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ImageTonight, July 3, 2009 will be one of the biggest arts nights of the year in downtown Ithaca, with the kick off of the 2009 Art in the Heart of the City Program, First Fridays Gallery Night, and the kick-off of the To-Let Art Program.

All three events are free and open to the public. The To-Let Art Program begins at 4:00 p.m. at the Bernie Milton Pavilion on the Ithaca Commons, while eight participating galleries will host open houses from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. and the 2009 Art in the Heart of the City kick-off reception and tour will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Commons Amphitheater, with several of the artists scheduled to attend.

Downtown Ithaca’s 2009 Art in the Heart of the City program features eight artists, which is up from three in 2008.This year’s theme is “Art for a Just and Sustainable Community”, and is an extension of the 2008 theme of Green and Sustainable Art. Many of the 2009 sculptures are made from recycled or reclaimed materials. The materials include an arrangement of benches made from adobe and reclaimed tile, to a sculpture representing “motherhood” made of wood and shale that are native to the Ithaca area.

The artists include Brooktondale’s Mary Beth Ihnken who’ll create a wall of panels that semi-circle some of the utilities on the ground level of the Green Street garage. Trumansburg’s Jay Seaman, whose “Gabby the Angelfish” sculpture already hangs at the entrance to the Green Street Garage walkway near Home Dairy Alley, will create steel and mosaic turtles and spiders to complement Gabby. Hiroshima Ghosts is a stainless steel and cement sculpture in Dewitt Park by artist James Fuhrman of Glenmoore, PA. Other 2009 Art in the Heart of the City Artists include Erica Ann Bush of CA, Estela De Paola Lerma of Minneapolis, MN; Drew Goerlitz of Peru, NY; Andy Moerlein, a former Ithaca resident now living in Bow, NH; and Rebecca Thompson of Tuscon, AZ.

The 2009 Art in the Heart of the City program is sponsored by the Community Arts Partnership and the Downtown Ithaca Alliance.

A highlight of July’s First Fridays Gallery Night is the Community Arts Partnerships’ Greater Ithaca Art Trail Member’s Show. The event takes place in CAP’s new offices, which also includes an ArtSpace. CAP recently moved to Center Ithaca, at 171 The Commons. 30 of the 53 art trail artists will be showing their works.  

  First Fridays Gallery Night features a total of eight new exhibits at galleries that are all within a short walking distance of each other. Freeville, NY glass artist Stephani Woodams specializes in flameworking with a torch and glass rods. Woodams’ works will be featured at Belle Melange Gallery and she will be on hand to discuss the inspiration for her work, which is based on nature. “Shadows of Pharaoh” at Shangri-La features the papyrus artistry of Said. (Pronounced Saieed) Said lives in Cairo, Egypt, and is internationally known for as the premier source for quality papyrus art in the land of the Pharaohs. Shangri-La is also continuing its exhibit of works by noted Egyptian photographer Van Leo of Cairo.

Other participating locations include The Ink Shop, The Community School of Music and Arts, The State of the Art Gallery, The Upstairs Gallery and Collegetown Bagels.

To-Let Art is a program already in existence in many other cities across the country. It’s a collaborative effort in which landlords temporarily donate the use of their unrented retail space to the program. It places the works of different local artists in the windows of stores that are available to-let. Once the spaces are rented, the art is removed.

The program is sponsored by the Downtown Ithaca Alliance and The Working Relationship. The kick off will be held at 4:00 p.m. at the Bernie Milton Pavilion and include walking tours that leave from the Pavilion at 4:30 and 5:30 p.m.

 The art in the To-Let Art Program ranges from multimedia displays, period pieces, sculptures and objects, to paintings and photography. The goal of the effort is to enhance the aesthetic appeal of downtown’s street-level view for the many residents and visitors who take advantage of its pedestrian-friendly nature.
 
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