When Sea Cliff resident and retired North Shore art teacher Jo Gray moved into her beachfront house six years ago, she discovered the house came with the name “Waterside.” She soon opened her home art studio with the name “Waterside Studio” to teach private and small group lessons. In a collaboration with the Sea Cliff Arts Council, Gray’s students’ artwork is on display at the Sea Cliff Library through June.
The exhibit features paintings, portraits and sculptures made from a variety of materials like acrylic paint, oil pastel, found object and clay. It is a compilation of student work from the winter session at Gray’s studio. Students were not assigned any specific project for the exhibit.
Gray said that she introduces her students to different mediums and genres to allow them to determine which types of art they enjoy creating and which they do not.
“I don't really tell them what to make,” she said. “I'm just getting them to explore the materials.”
As part of her teaching, Gray incorporates applicable stories or books. For example, she combined creating self-portraits with learning about Friday Kahlo and her self-portraits. Gray said that this helps get students started with a “seed idea” for their projects.
“I like to focus on literacy in my teaching,” she said. ‘That's a very big issue for me.”
Gray is also a certified art therapist and works with clients in that capacity as well. The exhibit includes artwork from students and clients ages four to 49.
“It's really nice to kind of highlight our community members,” said Meaghan Travis, the arts council’s chief operating artist, “and showcase all the hard work that they do.”
The arts council exhibit space at 86 Roslyn Ave. in Sea Cliff can get booked quickly. Travis explained that having the library as an additional space presents an opportunity to showcase the creativity of even more community members, including students.
She added that the library is conducive to showing student work because it is a learning space. Students from Tyree Learning Center had their work on display at the library in February.
“Families can see that artists can start at any age, and they can do any type of work,” Travis said. “If it's in their mind, they can achieve it. So, I'm really hoping to kind of inspire people and families to maybe dive into their own bit of creativity.”
There will be a celebration of the exhibit on June 6 at 1 p.m. at the library.
“I just hope that it's joyful,” Gray said of the community reception. “I hope they just experience some joy from looking at the children's art.”
