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An exhibit of works by artist Diane Samuels entitled An Overview is on view through April 20 at the Richard A. and Rissa W. Grossman Gallery of the Williams Visual Arts Building, 243 North 3rd St.
A New York native and Pittsburgh resident, Samuels is well known in American and Central European art circles for creating extremely labor-intensive work, extracting from history and memory. Using materials ranging from glass to hand-cut silk tissue, she invites the viewer to step into a “micro-world” of nuance and intimate detail.
Samuels will give a brown bag lecture noon Tuesday, April 11, in Williams Center for the Arts room 108 (High and Hamilton Streets). A reception for the artist will be held 5-6:30 p.m. in the Grossman Gallery.
Samuels was winner of the first international public art competition sponsored by the Center for Jewish History. She has exhibited in museums since 1981, including solo exhibitions at Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, the Mattress Factory, Municipal Museum of Art in Györ, Hungary, as well as group shows such as Faith at Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art. In addition, Samuels is the author of eight books, including The Book of Alphabet Prayers; Methods: Objects; The Golems of Moravany; and Imprints and Artifacts.
The exhibit and related events are part of Lafayette’s Imagining America first-year experience.
Directed by internationally known abstract painter Ed Kerns, Eugene H. Clapp II ’36 Professor of Art, the 23,500-square-foot Williams Visual Arts Building is one of the leading high-tech facilities for art education and exhibitions in the nation. It includes sculpture and painting studios, a community-based teaching studio, the Grossman Gallery, a flexible studio area with movable walls for honors and independent study students, a seminar room, a conference room, and faculty studios and offices. Honors students, faculty, and visiting professional artists work together with area high school and adult art students through the Community-Based Teaching Program led by sculptor Jim Toia, director of the Grossman Gallery.
The building was recognized for excellence in design quality with the Silver Medal from the Pennsylvania chapter of The American Institute of Architects, the highest award given by the organization. It was chosen from a pool of applications by 100 practicing architects in Pennsylvania. It also received the Adaptive Reuse Award from the Easton Heritage Alliance.
Gallery hours are 10-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, contact the Grossman Gallery at 610-330-5831.