For immediate release: Two Major 20th Century Artists: Joel Perlman and Patrick Strzelec
Exhibition: October 7 – November 5, 2017
Public Reception + Artist Talk: Saturday October 7
5-8 PM; Artist Talk at 7:30
The Riverside Galleries at Garrison Art Center
23 Garrison’s Landing, Garrison, NY 10524
Contact: Becky Gordon, Exhibitions Coordinator [email protected] 845-424-3960 for high resolution images

Joel Perlman and Patrick Strzelec, two major 20th century artists, will be exhibiting in the Riverside Galleries at Garrison Art Center from October 7 through November 5, 2017. Both galleries will feature equally important work by these two artists who have secured their place in the contemporary art world. There will also be an Artist Talk during the opening reception, starting at 7:30 PM.

Pearlman’s recognizable open circular steel sculptures will be featured in the Gillette Gallery. In the adjacent Balter Gallery, Strzelec will present a single sculpture, titled Block Head, enveloped by a salon presentation of the artist’s drawings. Although in separate galleries, the exhibitions of these two notable artists work collectively and provide a glimpse of a lifetime of dedication to process and the mastery of materials. The two exhibitions are a collaboration curated by former Tallix Foundry President Peter Homestead who is also a Board Member of Garrison Art Center.

Circles and Squares is an appropriate title for the exhibition of sculptures by Joel Perlman. These are the shapes that have dominated his work for five decades. The process, or the journey, as he refers to it, is as important as the end results. The hand of the artist is evident as welded and file marks become part of each piece. These medium scale sculptures are mostly circular and suggest constant movement. Perlman’s interest in danger, machinery and things that go fast is obvious. The exhibition will include of both steel and bronze sculptures. The steel sculptures are welded, a direct metal process. The cast bronze works employ the “lost Styrofoam” method which, while not as immediate, allows for great complexity. Both results reflect a careful study of scale, form and material, and a joy of making sculpture.

Perlman is well known for both his personal and public scale works. He is a veteran of more than fifty one-person shows and has completed twenty large scale commissions. His sculpture is represented in numerous museums including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, The Hirshhorn Museum, Washington D.C., The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA, and Storm King Art Center, New Windsor, NY. Perlman is the recipient of a John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship; a National Endowment for the Arts Grant; and most recently a Pollack-Krasner Foundation Grant.

The installation of drawings and sculpture by Patrick Strzelec entitled maybe, maybe not will be on view in the Balter Gallery. This body of work provides insight into the experimental method in which the artist works. A wall of largely abstract drawings puts emphasis on the use of line and displays an understanding of expression and control. “I rely on drawings to develop ideas. I think through drawing,” Strzelec states. His drawings reveal a psychological or dreamlike experience that may or may not be realized into a larger idea. As the title implies, Strzelec prefers that the viewers make their own interpretation of his work. In the center of the gallery a bust-like sculpture entitled Block Head presents itself as an object to be revered. Upon closer look the ambiguity of this sculpture is quickly realized and things may not be as they seem. Strzelec’s approach is impulsive and intuitive. When viewed together as a whole the works in this exhibition distribute information and provoke thought.

Strzelec has been a recipient of numerous awards in sculpture, including the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship; the Ballinskelligs Project in Ireland; the Rome Prize, Rome, Italy; the National Endowment for the Arts; and numerous New Jersey State Council for the Arts grants. Patrick has shown with the Michael Schultz Gallery, Berlin, Germany; Jay Grimm Gallery, New York City; Gary Snyder Fine Arts, New York City; Barbara Toll Fine Arts, New York City; OH&T Gallery, Boston and the Garth Greenan Gallery in New York City. His work can be found in numerous public and private collections throughout the United States and Europe. Strzelec is a current Associate Professor at the Mason Gross School of Arts at Rutgers University and the former Rudolph Arnheim Lecturer in Sculpture at Harvard University.

The Riverside Galleries at Garrison Art Center are open Tuesday through Sunday 10am to 5pm. For more information about exhibitions and other programs please visit our website www.garrisonartcenter.org or call 845.424.3960