New Art at APL Exhibit Opens June 6 at Pine Hills
APL and Opalka Gallery celebrate the latest Art at APL exhibition, “Sight Specific,” with an opening reception on Friday, June 6, at 6 pm at the Pine Hills Branch.
The reception is hosted by the Friends and Foundation of APL, and also features The Pine Hills Band, and light fare. The art opening is free and open to the public.
“Sight Specific,” on display through Nov. 8, marks the tenth installment of Art at APL curated by Opalka Gallery. The exhibition program is funded by the Friends and Foundation of Albany Public Library, with additional support from the Arts Thrive and Grow grant administered through The Arts Center of the Capital Region and funded by New York State.
The new Art at APL exhibition presents artists whose close observations yield vivid, diaristic, recollective, and/or poignant depictions of the everyday world. Inspired by Opalka Gallery’s fall exhibition “Compass Roses,” featuring artist-made maps, this show presents works by artists who investigate and translate the uniqueness of a particular place. “Compass Roses” will be on view at Opalka, on the Albany campus of Russell Sage College, from Sept. 2 through Oct. 11.
The artists in “Sight Specific” are not directly mapping a place, but employing memory, direct observation, documentation, comparison, or abstraction, to tell stories of familiar places like gas stations, rest areas, basketball courts, backyards, living rooms, landscapes, industrial sites, or neighborhood streets. The work spans from an obsessive attempt at recording intimate aspects of place to imagery that appears distilled or refracted from memory. All leave us with still moments to reflect on these sites we may take for granted.
The exhibition features Michael Bach, Seth Butler, Matt Chinian, Sean Hemmerle, Susan Hoffer, Maeve McCool, Rob O’Neil, Andrew Pellettieri, and Laura Von Rosk.
Art at APL is a curated fine arts exhibition program at the Pine Hills Branch showcasing the work of contemporary artists connected to the Capital Region and beyond. The program, which began in 2013, integrates professional artwork into public spaces within the library, enriches the library experience, and gives visitors something interesting and educational to look at while they browse the collections.
Art at APL is funded by FFAPL, with additional support in 2025 from the Arts Thrive and Grow grant through The Arts Center of the Capital Region. Arts Thrive and Grow has been funded by New York State, Kathy Hochul, Governor. We thank Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins for her extraordinary commitment and leadership, and our elected officials who represent our grantmaking region: Senators Jake Ashby and Neil D. Breslin; Assemblymembers Scott H. Bendett, Patricia Fahy, John T. McDonald III, Angelo Santabarbara, Phil Steck, and Mary Beth Walsh.
Stephanie Simon
Stephanie Simon is manager of APL's Communication and Creative Services Department, which provides content and information for the library's website, social media, publications, videos, and other outlets. Stephanie also manages APL's public relations and marketing efforts.