Visit the Artist of the Month tab on our website homepage to view our latest virtual art exhibition featuring the work of John VandenOever.  
John VandenOever came to Piermont in 1988 to be pastor of Piermont Reformed Church on Ferdon Avenue.  Piermonters have long known him as a kind of Renaissance person, performing original music at area venues with his band Who Are They, and exhibiting his art at area galleries and periodically at our library.  His last library show, “Art Is Fun,” featured whimsical assemblages and multimedia works along with 2-D works.  He studied drawing and painting at the renowned program at Queens College/CUNY.  In addition to this virtual exhibit, John currently has paintings and photographs on view at the Clarksville Art Gallery in West Nyack, and in the “members and friends” exhibit at Piermont Reformed.
About this exhibit:  “I welcome the opportunity to show my recent work virtually for many reasons.  No transporting large paintings, no scrounging for frames, no schedule constraints for visitors!  More importantly, the virtual format allows me to share short video projects, and photographs that might not have the technical specs for large prints but which I think are worth seeing.  Also in this show are large and small paintings done in my summer garage studio, and colored pencil drawings made through the pandemic year.  The common thread is translating the beauty that’s all around us, all the time.”

Join us for a fun, relaxing, and creative series of art classes taught by Alexis Starke.  We will embark on an artistic journey to Japan, exploring a range of materials and techniques inspired by artists such as Yoyoi Kusama (check out her amazing exhibition at the New York Botanical Gardens on now!) and Takashi Murakami.  Classes will be held outside and in person with masks and social distancing.  

Join us on Thursday, May 20th for a virtual walking tour of The Audubon Mural Project.

The Audubon Mural Project, sponsored in part by the National Audubon Society, is an impressive effort to create murals of over 300 North American birds. Most of the murals are in the Harlem neighborhoods of Hamilton Heights and Washington Heights, where John James Audubon lived the last ten years of his life. All of the birds painted are threatened by climate change. So the Project is designed not only to display the birds’ beauty, but also to make us aware of the challenges that they face. The artworks range from lovely panels that fill in a former window to spectacular murals covering the entire side of a building. We will see over 40 murals, plus Audubon’s grave site, in a 50-minute slide presentation with live commentary. There will be time afterwards for Q&A. 

Leigh Hallingby is a licensed New York City tour guide who specializes in Harlem, Morningside Heights, and the Upper West Side. She is passionate about exploring all five NYC boroughs and beyond on foot, mostly through organized walking tours. Leigh is retired from a 36-year career as a non-profit librarian. She loves doing research about the neighborhoods in which she gives tours and sharing the information about them with attendees. Leigh is a feminist, collector, genealogist, and lover of arts, culture, and travel. After residing in the suburbs of NYC for many years, she now loves living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. 

For the month of April, the Dennis P. McHugh Piermont Public Library presents Jessica Bowen: Animality.   Please visit the “Artist of the Month” tab on our homepage.  

Artist statement: When photographing animals, I like to capture closeup details and textures that are not always visible from a distance. I also try to capture expressions and behaviors the observer can recognize. My aim is not to anthropomorphize my subjects, rather to capture the basic animal drives to which we as humans can relate—tired, hungry, thirsty, etc. This collection of animal portraits was taken over the course of several years at various locations. Some were photographed at home, in a backyard or through a window. Others were photographed at locations such as the Bronx Zoo, Lakota Wolf Preserve, Bergen County Zoo, Bear Mountain Zoo, Turtleback Zoo, and more. A portion of the proceeds from this show will be donated to Piermont Public Library, and a portion will be donated to animal conservation and preservation.

Jessica Bowen is an amateur photographer and full-time Library Director. Formerly a staff member at the Dennis P. McHugh Piermont Public Library, she is always honored to be included in the community of local artists featured at the library.