At the upcoming February show in the Members’ Lounge at the Arts Society of Kingston (ASK), the painted image comes to life. In an unusual twist, the exhibition “Hearts and Flowers,” titled in time for Valentine’s Day, will feature floral still-lifes by ASK members side by side with real-life bouquets inspired by the paintings. Eight florists are participating: Burgevin Florists, Flowers by Maria, Adam’s Fairacre Farms, the Flower Nest, Bella Flowers, Blooming Boutique, Brown’s Florists and A Night in Bloom. The arrangements will be raffled off during the opening reception on Saturday, February 4 between 5 and 8 p.m. Raffle tickets cost $3 each.
Meanwhile, the Main Gallery will feature a show of film photography by area high school students, titled “A Light in the Dark”; the opening reception will take place at the same time. The black-and-white photographs, which were taken by the students and developed by them in the darkroom, have been selected by four educators: Debra Tampone, Art teacher at Kingston High School, who organized the show; and Art teachers Stewart Schuenemann from Onteora High School, Mary Rappleyea from New Paltz High School and Beverly Bennett from Rondout High School.
Going against the grain of digital technology and such widely used tools as Photoshop, the participating students have gone back to basics, enhancing the expressiveness of their images through expertise and experimentation in the darkroom. Their commitment and engagement with the time-honored process has imbued their work with fresh meaning. The images range from intimate portraits to a graffiti-scrawled industrial building façade to the scene of a girl seated on railroad tracks that dissolve into the distance, transforming physical space into a psychic state.
ASK is located at 97 Broadway in Kingston’s Rondout District. Besides art exhibitions, the full-fledged regional arts center offers performances and readings of plays, concerts and a wide range of workshops and classes. For more information, visit www.askforarts.org.
Join the family! 
