For Immediate Release — Thursday, June 30, 2005

Contact:

Mary E. McCrank

Media Relations Officer

(585) 245-5516

mccrank@geneseo.edu

"Sticks and Stones" Art Exhibit on Display

at SUNY Geneseo's Lockhart Gallery

GENESEO, N.Y. — A group of friends who collect sticks and stones during their annual summer trips to the mountains have turned their found objects into artwork for a new exhibit.

"Sticks and Stones: A Group Exhibition of Art Inspired by Nature" — a grouping of found art — will be on display July 8-29 at the State University of New York at Geneseo's Lockhart Gallery. The installation will include everything from drawings to pottery with lids or handles made with roots to walking sticks and stones painted and transformed into sculptures.

The gallery hours during this exhibit are 1-4 p.m. daily. The opening reception will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, July 8. The Lockhart Gallery is located at 26 Main St. in the village of Geneseo.

Six friends — three couples — began traveling together to the Adirondacks about five years ago for summer vacations. Each year, they rent a few cabins near each other, using one as their art studio. During the day, they hike and collect objects, namely sticks and stones. And the rest of the time, they work on their art, share meals together and enjoy each other's company.

The couples are: Jonette Lancos and Carl Shanahan of Hemlock, N.Y., professors in the college's School of the Arts; Betsy and James Hoefen, longtime Whalen, N.Y., residents who now live in the city of Rochester; and Mary Lee and Reggie Page of Groveland, N.Y. Mary Lee Page is a retired art teacher in the Livonia schools, while Reggie Page is a metal artist with a studio in Whalen.

"Throughout history, different artists have been inspired by nature," said Shanahan, who added that Betsy Hoefen, an art teacher in Whalen and an alumna of Geneseo, spearheaded the project.

The exhibit will include ceramics by Shanahan, drawings by Betsy Hoefen and painted stones by Mary Lee Page. It will be the debut art exhibit for Lancos, who teaches dance at the college, and James Hoefen.

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