The O-town Scene

The Smithy crackles with creative opportunities By Elizabeth Trever Buchinger Whether you want to get your groove on, get on stage in a drama class or get your hands dirty at the pottery wheel, The Smithy-Pioneer Gallery in Cooperstown has a hive of creative niches all abuzz with inventive energy. The staid and solid stone building, known by many simply as The Smithy, on Cooperstown’s Pioneer Street just about a block from the flagpole intersection at Main Street is Cooperstown’s oldest surviving structure, built by the town’s founder and namesake, Judge William Cooper. This weekend, internationally acclaimed Malian drummer Baye Kouyate will perform in the courtyard at 7 p.m. Saturday. Inside, regional photographers’ work hangs in an exhibition titled “Statement” through July 28. The rest of the summer will hold more exhibitions, as well as a variety of classes for all ages, a Contributed Malian drummer Baye Kouyate will perform at The Smithy at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 9. $15/adult, $10/child. writers’ circle, pottery camp, concerts, storytelling events and an ambitious film festival to be co-presented with Brewery Ommegang. “Upstate New York is beautiful, but it can be isolating at times,” said Danielle Newell, who took on the role of executive director for the organization in the summer of 2010. “Our programs should be a chance for people within the community to build lasting relation- ships that both strengthen and are strengthened by the arts.” ART From Aug. 5 to Sept. 8, the gallery will feature an exhibition of work by contemporary American artist Wolf Kahn, whose work hangs in the Smithsonian, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum, the Museum of Fine Art in Boston and many other collections. The exhibit is a highlight of the gallery’s summer offerings, Newell said. Kahn is known for his landscapes that blend a modern abstract quality with a palette reminis- cent of Matisse. His paintings sweep between realistic and the abstract, with a clear, deep influ- ence by color field painting and expressionism. The latter is not surprising, as Kahn studied under the noted abstract expressionist Hans Hofmann. The second- and third-floor galleries will rotate exhibitions throughout the summer, includ- ing pottery by Mother Elisabeth Czwikla, Normandy Alden and Elizabeth Nields, paintings by Tracy Helgeson and Nancy Samstein, a juried show of work by young artists and more. Contributed The opening of an exhibit by artist Wolf Kahn will be at 5 p.m. Aug. 5 at The Smithy. 16 O-Town Scene July 7, 2011 CLASSES Long known for its lineup of pottery classes for adults and children, The Smithy has expanded its educational offerings across the spectrum of artistic disciplines. For adults, the studio will offer the traditional pottery classes and open studio time, as well as classes and workshops on plein air (outdoor) painting, bookbinding, mosaics and rod puppets. Continued on Page 17

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