Archive: Arts & Entertainment

It's only two weeks until the gala opening of the first annual East Shore Festival Of The Arts (ESFOTA), which will be showing in the Lansing Town Hall and Lansing Community Library from May 14 through June 18.  The exhibit is the brainchild of local artist Robin Schuttenberg, who has taken the lead on making the show happen.  26 artists from Tompkins County and nearby will show 80 works of art, and a gala opening, free and open to the public, is planned for Friday, May 14th featuring artists, music, wine, and food.

"People talk about 'a horse of a different color.'  I like to say this is going to be an art show of a different color," Schuttenberg says.  "I'm getting to do whatever I want with no preconceived ideas of how things should be.  I think we're a little more laid back and we're trying to make it accessible for everyone.  I want families to come and bring their kids and look at things, and enjoy the music and the evening and each other's  company."

Last year Shuttenberg worked with Park Superintendent and Recreation Director Steve Colt to apply for a grant to help fund the Lansing Harbor Festival.  While researching available grants she noticed several were targeted at art shows.  She told Colt that if he ever wanted to host an art show she'd be interested.

This year he took her up on the offer.  They applied for and received grant money for the show from the Community Arts Partnership, the Lansing Community Council, and Community Foundation of Tompkins County.  ESFOTA program ads have paid for the program and generated some additional income that will probably be used to help pay for the opening.  If there is extra money Schuttenberg hopes to use it for projects including picture rails in the Town Hall hallways or in the library to increase display space for next year's show.

"That money is starter money to finance the things we need to do the show," she says.  "One of the things we did was finishing putting picture rail in the court room.  That looks nice.  Even with nothing on it, it finishes the room really nicely.  We ordered more hooks and supplies to actually hang the art work."

Schuttenberg says she likes organizing the show.  As a working artist actually organizing an exhibit of this magnitude is new to her.

"Even writing the grant was fun," she says.  "Hanging the show is going to be a challenge.  We have about 80 pieces of art now, so we're giving ourselves a week to hang it."

There are two big pushes as the opening night comes near: Schuttenberg, Linda VanAppledoorn, Karen Veaner , and Lansing art teacher Lee Ionone will take about a week to hang the show.  At the same time Schuttenberg is working out the final details for the opening night celebration.

"The Town is supplying us with the courtroom, which is great," she says.  "The library was very good to us to jump on board, saving wall space to hang art at the same time."


Altogether 26 artists from Lansing, Freeville, Groton, Ithaca, Trumansburg, and a few nearby artists from outside Tompkins County will show their work.  Schuttenberg says that in the future she wants to expand the show.

"We are out of wall space," she says.  We are full!  I was afraid we would not have enough art, but I am actually at the point where I can't 100% guarantee that I'll be able to hang every piece."

For the opening reception the Bob Keefe Trio will provide live jazz in the courtroom.  The combo, comprised of Keefe on jazz guitar, Steve Grimm on bass guitar, and Mark Joyce on drums, will be set up in the jury box for the evening.  Kip Opperman will play music at the same time in the Library.  King Ferry Winery will provide a wine tasting.  Food is being provided by Tops and Crossroads Restaurant , and Schuttenberg hopes to have interactive features for for kids to help them focus on the art as well as the music and food.

An example of that is magnetic puzzles made from some of Schuttenberg's own work.  She says she is hoping to have the time to put together a scavenger hunt for kids to encourage them to find items depicted in the art as a way of getting children to appreciate the art.

Schuttenberg is already looking toward the future to expand the art show.

"We're looking at this as an event that we want to repeat every year," she says.  "We hope to grow each year, and our long term goal is to use all the buildings in the Town campus area.  We'll use the historic records buildings, the community center, and the school house.  We'll encompass the whole square and make it an outside evening event where people stroll from building to building."

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