WORKSPACEdOUT INTROSPECTIVE IN TOP 3 !

The Albany Times Union announced its Fall Arts 2006 Critic's Choices
today and THE INTROSPECTIVE was named one of the TOP THREE
PICKS.

I ran into Durlak yesterday, standing outside the office of Dr. Freund,
my art therapist. "Hey Galligan," he said, "are you coming, or going?"

"If I knew THAT," I told him, "I wouldn't be here."

Chocolate, art forms appeal to senses

By TIM KANE, Special to the Times Union First published: Sunday, September 17, 2006
Chocolate, a giant boa constrictor, garbage turned to clothes, self-portraits without the artist, an amateur shrink and a famous whale highlight the upcoming Capital Region visual arts season.

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Describing the fall season as eclectic might be an understatement.

From "Chocolate: The Exhibition" at the New York State Museum to a huge man-made sculpture featuring the skeleton of a boa constrictor at MASS MoCA's "House Of Oracles" exhibit, the greater Capital Region arts scene isn't without a striking variety of styles and genres as 2006 winds down.

Word has it that the traveling "Chocolate" exhibit has already generated a buzz befitting someone who has over indulged on the delectable substance from South America. If chocolate isn't your thing, how about watching insects duke it out in a small replica of a Roman forum or crawling through a giant airplane fuselage? All are part of Huang Yong Ping mid-career retrospective in the aforementioned "House of Oracles' at Mass MoCA that challenges viewers on scale and aesthetics.
Then there is a show full of garbage. "Trashion" will include works by local artists made from discarded household items. It will be displayed first at a fashion show at Revolution Hall in Troy on Oct. 7 and then move to Fulton Street Gallery for three weeks after its debut.

With such choices, it's hard to make a decision on the three must-see shows this fall, but they are as follows:

"Julie Heffernan: Everything That Rises"
Where: University Art Museum, UAlbany Uptown Campus, 1400 Washington Ave., Albany
When: Through Nov. 12. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

Why: Heffernan's opulent Baroque style paintings are all self-portraits, but none of them are of the artist herself. When they do contain human figures, they are often exploding or disintegrating. She works in neoclassical compositions, but themes are clearly contemporary.
Info: 442-4035; http://www.albany.edu/museum/

"Frank Stella's Moby Dick: The Waves 1985-89"
Where: Albany Institute of History & Art, 125 Washington Ave., Albany
When: Through Dec. 31. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Closed Mondays and major holidays. Open Tuesdays to pre-registered groups only.

Why: It isn't often that a well-known abstract artist is paired with a famous author from the Capital Region, but that's the case with this potentially thought-provoking exhibit. As a part of the "Why Melville Matters" Symposium at Albany Academy (Melville's alma mater), Stella's series of prints based on each chapter of Moby Dick deconstruct the tale in thoroughly modern terms.
How much: Adults $7, seniors/students $5, children ages 6-12 $3, free under age 6
Info: 463-4478; http://www.albanyinstitute.org

"Jan Galligan's Thirty-Year Introspective: WORKSPACEd Out 1976-2006"
Where: Albany Center Galleries, 161 Washington Ave. (second floor at Albany Public Library), Albany
When: Sept. 26-Oct. 28. Noon-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

Why: The doctor is in. Longtime video artist Jan Gillian will be holding "office hours" to critique and counsel walk-in art "patients" as a part of the six-week long show devoted to his work created, in part, with Workspace, a now-defunct group that was one of the first community-based arts organizations to spring up in Albany during the 1970s. Galligan and collaborators promise to produce a compelling walk down memory lane.
How much: Free
Info: 462-4775; http://www.albanycentergalleries.org

=================

"So Mr. Galivan, what about this newspaper article?" Dr. Freund asks me.

"Well doctor, if I get the gist, looks like I'll be spending my time at the
gallery dressed in Edwardian clothes, covered in chocolate and reading
Moby Dick."

"Hmm, very interesting."