A lot of people residing in Onondaga County think that there is nothing going on or nothing to do here. Yet, if they knew more about CNY Arts, whose mission “is to promote, support, and celebrate arts and culture in Central New York,” they would start believing otherwise. When you visit cnyarts.org, you will be surprised of all the art and entertainment events you can experience in Central New York.

Furthermore, art and cultural organizations, as well as artists, can create a free account which will allow them to share their events, classes and workshops in the CNY Arts Directory. To get listed, register here: http://weare.cnyarts.org/

About CNY Arts
Who We Are
At CNY Arts, we believe that a healthy arts industry is essential to the quality of life and community in Central New York. We strive to connect the general public to the rich array of arts and cultural opportunities in the area. It doesn’t matter where your place is in the arts—artist, audience member, participant, venue, educator or supporter—we want you to create and experience the arts throughout CNY, in every town, city, neighborhood and school.
What We Do
We provide support and assistance to individual artists and arts and cultural organizations through access to grants, capacity-building assistance, education and training, and promotional services. We serve the counties of Cortland, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga and Oswego. Our goal is to enhance a greater appreciation for the arts and cultural vibrancy of the region. (cnyarts)
 

Thanks to the CNY Arts Individual Artist Commission Grant, I was able to fund a creative and interactive art project in 2014 that concluded in an art exhibition at the Onondaga Free Library titled Trees of Onondaga in 2015.

Also, I used the CNY Arts Directory to easily compile a list of upcoming art exhibitions that I believe are a must see.

If you are an illustrator and/or love illustrations and cartoons, I recommend you go see Edward Koren: The Capricious Line

Edward Koren: The Capricious Line celebrates the five-decade career of renowned cartoonist and long-standing contributor to The New Yorker, Edward Koren. This exhibition profiles approximately 50 original works on paper, many displayed for the first time.

Edward Koren: The Capricious Line was developed by the Wallach Art Gallery at Columbia University and encompasses an eclectic set of themes Koren tackles with his wry, astute criticism. Curated by Diane Fane and David Rosand and organized for tour by International Arts & Artists, Washington D.C.

Where: SUArt Gallery Shaffer Art Bldg, College Place • Syracuse, NY 13244
When: Friday Oct 28 - Friday Dec 23. Tuesday – Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Thursday until 8:00 p.m. Admission: Free
 

If you are a fine artist and/or fine art lover, here are three must see exhibitions:

European Masterworks From The Permanent Collection

European Modernism masterpieces are on view in the Museum of Art's permanent collection galleries. Included are artworks by Kandinsky, Mondrian, Picasso, Dali, and many others. In the early 1950s Harris K. Prior, the Museum of Art Director, and Edward Root, Consultant in Art, developed for the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute Museum of Art a small, distinguished collection of paintings and sculptures that were created by pioneers of major 20th-century artistic movements, such as Cubism, Futurism, and Surrealism.

The Museum was founded as a collection of art from the United States, but Prior and Root believed that assembling a group of modern European art would be beneficial to demonstrate the influence of Wassily Kandinsky, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and other Europeans on American artists. Edward Root explained to the Board of Trustees, “This ought to give a kind of context to the collection, since it was in Europe that the rather strange developments of this century were initiated.” Since the Prior and Root era, the Museum collected additional pieces that strengthen European-American connections.  Prior, Root and subsequent Museum personnel were extremely judicious in their selections, so that the European Modernism collection represents each artist at the height of his powers. (mwpai)

Where: Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, 310 Genesee Steet • Utica, NY 13502
When: January 4, 2016 - January 2, 2017. Tuesday – Thursday, 10am. - 5pm. Friday, 10am - 8:00pm . Saturday, 10am - 5pm Sunday, 1pm – 5pm. Admission: Free
 

Angela Fraleigh: Between Tongue and Teeth

Angela Fraleigh, based in New York City and Allentown, co-opts the techniques, media, and styles of European Old Masters to create monumental paintings of female figures that explore social constructs of gender, power, and identity. Combining abstraction and realism, her visually seductive and complicated paintings reflect on art history, literature, and popular culture. For the Everson, Fraleigh presents new paintings inspired by works in the Everson's collection, women of the Arts and Crafts movement, and important female figures in the history of Central New York.

Where: Everson Museum of Art 401 Harrison St. Syracuse, NY 13202
When: September 24, 2016 – December 31, 2016. Wednesday - 12:00 – 5:00 PM. Thursday - 12:00 – 8:00 PM. Friday - 12:00 – 5:00 PM . Saturday - 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM . Sunday - 12:00 – 5:00 PM.
Admission: Free for members, $15 for non-members
 

Snowy Splendor: Winter Scenes of Onondaga Count

Since the winter of 2013, Snowy Splendor: Winter Scenes of Onondaga County has featured  oil, acrylic, and watercolor paintings, photographs, and pastel drawings of winter scenes of Onondaga County from local artists and photographers. The scenes include downtown Syracuse, parks, rural vistas, and woodland settings. The imagery also is varied; sometimes stark, sometimes colorful, yet all evocative of a season we love and hate.

Where: Onondaga Historical Museum, 321 Montgomery St., Syracuse, NY, 13202
When: November 20, 2016 through Spring 2017. Wednesday to Friday, 10-4, Saturday and Sunday, 11-4. Admission: Free

If you want to shop for local fine art, functional art and jewelry, here are three recommendations for you:

Syracuse Art Mart 2016

Here you will find original art from over 45 local artists featuring paintings, photography, jewelry, textiles, stained glass and more.

Where: 499 Warren St. 499 Warren St, corner of E. Onondaga St • Syracuse, NY 13202
When: November 4, 2016 –  December 24, 2016 11am—4pmMonday—Wednesday, 11am—6pm Thursday — Saturday.

Natur-Tyme’s Art Gallery at the Community Corner

Here you will find original art from over 10 local artists featuring paintings, illustrations, drawing, pottery, sculptures, home decor and stationary items.

Where: Natur-Tyme, 3160 Erie Blvd. East, DeWitt, NY 13214 (315) 488-6300
When: Store Hours: Mon-Fri: 9 am to 8 pm, Saturday: 9 am to 6 pm, Sunday: 10 am to 5 pm.

Holiday Show and Sale

Here you will find hand-made works of Alison Fisher, including handbags, jewelry, scarves, mittens and landscape paintings.

Where: Edgewood Gallery, 216 Tecumseh Rd. Syracuse, NY 13224(315) 445-8111
When: November 18, 2016 - December 30, 2016. Tuesday - Friday: 9:30 am - 6 pm , Saturday: 10 am - 2 pm.