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Irondequoit, N.Y. —
I Square developer Mike Nolan says “it’s all their fault.”
“They” are artists Zanne Brunner, of Irondequoit, and Courtney Gruttadauria, of Penfield, who now find themselves codirectors of what may be Irondequoit’s first-ever art gallery,
I-Square Visions, which opened to a huge crowd that spilled out onto the sidewalk in front of 693 Titus Avenue last month. As of early this month, five pieces in the inaugural show had already sold.
The gallery’s first show, featuring all Irondequoit artists, wraps up tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 16.
The next exhibit, a Holiday Show featuring 15 artists, most of them invited friends of the directors, opens Dec. 23 and will remain on view through Feb. 3. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. The opening reception won’t be until after the holidays, from 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 14.
The third show is already being called “Figurative Fusion” and will run from Feb. 6 to March 2 and have an opening Feb. 11. It will feature the work of six artists, including Gruttadauria and Brunner, who get together on Tuesday nights to do figure drawing.
The directors met in 1992, when Courtney was a student in Brunner’s art class in Webster schools.
Brunner subsequently retired from teaching, after a 30-year career, and Gruttadauria now is in her 12th year of teaching art in the Webster district. For about five years, they had studios across the hall from one another in the Hungerford building in downtown Rochester, and they more recently have been cochairwomen of exhibits for the Arena Group of artists in Rochester.
The two are also responsible for the mural on the east side of the Cooper Del building in Irondequoit and met Nolan when they were in the midst of that project. He asked them to paint some windows, featuring his ideas for I Square, across the street this summer.
“So we abandoned ship, so to speak, for a day or two,” Brunner said with a smile. “Then one day, we happened to mention to Mike that the space he’d be using for a development office would make a great gallery, too.”
Nolan, in turn, asked what they’d need to make it work. New lighting and a coat of paint later ... The I-Square Visions gallery now shares space with the I Square office at 693 Titus.
Brunner has always envisioned a community gallery, and in fact once had a sabbatical from teaching, found a building in Webster that needed to be moved, and developed a plan for it to become a gallery. Sadly, it never materialized because a school official said “no.”
I Square developer Mike Nolan says “it’s all their fault.”
“They” are artists Zanne Brunner, of Irondequoit, and Courtney Gruttadauria, of Penfield, who now find themselves codirectors of what may be Irondequoit’s first-ever art gallery,
I-Square Visions, which opened to a huge crowd that spilled out onto the sidewalk in front of 693 Titus Avenue last month. As of early this month, five pieces in the inaugural show had already sold.
The gallery’s first show, featuring all Irondequoit artists, wraps up tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 16.
The next exhibit, a Holiday Show featuring 15 artists, most of them invited friends of the directors, opens Dec. 23 and will remain on view through Feb. 3. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. The opening reception won’t be until after the holidays, from 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 14.
The third show is already being called “Figurative Fusion” and will run from Feb. 6 to March 2 and have an opening Feb. 11. It will feature the work of six artists, including Gruttadauria and Brunner, who get together on Tuesday nights to do figure drawing.
The directors met in 1992, when Courtney was a student in Brunner’s art class in Webster schools.
Brunner subsequently retired from teaching, after a 30-year career, and Gruttadauria now is in her 12th year of teaching art in the Webster district. For about five years, they had studios across the hall from one another in the Hungerford building in downtown Rochester, and they more recently have been cochairwomen of exhibits for the Arena Group of artists in Rochester.
The two are also responsible for the mural on the east side of the Cooper Del building in Irondequoit and met Nolan when they were in the midst of that project. He asked them to paint some windows, featuring his ideas for I Square, across the street this summer.
“So we abandoned ship, so to speak, for a day or two,” Brunner said with a smile. “Then one day, we happened to mention to Mike that the space he’d be using for a development office would make a great gallery, too.”
Nolan, in turn, asked what they’d need to make it work. New lighting and a coat of paint later ... The I-Square Visions gallery now shares space with the I Square office at 693 Titus.
Brunner has always envisioned a community gallery, and in fact once had a sabbatical from teaching, found a building in Webster that needed to be moved, and developed a plan for it to become a gallery. Sadly, it never materialized because a school official said “no.”
The two artists have a contract to operate the gallery at I Square for at least a year — the building they’re in is slated for demolition about a year from now — and plan to hang about one show a month.
“We do have a schedule, a structure — and a contract,” Brunner said, adding that she’s opening they can anchor their show openings on the second Saturday of each month, and begin to offer artist talks in conjunction with the exhibits.
While she still considers herself “a painter” first, Brunner said she has been pleased with the amount of community enthusiasm for the new gallery.
“And we don’t want our gallery to be an intimidating experience ... we want people to come,” Gruttadauria added.
Exciting things are happening.
Brunner met an artist, Ed Buscemi, who she didn’t know before but who lives just a block from her own home. His work will be included in the Holiday Show.
Then a father and daughter came to the inaugural show, and Brunner learned that the 11-year-old, Emma, loves art. She may begin working with her.
“We both feel so many connections can be made through this place and through the arts,” Gruttadauria said.
Nolan says he hopes to see the arts continue in the I Square project, but also recognizes “they don’t generate a lot of revenue.”
On the other hand, the arts do have the ability to bring people into an area, he acknowledged.
