During a long central New York winter, Robert Roemisch packed up his belongings and moved from sunny California to Newfield, NY. Roemisch built his dream art studio, resembling a barn, on a plot of land and has been filling it with sculptures and woodwork ever since. Although he has only been in the Ithaca area for two years, Roemisch has found his place within the vibrant artistic community here.
“This is exactly what we came here for. We’re loving it,” Roemisch said as he stood proudly in front of his bronze sculpture at Ithaca’s First Friday Gallery Night reception.
First Friday Gallery Night, which features art shows in and around Ithaca Commons, is held on the first Friday of every month.
For over two decades, Community Arts Partnership, which sponsors the event,has financially and socially supported local artists like Roemisch. CAP has given out $4.5 million in grants to local artists, according to their website. Events like the Ithaca Artist Market, the May Spring Writes Literary Festival, The CAP ArtSpace Gallery and the Greater Ithaca Art Trail give the artists a chance to show their work off. The Art Trail in particular is a helpful promotional tool for artists.
“For the Greater Ithaca Art Trail, the artists actually pay a fee to be part of it. They get about $30,000 worth of publicity out of it. We have the brochure, brochure distribution and all the ads and online advertising to get people to get in their cars and visit these artists,” said Robin Schwartz, Program Director of the Community Arts Partnership.
The Greater Ithaca Art Trail, a self-guided tour of art studios throughout Tompkins County, is the type of program that connects artists to their audience and keeps the local art scene thriving. There are 40 studios currently included on the trail. From Trumansburg to the Ithaca Commons to Brooktondale, visitors can drive or walk to the local artists’ studios. Visitors have the opportunity to see how the artists do their craft and to purchase artwork.
Don Ellis has been active in Ithaca’s art community for the better part of the last 20 years. Throughout that time, Ellis has met many other local artists and as well as residents with an interest in art. Reluctant to categorize himself as an artist, Ellis explained that his background is in architecture, so that has led him to create many large mobiles, a type of sculpture suspended in the air. He has found success with getting residents to see his work after CAP events.
“I have mobiles hanging all through my yard and there’s a trail that goes through the yard that one can follow to visit the mobiles. There are little explanations about them or little stories,” Ellis said. “People walk off the street and into the yard and wander around. It sort of looks like a park.”
First Friday Gallery Night was a prelude to Open Studio Weekends, one of which is coming up this weekend.
“It’s kind of like if you’re interested in visiting the artists during these two weekends, you can come here and see everybody’s work in one place and decide who to visit,” Schwartz said.
So, Ellis and Roemisch are gearing up for another Open Studio Weekend. On October 13 and 14, artists along the Art Trail will open their studio doors to any visitors interested in viewing their creations. To see a full list of studios on the trail, visit the Art Trail’s website.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_Cz5TyDoWs
