From your Art Committee

If you visited the Undercroft Gallery in September, you know that your Art Committee is at work again and that a quilt show was hanging in the Undercroft Gallery. Last Sunday was the last day of the quilt show, and many of you went home with a quilt that had been hanging on the walls. The Art Committee wants to thank the quilters who contributed to the show and the quilters and their friends who hung the show. Special thanks to Julie Stunden, who curated the show for the quilters. This Sunday, the Member Art Show will be hanging in the Undercroft. Be sure to bring your work to the Undercroft this Friday between 12 and 1 pm if you have let the Committee know that you will be contributing to the Member Show. And please, everybody, stop into the Undercroft and visit the show during October.

In November, the Undercroft will showcase the works of guest artist Miguel Hoyos. Miguel, a native of Colombia, followed the race horses to Saratoga Springs and settled there with his family. Decades later, he followed his grandsons to Pittsburgh, where he and his wife of 40 years now make their home. Miguel is a genius with color and texture whose fantastical work is both naïf and complex. His work features simple, straightforward forms in vivid colors and conveys subtle messages. Many of his subjects present a social commentary; others are pure pleasure or play. We look forward to experiencing Miguel’s work in the Undercroft in November.

In December, we will hang a member’s and friend’s Fiber Arts show in the Undercroft, and we hope that many of you will contribute to this show. We welcome your quilts (old and new), felted pieces, weaving, needlework, lace work, and work with paper. There is a requirement that the work comes ready to hang on the walls of the Undercroft. Please consider contributing a piece of your work (or your parent’s or grandparent’s work) to this show. If you have a friend who is a talented fiber artist, please invite them to contribute. By November 11, let Annie know if you have work to contribute to this show (annie.stunden@gmail.com).

January brings the return of the member phone photo show!! We had a phone photo show in the Undercroft just before lockdown, and it was a big success. We all have great pictures on our phones. Look for one you would like to share. Copies of the submission form will be in Sunday’s Order of Service and will be available in other places around the church. Folks of all ages are invited to submit their photos – children and adults. We know this will be an interesting show. You can drop off photos in a submission box in the Garden Lobby starting October 23. Photos must be dropped off no later than December 18. Your photo will be returned to you after the show was beautifully matted. Check your phone. All of us are likely to have some interesting pictures. Pick one you would like to share and follow the instructions on the submission form!!

And we have more shows and other programs tentatively planned for the rest of the church year on to next September. Once the plans are confirmed, we will tell you more about them. Please, visit the Undercroft and enjoy the art. (HEPA Filters cover the room).

On another note – the Art Committee needs you. We are looking for additional committee members. You don’t have to be an artist. An interest in art does help as we think about what shows to hang in our Gallery, coordinators for shows, curators for shows, and folks who climb ladders for hanging shows. We are not a Committee that meets frequently. When we do meet, we get our work of planning and taking responsibility for coordinating coming shows done. Please consider joining the Committee, supporting our art community, and making the Undercroft Gallery an exciting place to visit. Drop an email to Committee Chair Ali Masaladhen at ali@masimex.com.