NEW YORK TRADITIONS:
The Gallery of New York Folk Art
Folk Art Demonstrations
129 Jay Street, Schenectady, NY ♦ 518/346-7008
Gallery Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and Sunday hours (May-October) 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (in conjunction with the Schenectady Greenmarket outside City Hall);
or by Appointment
The New York Folklore Society and its Gallery of New York Traditions hosts folk art demonstrations at the Gallery at 129 Jay Street, with support in part by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts and the Schenectady County Initiative Program of the Schenectady Planning Department. The Gallery works to present and preserve traditional arts and crafts “made by hand” in New York State. For further information, contact the New York Folklore Society at (518) 346-7008.
Walt Fleming demonstrated traditional and historic tin smithing. We hosted hooked rugs with Diane Burk, wood carving with Carl Borst, and songs of the season with Stanley Ransom. Xrystya Szyika demonstrated pysanky, a Ukranian and Polish Easter tradition involving the elaborate dyeing of eggs; Rita Chrisjohn-Benson demonstrated Iroquois crafts: Beverley Carhart presented her elaborate woodworking skills; Barry Irving showed his West African drum making techniques; Everett Hartman demonstrated his fine skills at Marquetry (a wood inlaying process); Nefisa Khanshab demonstrated the art of mehendi; and stonecarver Mark Swanberry showed his innovative skills with native Catskill bluestone (see below).
Stone and Copper Artist Mark Swanberry
Featured in the Gallery of New York Folk Art |
 | The New York Folklore Society featured stone and copper artist, Mark Swanberry. Mark Swanberry is a stone mason and stone carver from West Fulton, Schoharie County who has most recently begun to incorporate copper into his work. Mark has been carving bluestone for at least twenty years and his work is known throughout the Mohawk Valley. He has taught stone carving for the Lake Placid Center for the Arts and has conducted workshops for both children and adults throughout the region. In 2010, he presented his work at the Albany Institute for History and Art as part of a collaborative folk arts program with the New York Folklore Society and the Albany Institute for History and Art. His work, including bird baths, carved bas relief, stone lanterns, and other small pieces, is featured in the New York Folklore Society Gallery. |
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SEE PHOTOS from the Kids ArtsFest in Schenectady
Artist and musician Barry Irving demonstrating his skills at making and playing West African drums at the New York Folklore Society’s Gallery of New York Traditions.
Blacksmith Sarah Crowther, whose husband Dan is also a metalworker, demonstrated as a husband and wife team their unique skills at the Gallery of New York Traditions to a sizeable crowd.
Edward Hartman explains the art of marquetry to Beverly Johnson.
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The gallery is made possible with the generous support of the
William Gundry Broughton Charitable Foundation.
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