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Hands down, one of the best spaces around to house art, THE CARNEGIE VISUAL + PERFORMING ARTS CENTER is architecturally elegant and a fantastic backdrop for any exhibit. Once a library, the building dates back a century and feels just as you'd expect a place that's forever containedliterature and art — classic, cultural, intricate, ornate, open. It's a dramatic combination of carved wooden banisters, elaborate moldings and a golden glass-domed ceiling. The Carnegie displays local and regional artists, celebrating both the emerging and the established. The exhibits almost always exude incredible talent; the selection process is based on merit rather than name recognition. The Carnegie not only encompasses quality work in a beautiful space, but it also offers free art classes to children. While currently in the process of completing a new and expanded education center, The Carnegie is admirable in its endeavors.
"We want to do something to better the community and the area, and what better way than to start with the children," says Gallery Director Bill Seitz.
With expansive space on the first floor and additional four rooms upstairs, The Carnegie displays a variety of artists. So give yourself time to take everything in and enjoy.
In 2004, the Carnegie will celebrate its 100th anniversary. The year's first exhibition (Jan. 9-Feb. 20) will feature large paintings by collaborators Victor Strunk and Tim Schwalle in the Main Gallery on the first floor. The Carnegie's smaller galleries will feature work by Susan Danko (painting), Jeffrey Cortland Jones (mixed media), Miriam Martincic (sculpture) and Doreen LaRue (photomontage). Admission to The Carnegie is free; there is, however, a small fee for the exhibition's opening reception on Jan. 9, from 6-9 p.m.
