock-Krasner Foundation award in 2000, and is a 2011 and 2014 recipient of a Premier Grant and a 2006 recipient of an Original Works grant from Staten Island Arts.
In Visible will be on display from February 29 – May 3, 2020 in the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art. With exhibiting artist Lampman, guests are invited to explore the themes and artistic practices of In Visible at these in-depth art workshops, open to all experience levels:
In Visible: Stitch and Draw Workshop | March 15 | 2:00 PM | $10
In Visible: Blackwork Embroidery Workshop| April 5 | 2:00 PM | $10
Tickets are available at https://snug-harbor.org/exhibitionevents/
Old Timers, New Starts: Composite Darkroom Manipulations
For years, artists Raul Barquet and Alyssa Rapp have interviewed and photographed small business owners who have been a part of Staten Island culture for generations. For this edition of the project, they will also highlight businesses owned by newcomers to this country. The artists strive to show the changing face of Staten Island as a multicultural community and also to deepen the support network for old and new locals alike. Old Timers, New Starts showcases the value the subjects place on skill, the investment they have in their communities, and their reliance on relationships with their local clientele.
Raul Barquet is an award-winning, multi-disciplinary artist and independent curator from Staten Island, NY. His artwork has been featured on the cover of FONT Arts & Literature Magazine, on New York 1 Television, on the murals of the 100 Gates Project, the Centrefuge Public Arts Project, and BKLYN House, and is included in collections across the globe.
Alyssa Rapp is a photographer, teaching artist, and dancer. Her work has been shown at the Affordable Art Fair by Concrete Utopia, Peninsula Art Space, Shoestring Press, and Snug Harbor’s Art Lab.
Old Timers, New Starts will be on display from February 29 – May 3, 2020 at the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art. Guests can explore the themes of the exhibition with Rapp and Barquet at one of these exciting participatory programs:
Old Timers, New Starts: Storytelling in Black and White (Pt 1) | March 8 | 2:00 PM | $10
Old Timers, New Starts: Hand Lettering & Typography Workshop | March 22 | 2:00 PM | $10
Old Timers, New Starts: Build Your Brand Workshop | March 29 | 2:00 PM | $10
Old Timers, New Starts: Book Release and Community Roundtable | April 19 | 2:00 PM | Included in $5 gallery admission
Old Timers, New Starts: Storytelling in Black & White (Part 2) | May 3| 2:00 PM | $10
Tickets are available at https://snug-harbor.org/exhibitionevents/
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden is located at 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY and is open from dawn until dusk, seven days a week. General admission to the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art is $5 ($4 for students/seniors, free for Snug Harbor members and students grades 6-12 with student ID). Spring-autumn hours are Thurs-Fri from 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM and Sat-Sun from 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden is a proud Smithsonian Affiliate.
Download: Press Release (PDF) | I Am Everybody image | In Visible image | Old Timers, New Starts image
All press releases can be found at snug-harbor.org/pressreleases
