Ten years after its inaugural TopSpin exhibition, the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University has mounted a retrospective exhibition featuring all 29 of the artists who have exhibited in the series over the past decade. TOPSPIN 10/The Ten Year TopSpin Retrospective opened with a reception on Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012. Many of the featured artists were on hand to talk about their work.
The museum’s TopSpin series features a broad range of visual expressions, varied in media as well as message, and focuses mainly on new and emerging artists. Tops Friendly Markets has sponsored the series since its inception.
“Gallery space can be scarce in Western New York. Providing exhibition opportunities for regional artists was a main motivation when the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University inaugurated its TopSpin series in 2003,” said museum director Kate Koperski. “The series was initiated by Eric Jackson-Forsberg, currently the executive director of the Western New York Book Arts Center, during his tenure as curator of collections and exhibitions at the Castellani Art Museum. The TopSpin series has flourished under the stewardship of Michael Beam, the museum’s current curator.
The TopSpin exhibition series provides exhibitions for three artists annually. For many of these artists, the Castellani Art Museum is their first opportunity for a solo exhibition and publication with a major museum. In this highly competitive program, artists are selected from approximately 100 applicants each year. The Castellani Art Museum reaffirmed its commitment to focusing on new and emerging artists for the TopSpin series in 2007 and, in 2013, will include an MFA show as one of the series’ three annual exhibitions.
Beam noted, “From the series’ first exhibitor, Jonathan Rogers, to its most recent, Betsy Potter, the artists participating in TOPSPIN/10:The Ten Year TopSpin Retrospective reflect the diverse backgrounds, influences and artistic messages of the Western New York arts community. Each talented artist represents and builds on the artistic renaissance Western New York is currently experiencing.” This retrospective exhibition is also a salute to the ongoing support Tops Friendly Markets provides for some of Western New York’s most engaging artists.
Artists in the exhibition: Diane Baker; Edward Bisone; Scott Bye; Wendell Castle; Jason D’Aquino; Deborah Dohne; Matt Duquette; Sandra C. Fernandez; Dotty Fitzgerald; Amy Greenan; Carrianne Hendrickson; Tom Holt; Ani Hoover; Tom Hughes; Richard Huntington; Nancy Jurs; Felice Koenig; Robert Lynch; Mark McLaughlin; Gerald Mead; Lillian Méndez; Joseph Miller; James Montford; Betsy Potter; Jonathan Rogers; Kurt Treeby; Michael Veit; Amanda Wachob; Christine M. Walsh.
TOPSPIN 10: The Ten Year TopSpin Retrospective will be on display through February 17, 2013. The Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University is open to the public Tuesday – Saturday, 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Sundays from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. Admission is free. For more information about this exhibition, please visit the museum’s website.
