EVENTS
Chinese Paper Cutting Workshop
When: Saturday, September 28th, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Where: New York Folklore, 129 Jay Street, Schenectady, NY
Join Jianling Yue for a workshop on Chinese paper-cutting art (inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2009). In this workshop, the history, culture, meaning, styles, and techniques of Chinese paper-cutting art will be explored, along with displays and demonstrations of this ancient and still active art style in modern society. Participants will have an opportunity to gain some hands-on experience in the art of Chinese paper-cutting.
Jianling Yue learned this art during her childhood in her hometown, in Shanxi Province, China, a region rich in Chinese paper-cut culture. During her time at a teacher-training school, she further refined her skills and started creating her own designs. Later on, Jianling earned a Master’s degree in Chinese Linguistics and Pedagogy in Beijing, China, and another Master’s degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language in the U.S. Jianling Yue teaches Chinese language and culture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY.
This workshop is a companion to our current exhibit (through September 29) of traditional Turkish paper marbling by ebru artist and Rochester, NY resident Hatice Erbas-Sorkunlu.
The workshop will be held at New York Folklore, 2nd floor, at 129 Jay Street, and is $10.00 for NYF members, $15.00 for non-members. To register, please contact New York Folklore, 518-346-7008, via email, info@nyfolklore.org, or our contact page.
Opening Reception
Mary Michael Shelley – Retrospective Exhibit
Hand Carved and Painted Artwork
When: Friday, October 4th, 2019, 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Exhibit runs through January, 2020.
Where: New York Folklore Shop & Gallery, 129 Jay Street, Schenectady NY
Join us for this free meet and greet to welcome artist and Ithaca resident Mary Michael Shelley (AKA Folk Art Mary), who will have a rare retrospective show of her hand carved and painted artwork this fall at New York Folklore. There will be a carving demonstration and light refreshments on Friday, October 4 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Works in the show will span 30 years and chart the development of the artist’s work.
Connect with Mary on her website, Facebook, and Instagram pages.
NYF 75th Anniversary Celebration
When: Saturday, November 16th
Where: Bethany Arts Community, Ossining, NY
Join us and enjoy good tidings, fun with friends, local food and drink, traditional music, dancing, testimonies, toasts, predictions, special guests, an array of folk arts available at auction, tag football (Upstate vs. Downstate), and the spirit of Louis C. Jones, co‐founder, with Harold Thompson, of the New York Folklore Society in 1944.
EXHIBITIONS
Ebru: The Art of Turkish Paper Marbling with Hatice Erbas-Sorkunlu
When: March 30th, 2019 through September 29, 2019.
Where: NYF Shop & Gallery, 129 Jay Street, Schenectady
New York Folklore’s inaugural Folk Art Gallery exhibition will showcase the work of Hatice Erbas-Sorkunlu. Ebru (Turkish paper marbling) is a traditional art where paint is floated in a tray of water and different tools and techniques are used to make unique designs on the surface, before being transferred to paper. Ebru is believed to have been invented in thirteenth century Turkistan. This decorative art then spread to China, India and Persia and Anatolia. Seljuk and Ottoman calligraphers and artists used marbling to decorate books, imperial decrees, official correspondence and documents. New forms and techniques were perfected in the process and Turkey remained the center of marbling for many centuries.
The Exhibition and programming are supported with public funds from the Schenectady County Initiative Program and the Folk Arts Program of the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Support for the New York Folk Art Gallery provided by the William Gundry Broughton Charitable Foundation.
Mary Michael Shelley – Retrospective Exhibit
Hand Carved and Painted Artwork
When: Friday, October 4th, 2019 through early January, 2020.
Where: New York Folklore Shop & Gallery, 129 Jay Street, Schenectady NY
Artist and Ithaca resident Mary Michael Shelley (AKA Folk Art Mary) will have a rare retrospective show of her hand carved and painted artwork this fall at New York Folklore, located at 129 Jay Street in downtown Schenectady. There will be an artist meet and greet, carving demonstration and light refreshments on Friday, October 4 from 3:00PM to 5:30PM. Works in the show will span 30 years and chart the development of the artist’s work.
Shelley lives in Ithaca, NY, in the heart of the Finger Lakes region. She has been making her carved picture stories for 45 years and has produced more than 2,000 works, many of them featuring New York upstate themes.
The artist’s work is in the American Folk Art Museum, the American Museum in Britain, the High Museum, The Smithsonian Institution (White House Easter Egg Collection), The National Museum of Women and the Arts, The Fenimore Art Museum (Cooperstown, NY) and Women’s Rights National Historical Park (Seneca Falls, NY). On summer weekends, she can be found carving at the Ithaca Farmer’s Market.
Connect with Mary on her website, Facebook, and Instagram pages.
The exhibit will be at New York Folklore through early January, 2020. New York Folklore is open 10AM to 4PM, Tuesday through Saturday, and 10AM to 2PM Sundays. Please contact us at info@nyfolklore.org, by telephone 518-346-7008, or our contact page.
