"We're ready to wake up:" Art In and After Isolation

An automated, hospitable doorbell rings anytime someone enters The State of the Art Gallery on West State Street.

They are then greeted by one of the local artists featured in the current exhibit. The rectangular window at the front of the gallery reveals people walking by and peering into the endearing atmosphere.

Once inside, there are few indications of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. Along with the containers of clean and used pens next to the guest book, are the works of art themselves.

The State of the Art Gallery on West State Street, Ithaca, NY. February's exhibit, titled "Awakenings," was decided in light of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the coming of spring.

Many of the featured artists alluded to the pandemic as a factor in what they created, but more of them generally referenced the impact and relevance of change and rebirth.

Awakenings was the aptly-titled exhibit at The State of the Art Gallery in Ithaca, New York this February. Works from 11 of the current 24 gallery artists, also referred to as members, showed what has been inspiring them during this strange time, while also displaying a wide range of mediums in the artist-run space.

Gallery member Patty Porter describes the gallery itself simply as a place for the community, despite current restrictions and health guidelines. “The gallery is good in so many ways,” said Porter. “It’s a community for other artists, a place with nice walls to show your work.”

One artist whose work was impacted by COVID-19 is member Patricia Brown, who presented series of paper collages.

Brown made one non-objective collage a day during the initial lockdown. “I made over 200 collages that were just abstract. I couldn’t even put [a] subject to paper," said Brown.

The abstract works evolved into heart shapes when November 2020 saw a new president, along with the release of COVID-19 vaccines just a few months later. Additionally, Brown began moving into a new home.

“I felt hopeful for the first time in a long time,” said Brown.

Series of 40 4" x 6" collages titled "Retreat" by Brown, which explores the overall theme of home.

Patty Porter saw her own creativity shift when the pandemic kept everyone at home. She would take walks in the surrounding area by her home, and the views became her inspiration, shown in her oil landscapes.

“If we got out of the house, we would go on a country road that had no other people walking on it, and we would just walk,” said Porter. “And that’s where I got my inspiration for my paintings.”

"Cold Springs Road - Morning Light - 2020" (left) and "Marvin's Pond I - 2020" (right), both done by Porter. Both are oil paintings on gallery wrapped canvas and are inspired by the nature walks Porter took during 2020.

The State of the Art Gallery itself has also been making changes, especially regarding in-person events and visitors.

According to Porter, 2019 saw 7,702 visitors, while 2020 saw only 2,462 visitors. One contributing factor was the pause of opening receptions, in which gallery visitors could have refreshments while viewing the new exhibit, as well as meet and speak with the artists in person.

While the numbers are not yet back to what they were before, visitors are beginning to slowly grow once again.

“It’s definitely coming back, but we’re not there yet,” said Porter.

The artist-run gallery has had to undergo many changes in accordance with the COVID-19 pandemic, including meeting over Zoom and incorporating the option to buy art online.

Gallery member Vincent Joseph, the artist of the exhibit’s colorful acrylic paintings, also notes the removal of group critiques as an impact on the community of artists.

According to Joseph, it was beneficial to come together as a group and discuss a work-in-progress or a finished product. All 24 members no longer gather in the gallery to discuss exhibits or each other’s artwork due to health risks and concerns.

“Artists tend to work a lot in isolation, so it’s great to have another artist come and view your work,” said Joseph. “We would get together and critique the work as a group, and all of that has stopped since COVID.”

However, the new additions and features to the gallery’s website have allowed members to work around the problems that COVID-19 continues to pose.

Now, anyone interested in buying art from a gallery member can now do so online, which was not an option before the pandemic. This has proved to be beneficial, as art sales are better now than they were before, regardless of the change in visitor numbers.

“Even though the numbers [of people] visiting the gallery [are not] as high as we would like, our sales are doing much better. We’re communicating in different ways,” said Brown. “How [people are] going to visit a gallery and how they’re going to interact with the art has changed.”

One thing that has not changed is the love displayed by members for creating art.

Porter was an elementary school art teacher before becoming a member at the gallery, describing the position as being able to play every day. Joseph describes his curiosity towards how an individual’s experiences affect how they see the world around them, an idea he explores in his own work, with a heartwarming passion.

"Flowers and Books" (partial left) and "Green Vase II" (right), are both acrylic paintings done by Joseph. His work in "Awakenings" explores the idea of imagination bringing playfulness to standard, everyday items.

He expresses how artists, and people in general, are moved by different things and can be inspired by work done by other artists. “As an artist, [you say], ‘I want to understand the emotion that this painting is giving me.’”

The interest and emotion demonstrated by Joseph evokes remembrance of why viewing art is still important, especially during a time that has not hindered creative expression, but has molded it instead.

The term “awakening” is meant to be up for interpretation, and can refer to both the evolving pandemic and the coming of spring.

While there is no denying the unexpected longevity of the COVID-19 pandemic, the exhibit reminds gallery-goers that the negatives do not have to be the focus.

Patricia Brown had to paint the walls of her previous home white in order to sell it, then move into her next home.

“I really experienced a house that I had been in… become walls again,” said Brown. “Then, I moved into an empty house, and then started making that my home.”

Similarly, the walls of The State of the Art Gallery will be wiped clean at the end of this exhibit as well, in preparation for the next one.

Awakenings, as well as the gallery itself, reminds viewers that time keeps moving amidst an era of fear and oddity, while also acknowledging that things may never be the same as they were before.

The gallery is not an escape from the outside world, but instead approaches the unknown as a visual representation of hope during a time of uncertainty.

“We’re ready to wake up,” states Porter.