As a scientific photographer at Cornell, this is Loeffler's first year participating in the Ithaca Fine Chocolates Art Exhibit, which currently showcases the new line of artwork featured in Art Bars.
Reminiscent of modern art with city fair, the exhibit is decorated with adult and children's work. The adults' pieces range from Turkish tiles revealing celebration and joyful women by Kay WalkingStick to Doug DuBois' inviting photograph of a child's playroom complete with toy dinosaurs arranged by his nephew.
The children's art reveals their personal dreams, home, and revelations of peace and happiness in the world. Local child artists included in the exhibit are Lydia Miller and John Oliver while four other young artists are from around the globe.
With a variety of art decorating dim white walls and a room smelling of pure Swiss chocolate, it's a pretty sweet deal.
Loeffler, also founder of State of the Art Gallery in Ithaca, has two pieces on display. "Queen Anne's Lace," a digital print that combines three pictures into one landscape, is the featured presentation. In reality, there were over a 100 Queen Anne's Lace in the field, but thanks to a slow shutter speed and digital editing the photograph holds it's secret quite nicely.
Like old baseball cards you received in a Cracker Jack box, inside every organic, fair-trade Art Bar is an art card depicting one of the 24 artist's work and a quote about their piece. Only one piece from each artist was selected for the bars, but both those selected and additional pieces are on display at 110 North Cayuga Street through Dec. 30.
Loeffler's card reads: "Life is kinetic. I love the way photography records motion on a static frame. The blur, the swoosh, the distortion, the energy of time passing. This is exciting to me."
Another artist, Brody Burroughs, an Ithaca resident and full-time artist has his piece, "Static," on display, an oil on canvas that depicts a scene of two people sitting in an airport.
Burroughs has traveled anywhere from Arkansas to his roots in Pennsylvania, visiting family, friends and his girlfriend, so the airport became a constant figure of movement in his life. "In the airport and on a plane is where my life kind of fits together," Burroughs said.
And sitting in the middle of all this creativity is, of course, the chocolate.
The Art Bars come in four varieties: Milk Chocolate, Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts, Dark Chocolate and Dark Chocolate with Coconut. The dark chocolate bars are vegan, and all bars come in two sizes. Smaller bars are $1.99 each, and the larger are $2.99.
Erika Fowler-Decatur, co-founder of Ithaca Fine Chocolates and Art Bar, says that their mission is to promote artists in an unconventional way while reminding the public that teaching children about art and encouraging creativity is key to their education.
A portion of the proceeds are donated to the Kaleidoscope outreach program of the Community School of Music and Arts in Ithaca and to the International Child Art Foundation in Washington, D.C.
Past and present pieces from the Art Bars can be seen at the company's Web site. Art Bars are now available in 15 states and at many local stores such as Greenstar Cooperative Market, Gimme! Coffee, Ithaca Bakery, Spirit and Kitsch on The Commons, and Collegetown Bagels.
* * * *
If you are an artist interested in applying to have your work featured in Art Bars, please send five to 10 digital images of your artwork, an artist statement and resume to Erika@ithacafinechocolates.com.
For more info, visit www.ithaca finechocolates.com or call 257-7954. The Ithaca Fine Chocolates gallery is currently located at 110 N. Cayuga St. near Handwork.
|
|
