Landis Arboretum's Fred Breglia Featured Among Four Exhibits at the Cooperstown Art Association

Opening on April 3

SCHOHARIE REGION (03/24/2009)(readMedia)-- Fresh from a month-long, benchmark exhibit at the TriCounty County Arts Council (Cobleskill), Landis Arboretum's ISA Certified Arborist and artist Ferdinand (Fred) Breglia will be featured among four new exhibits in the upcoming Cooperstown Art Association (CAA) presentation opening on Friday, April 3. The works of Jeremy Holmes and Jean Lyon will be highlighted in solo shows in Galleries A & B respectively; EcoArt/Trendy Trash will be on display in Gallery C, while the foyer and hallway areas will feature award winners from the WSKG Art Auction Competition. The opening reception for all four exhibits is made possible through generous donations by WSKG Public Broadcasting, Brewery Ommegang and Jean Lyon. Vanessa Bley and Jonas Bers will perform music inspired by Mr. Holmes' sculptures during the opening reception.

About Jeremy Holmes

Jeremy Holmes grew up in Cooperstown and studied at the State University of New York at New Paltz where he graduated with a BFA in Sculpture in 2007. With his show, "Seeing Atmosphere" Jeremy will transform Gallery A into an interactive installation space by utilizing a free form bending method, creating abstract shapes encompassing the gallery. Jeremy states, "I construct abstract wood sculptures, which emphasize materiality and an engagement between the viewer, the site, and the work. Seen as three-dimensional line drawings in space, the installations collaborate with unique found architecture to construct a new and unexpected space made by joining long thin lengths of wood together."

About Jean Lyon

Jean Lyon of Cooperstown comes from a New Zealand family entrenched in the rich culture of fibre arts. "In and Out" is on display in Gallery B and is a culmination of her family history as well as her visual perspective. Jean has a unique and fresh approach to the fiber arts that includes utilizing beads, stones, threads and found objects in her work, brightening the walls with a rich stratum of visual and tactile depth. She challenges the traditional concepts of quilting using dynamic as well as subtle designs incorporated with lavish colors, materials and visual elements.

2nd Annual EcoArt/Trendy Trash

Come and check out the 2nd Annual EcoArt/Trendy Trash exhibit upstairs in Gallery C! EcoArt/Trendy Trash challenges anyone, of any age, to create some form of functional, beautiful, wearable, sculptural, or just interesting art using products that would otherwise be headed for the landfill. In honor of Earth Day, this exhibit takes recycling to a new height and will travel on to be displayed at Milford Central School as part of the Earth Day Festival on Saturday, April 18th. This year's exhibit features "Global Warming" by self-taught artist, Fred Breglia, a nationally recognized environmentalist and arborist. His large scale paintings serve as a warning of what will happen to the earth if people do not change the way they use and misuse their environment.

Fred Breglia, Renaissance Man

Ferdinand (Fred) Breglia is a nationally recognized environmentalist, certified arborist, frequent speaker, author, and educator who is well-known in New York State's Capital Region. He is a regular guest on Northeast Public Radio's Vox Pop Gardening Show on WAMC-FM.

Creative "insiders" know Mr. Breglia as an artist accomplished in various media, in particular, drawing, painting, photography, and music. His musical muse has led him to specialize in guitar, mandolin, and harmonica, all of which he features in his own, commercially viable band.

In his professional pursuits and personal life, Mr. Breglia truly and quite literally can be said to march to his own tunes. Fittingly and appropriately, his artistic achievements reflect a harmonic alchemy of seasoned skills, global perspective, appreciation of diversity, and nuanced and uncommon sensitivities. His paintings reflect his longstanding and deep commitment to nature and an abiding passion for protecting and preserving the world around us, Ancient Forests in particular.

Breglia, a Cobleskill native and SUNY Cobleskill plant sciences graduate, most recently exhibited his large-scale work at the Tri County Arts Council's Gallery 107 in was the most high attended opening night event there. "

It's pretty cool stuff," said Tri County director Mark Eamer. "It's powerful work, and he really has to something to say." One of the show's centerpieces will be "The Gyre," a blend of plaster molds made from his and his wife Erin's faces, amid three-dimensional shapes of plastic bottles, forks, computer ink cartridges and other modern plastic trash covered with murky layers of acrylic paint.

"I'm still trying to capture the color of sludge," Breglia said.

The Gyre" is named after an area in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii where environmental researchers have discovered that currents tend to create a watery wasteland of all sorts of plastic debris discarded from countries, garbage barges and ships. It's one of at least five such gyres identified in the world's oceans.

Two March Presentations

Living up to the record of community outreach and horticultural accomplishments that led to his recognition as one of New York State's Capital Region's front-running business professionals, Mr. Breglia can be seen at the Capital District Garden Show, where he will lead two discussions:

  • 1 PM Promoting Plant Health by Proper Pruning
  • 3 PM New and Unusual Trees for the Landscape

WSKG Art Auction Competition Winners Showcased

And last, but not least the CAA is honored to have the traveling exhibit of award winners from the WSKG Art Auction Competition on display in the foyer and hallway leading to the galleries. 21 artists' work will grace the walls serving as a wonderful advertisement for their upcoming televised Art Auction.

Exhibits by Jeremy Holmes and Jean Lyon will be on display through April 29th; Trendy Trash through April 17th and the WSKG Art Auction winners will be on location at the Cooperstown Art Association for the weekend only April 4-5, with extended hours on Sunday from 11 AM -4 PM.

The Cooperstown Art Association galleries are located at 22 Main St. in the Village Library Building, diagonally across the street from the Baseball Hall of Fame. Gallery Hours: Open Daily 11:00-4:00; Sunday 1:00-4:00 p.m. Closed Tuesdays. Please call 607-547-9777 for more information. Visit on the web at www.cooperstownart.com

Multifaceted Jewel The Landis Arboretum, Landis is a multifaceted natural jewel. It now encompasses 548 acres of trees, shrubs, old growth forest and, of course, breath-taking vistas and memorable gardens. Long a destination of choice among Capital District gardeners, environmentalists, nature lovers, hikers, bikers, and birders, the Landis Arboretum may be one of the best-kept secrets of the northern Catskills.

The Landis Arboretum includes a nationally recognized collection of oaks and is registered with the North American Plant Collections Consortium (NAPCC). The Arboretum also is included in the New York State Route 20 Bluebird Trail, bringing even more birdwatchers to the site. The Arboretum's vast dark sky and wide horizons attract area astronomers to its meeting house and parking field for sky-watching events

Widening the Door to Natural Wonders for All - Every Day of the Year!

As the Capital Region's Arboretum, Landis serves all residents in the extended Capital Region, which includes (Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, and Ulster). Many regular visitors to Landis hail from Western Massachusetts, the Berkshires, Westchester, and western New York State. A 501 c 3 corporation, the Arboretum depends heavily of donations, grants, and fundraising events.

Ease of access from all points extends the geographic reach of the Arboretum: Central to NYS Wine and Spa Trails; the Arboretum benefits from its proximity to historic Sharon Springs, Old Stone Fort Museums Complex, JD Winslow Equestrian Entertainment, Cooper's Ark Farm, Howe Caverns, the Iroquois Indian Museum, the refurbished Cave House, SUNY Cobleskill, and the reputed farms of Schoharie County.

Within under two miles travel distance from scenically designated Route 20 and the route I-88 corridor that links Albany with Cooperstown, Finger Lakes Regions and beyond, the Landis Arboretum is an accessible national treasure within easy reach of New York State's Capital Region.

The Landis Arboretum is open to all individuals and conducts all institutional operations in accordance with requirements of Title VI of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1963, as amended which bar discrimination on the basis of race, age, color, nationality, handicap, or place of residence. In the spirit of Landis Founder Fred Lape, the Arboretum also includes affectional preference in an attempt to reflect progressive times and ensure a welcoming environment for all.

The Arboretum conducts business in compliance with Equal Employment Opportunity requirements of Article 15A of the Executive Law. Whenever possible, the Arboretum attempts to meet the unique needs and expectations of special populations.

Contacts: