Spotlight on the Arts
CAMP Rehoboth Puts Art at the Heart of Our Community
CAMP Rehoboth's Visual Arts Program highlights our community’s unique history and culture, and serves to further diversity, equity, and inclusion by building unity and understanding. It is a new year, and in the February issue, the plans for 2023 were highlighted. In this issue, there is additional information about the current exhibition and what is in store over the coming months. Mark your calendars and get ready for a season that shines a light on the talents of our community! ▼
Connections
On display through April 17, 2023
Artists’ Reception: March 11, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
We live in a world of many connections and shared experiences—both personal and via the digital world. In Connections, on display at CAMP Rehoboth from March 10 through April 17, developing artists aged 16 to 21 years share their voices through a youth-focused lens. The artists’ reception on Saturday, March 11, will provide an opportunity to celebrate these artists and their talent.
Art gives meaning to our lives and helps us understand the world. The creation of art facilitates a deeper understanding of emotions, promotes self-awareness, and allows for consideration of new ideas and experiences. In Connections, the 11 exhibiting artists* explore these themes and emotions such as isolation, relationships, anger, love, belonging, and more.
In this juried art exhibition, the selections, which were made by a team of community members, incorporate works in a broad range of media: painting, charcoal sketches, photography, digital art, mixed media, and sculpture.
All can learn from the perspectives of these talented young artists. ▼
*Cryslan Arceneaux, Lillianna Berkey, Tatum Friend, Madison Laird, Lo Parks, Charlie Selders, Samantha Strunk, Bea Stryjewski, Willow Troise, Sabina Troncone, and Hannah Worth.
They reside in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware.
Images
My Lady by Bea Stryjewski; Drowning by Samantha Strunk; Lost Eyes by Tatum Friend; Snakes in the Grass by Hannah Worth.
This program is supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on DelawareScene.com.
FEST ART 2023!
April 21 to May 26, 2023
Artists’ Reception: April 28, 2023, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Up next is what may be CAMP Rehoboth’s largest community art exhibition of the year, FEST ART 2023! Held in conjunction with CAMP Rehoboth’s Women’s FEST, this juried exhibition celebrates women in the arts and is open to all.
The juror for FEST ART 2023! is Delaware artist Roberta Tucci. She creates paintings and drawings of vigorous color and patterns to explore organic forms, material objects, calligraphic shapes, and the dynamic interacting spaces between them. Her unique artwork is represented in private collections and diverse public locations including churches, spas/resorts, and museums. And she was a previous exhibitor at CAMP Rehoboth! You may view Roberta’s work at RobertaTucciStudio.com.
If you are interested in submitting your art for consideration in FEST ART 2023!, visit CAMP Rehoboth’s website at camprehoboth.com. Under Programs, Arts & Culture, then Visual Arts, you will find the Call for Artists for FEST ART 2023! in the lefthand column.
Murray Archibald in a Solo Show
June 10 to 30, 2023
Opening Reception: June 10,
4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
During the pandemic and after emerging from it, Murray has been busy in the studio creating new art. CAMP Rehoboth is honored to host Murray’s solo exhibition where he will share his latest work.
Be among the first to see how Murray’s creativity and art has evolved. Known for his use of color, now layered with underlying texture and patterns, his art reflects his deep love and passion for life, spirit, and community. ▼
artist SPOTLIGHT
Dan Bartasavich
This month, Letters had the good fortune to talk with local artist Dan Bartasavich. Dan and his long-term partner (23 years!), Duane, have lived in the area since 2012. They and their two bulldogs love the area and the people.
Dan works in mediums ranging from paper to found-object sculpture; from reclaimed paint to photography. His most recent solo exhibit, at The Manos Gallery in Tarentum, Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh), featured nearly 100 works. Locally, he’s exhibited at the CAMP Rehoboth gallery. He’s working now toward a Pride show at The Manos Gallery.
CR: So—what sort of pieces are you working on right now?
DB: Each year, I choose a theme for the year. For 2023, it’s “The Gifts of Love and Life.” Working within that, I’ve got about 100 works on paper in progress.
And then there are the large paintings—the one next to me is 5x6 feet; there are 20-30 of them (but not all are that large). Those are made 100 percent from reclaimed paint and other found objects. The theme of that series is “In the Music, I Am the Melody.”
CR: How do you define success as an artist? Do you feel you’ve achieved success?
DB: I feel I’m successful because I’ve never been more satisfied or happier than I am now with the growth I see in my work. I’m not motivated by money; I’m just driven, creatively, to “get it out.” For me, a piece that makes me remember a time or event, or which always evokes an emotion, is a success.
CR: CAMP Rehoboth gallery’s March exhibit, Connections, will feature young artists, age 16-21 years. What advice would you offer a young person interested in pursuing art?
DB: My number one piece of advice, as they approach a new piece, is to ask themselves some questions: What is my intention? What am I trying to say? What’s my voice?
I’d also strongly advise that they partner with someone—art isn’t created in a void. Remember the maxim, “steal like an artist”—study, mash-up, transform, remix. Build on what came before.
Also—ask: can I devote myself to this piece till it’s finished? (Of course, it’s been famously said that a work is never completed; it’s merely abandoned.) That aside, I think there’s real value in sticking with a piece, even one you think isn’t going anywhere. Don’t give up till you surprise yourself.
Of course, there also are practicalities. Like:
• Create a space of your own in which to work. It may be just a table someplace, but it needs to be someplace where you can make a mess.
• Set aside a RIGID time in your day to work on your art. Just like some folks commit to time at the gym, the artist needs to commit to work on their art.• Warm up before you start a piece—just like you would at the gym.
• Play a LOT with your materials—see what they do, how they look, what happens when you let yourself experiment.
• Don’t pigeonhole yourself into just one (or a few) mediums—open yourself up; being uncomfortable can be a great thing.
I’d also offer just an observation: the world needs artists; it needs creatives. Though come to think of it, “artist” is a noun. Who wants to be a noun? I’d rather be a verb. Being an artist is an identity.▼