Dog Days of Summer Hits the South Shore

Visual Arts |
"Photographers know you don't go out and shoot at high noon, but this was taken at high noon and it was wonderful," Holly Gordon said of Beachy Keen.
"To me, yellow is the color of summer," Lisa Petker-Mintz said of Yellow Waterslide (mixed media on canvas).
Valerie Huhn used her father's old golf shoes for Fingerprint Pin Golf Shoes, which addresses the exclusivity of the sport (pigment ink, acetate, pins, golf shoes).
Irene Gennaro's inspiration for Meeting came to her in a dream (poplar/oil pt./rabbit skin glue).
"I go out on location and am inspired by the people and how they are interacting with the environment around them," Chris Ann Ambrey said of Carnival. Her muse was the Tilt-A-Whirl at Great Adventure in New Jersey (cut paper, ink, Aquarelle pencils).
Lori Horowitz used a new process called painting with fire for The Last Chair. He’s sitting out on a park bench on a summer day, enjoying the weather and at the same time having that feeling of detachment. "The series is really based on aging and dementia and being able to fit into society, into the public and how we interrelate with people," she said (burned and sculpted copper screen).
Neil Leinwohl gazes at SEP, one of three digital artworks he has on display in Dog Days of Summer.

Experience the freshness of summer in an intimate and air-conditioned setting without hopping on the LIRR or 27 East. The dog days of summer have come to Studio 5404 in Massapequa in the form of a wide-ranging show of artworks by local and emerging artists.

“For the summer, I always like to put together something with a summer theme and chose dog days of summer, although I don’t like to stick to everything that is very traditional.” said Lori Horowitz, who curated the Dog Days of Summer show. “It’s a broad topic and incorporates all different types of art.”

Horowitz chose a little more than 30 pieces of art from a pool of 6,000, yielding a diverse show of works of collage, painting, drawing, photography and digital photography. There’s abstract expressionism and realism. Every piece flows, from oil paintings by Michele Evola to a charcoal and pencil drawing of a baby with oversized sunglasses by Lauren Ruiz and an image of Tar Beach by Alan M. Richards that will make anyone who grew up in Brooklyn nostalgic.

“Any of these pieces are strong enough to stand alone,” Horowitz said. “There are certain things that are dissimilar to other pieces. Does that make them stronger or weaker in the show? I think they make them work together in the show and give it full access as you transition through the space.”

The exhibit has a different feel from last year’s indoor-outdoor spectacle that featured more street art, musicians and vendors. Horowitz turned down the volume this year, opting for acoustic performer Ryan Kristoffer of Hyper Tortoise and an all-indoors show.

“People have a different appeal, they have a different audience,” Horowitz said. “In each show, I like to pick a different type of audience but I always like that our artists age from generally about 18 to 85 and it brings together an interesting demographic to show to share and get to know each other.”

Bringing people together is the common thread in all of Studio 5404’s exhibits. Over the last three years, the studio has shown more than 300 works that have done everything from spark religious conversations to evoke wonderful summer memories, but what Horowitz most wants Long Island to see is that people don’t have to go to the Hamptons, Brooklyn and New York City to see great art. It’s being created and shown on their own turf.

“We’re trying to bring about new consciousness and new vibes to the pulse of art in the South Shore especially since we’re located on the Nassau-Suffolk border,” she said.

If You Go
Dog Days of Summer
When: Open now through Aug. 16
Where: Studio 5404, 5404 Merrick Road, Massapequa
Price: Suggested donation of $10
More information: studio5404artspace.com

beth ann clyde

beth ann clyde

Beth Ann Clyde is a social strategist of Long Island Pulse. Have a story idea or just want to say hello? Email bethann@lipulse.com or reach out on Twitter @BAClyde.