Tioga Arts Council (TAC) recently announced that Shell/f Life: Bugs and Books in an Ephemeral Feast, a temporary exhibition created by Joshua Marland and Natalie Montefinese, is on display now through July 27 at Cloud Croft Studios – Barn, located at 1003 Sanford Rd. in Owego.
On the final day of the exhibit, July 28, there will be a Join the Ephemeral Feast event. There, attendees will be encouraged to bring a “Picture-Perfect Picnic” and feast with the bugs and books, listen to Artist Talks by Joshua Marland and Natalie Montefinese, take self-guided garden and nature walks on the grounds at Cloud Croft Studios, and enjoy live music.
Space is limited for the Join the Ephemeral Feast event. Attendees are required to register and will be automatically entered into a raffle to win a free collaborative artwork created and donated by Joshua Marland and Natalie Montefinese. There is no entry fee for the exhibit or the event on July 28. Visitors can pay what they wish, and all donations benefit Tioga Arts Council.
To register, visit http://weblink.donorperfect.com/join_ephemeral_feast.
In this exhibit, visitors are invited into whimsical scenes made up of ephemeral objects that have gone through transformation. At some point in their lives, many insects live inside shells until they die. Books live on shelves and are often forgotten when they are no longer useful.
Guests can view the exhibit from noon to 4 p.m. or by appointment. To schedule an appointment, call Mike Poe at (607) 972-4859.
Insects have fascinated Josh Marland for over 15 years, and he displays his ever-growing collection as a way to connect to the community. He finds that mounting butterflies and beetles (among many other insect types) is a way to start conversations about the benefits of insects, the variety of insect morphology, and the beauty of nature’s patterns.
Aside from displaying insects, he has also raised beetles, and loves to read and talk about them. He’s an Owego transplant by way of Brooklyn, and he grew up in Rhode Island. He lives in the village with his partner and their scruffy dog Jack.
Natalie Montefinese has been an antique dealer for over 30 years, with a focus on books and paper. After years of disregarding less valuable pieces, Natalie came to find creative value in items once tossed aside. Now, two-dimensional pages come alive in three-dimensional art forms, bringing new vision to each page’s worth. Bits of nature are often used in her book sculptures, alluding to paper’s origins.
She lives in Owego with her fellow book lover, John.
Contact Christina Di Stefano at tiogaartscouncil@gmail.com to learn more about this exhibit, or any TAC related questions.
This event is made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA).
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