 |
|
Change
of venue: J. Eric Smith at the C+CC. Photo
by Leif Zurmuhlen.
|
New
Direction
The
Chapel and Cultural Center on the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute, better known as the C+CC, is under new management.
As of Oct. 26, J. Eric Smith—Metroland scribe and host
of Time Warner Cable’s Sounding Board—is the new director
of this multipurpose performing arts and spiritual center.
Owned and operated by the Rensselaer Newman Foundation, the
C+CC provides space for worship, meditation and cultural exhibitions
for both RPI and the community at large. Built in 1968, it’s
the home of the Roman Catholic community at RPI, with a tradition
of hosting ambitiously varied presentations—performances,
art exhibits, films, readings and lectures.
Smith is excited by the challenges of the job, and has ambitious
plans: “I want to significantly expand the programs presented,
both in terms of being a resource for regional schools, as
well as an outlet for artists and performers.”
“I’m
committed to multidimensional programming,” explains Smith.
By this he means coordinated exhibitions tied to a common
theme, which utilize the various spaces within the C+CC. For
example, a visual arts presentation in the gallery and a performance
in the main hall which, in tandem, explore the same subject
in different ways. “We have the flexibility allowed by our
charter,” Smith notes, “to touch on varied elements of the
cultural package.”
Smith wants to enhance the visibility of the C+CC as well.
In addition to local and regional artists, he wants to “attract
corporate underwriting to bring in nationally known artists
and performers.”
Right now, however, Smith wants to get the word out about
the C+CC: “I encourage artists, musicians and performers to
contact me and come see the space. The space is here, we want
to make as much use of it as we can, and we want to present
challenging material.”
—Shawn
Stone
 |
|
Time
to say goodbye: Nadia Trinkala. Photo
by Martin Benjamin.
|
Closing
Time
Most
of the art at 122 Remsen St. in Cohoes has been taken down.
That’s because after only a few short months in operation,
the Trink Gallery, along with the trendy Trink Furniture shop
that operated below it, has shut its doors.
Nadia Trinkala, owner of the retro furniture shop, opened
the gallery in June with the help of Tom D’Ambrose and Robert
Gullie. The gallery was hugely successful during its short
life, D’Ambrose says. It ran two exhibits that he claims brought
close to 1,500 people through the Trink doors. But the run
of the most recent exhibit, called Visions and Vibrations,
which featured the paintings of musicians, was cut short when
Trinkala decided to close the store.
Trinkala’s lease was to expire in December, and her efforts
to buy the building her store occupied had fallen through,
so when some Japanese clients of hers offered to buy out her
entire inventory, she took them up on it. Every item in the
Trink Furniture shop will be shipped to Japan in December.
Two Sundays ago, the artists featured in the Visions and
Vibrations exhibit, which was originally scheduled to
run through Nov. 13, were invited back to the Trink Gallery.
They, along with their family and friends, were given the
opportunity to have one last look at their work on display.
At the end of the evening they packed up their paintings and
went home.
Trinkala is still buying furniture and operating on the Web,
and it’s likely that she’ll reopen a store, and maybe even
a gallery, sometime in the future. D’Ambrose, too, will continue
to support art in Cohoes. He says he wants to keep Visions
and Vibrations alive as an annual event; he’ll just have
to find a different gallery in which to do it.
—Paul
Hamill
|
Columns
& Opinions
