Opening Reception: Friday, May 5th | 7:00 – 9:30 PM
Gallery Hours: Saturday & Sunday, May 6th & 7th | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Creative Power of Unity Workshops:
Workshop 1: Exploring the Themes • Saturday, May 6th, 1:00 – 2:30 PM • An exploration of the artwork on display and the concepts behind the pieces facilitated by the Green Acre art committee.
Workshop 2: Power of the Creative Process • Sunday, May 7th, 1:00 – 2:30 PM • A hands-on exploration the power of the creative process with Inger Gregory and E.C. Philips.
Green Acre, in collaboration with Hannah and Paul Burke, is thrilled to present a collection of Melvin (Mel) J. Zabarsky artwork depicting many forms of The Art of Solidarity. This exclusive, one-weekend only event is being offered in connection with our current art show, Creative Power of Unity.
“Solidarity”: unity or agreement of feeling or action among individuals with a common interest.
True unity comes from diverse elements being harmonized into something greater without erasing the unique contributions of each part. We are not looking to the past because the just, diverse, and united society we desire has never existed. We must work to create it. To be created it must be envisioned with hope, which is one of the powers of the artist.
Melvin Joel Zabarsky (1932-2019) was an American figurative painter who created representational work in the narrative tradition. Known for a bright, bold palette and large size paintings, his work often explores political, historical and cultural themes to surreal and realist effect. He is the third of four children, and first-generation Russian American, Zabarsky was born in Worcester, MA, in 1932 to Anna Pearl (née Glazer) and Max, Lithuanian and Ukranian immigrants respectively, the latter from Kiev.
In a six-decade career marked by several distinct phases, Zabarsky’s imaginative use of color, formal experimentation and commitment to narrative organization in both traditional and avant garde styles are hallmarks of his work. In an interview with the British philosophers Donald and Monica Skilling, he said, “I’m discovering history, or a narrative, within a painting, as I go along.”
