Next door to Martha Stewart and neighboring the Clintons in Chappaqua, NY is the Katonah Museum of Art, in Bedford Township. An hour by train from New York and a world away, with a mere 5,000 population in the Hamlet, it yet supports a lively art arena
Swedish born Mats Pehrson’s ‘Mister Softee’ was selected as one of 128 exhibited works out of close to 800 submitted pieces of art, objects and installations. New York based Pehrson works a lot with his camera, taking snap shots of street scenes, which are then transferred to canvases with chemical solvents, then combined with the artist’s renditions in oil or water colors.
The exhibition runs from January 25 to February 22, 2009. Aptly named Contemporary Confrontations, the exhibition was juried by Nan Rosenthal, who served as Senior Consultant for Modern and Contemporary Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art for 15 years. “Artists are remarkable barometers,” commented Ms. Rosenthal. “We live in a time that calls for great change in the United States—in our politics, our economic policies, and our relations with countries around the globe. This exhibition seeks art that comments on current events and posits hopes for the future. The art may be abstract or figurative. In view of the recent death of Robert Rauschenberg, particular interest was shown to works that explore new approaches to assemblage and collage.”
It is rare for a small suburban town to house a nationally recognized art museum. And yes, the exhibition in this quaint section of Westchester county is well worth the excursion. Take the Harlem Line of Metro North to Katonah, which takes just under an hour, if the weather is right, the museum is only half a mile east of the station on 134 Jay Street. Taxis are usually available at the station. Closed Mondays. More info: www.katonahmuseum.org (914) 232-9555