Meet Kenyan Artist Adam Masava & Eight Upstate Artists at Opening Cooperstown, NY—Area residents are invited to the Opening reception for Communities across Continents: Adam Masava/Kenya + Upstate Artists, Saturday April 9, 5-7PM, the Art Garage, 689 Beaver Meadow Road, Cooperstown. The exhibition can be previewed too 11AM-1PM same day. The exhibition focuses on artists’ “communities” – whether family or friends or beloved animals. International visiting artist, Adam Masava, will attend in person from Nairobi, Kenya — his first trip to the USA, that he calls, ‘Coming to America.’ His trip began in Columbus, GA. Upstate community artists are: Christine Alexander (East Meredith) , Charlie Bremer (Otego) , Ashley Norwood Cooper (Cooperstown), Christine Heller (Middlefield), Megan Irving (Westford), the late Lavern Kelley (Oneonta), Stephanie Marcus (Cooperstown) and Lucia Phillips (Hartwick). They offer a broad range of concepts and works that include clay and wood sculpture, and paintings. Free admission. The eight Upstate artists have largely been in hibernation because of covid and are rediscovering community. Christine Alexander offers a self-portrait, while Steph Marcus presents a large work of her small family. She noted they are only now tentatively reaching out to others. Megan Irving shared that when she is stuck in her studio practice, “I happily make portraits of dogs… It’s common to find a bond between people who love dogs — and this feeling of connection and community is welcome in my studio practice.” Otego artist Charlie Bremer elaborated that “the vital hope each of us can bring to one another … generosity, compassion, and kindness … with the illuminating light of open heart, open mind.” He will exhibit a small work on panel of an elfin magical child: “I believe the greatest gift to both community and humanity are the creative dreams and free imagination of young people.” Adam Masava, the featured artist, will present full-figure images of the people of his bustling informal settlement, Mukuru, outside Nairobi. Masava celebrates this entrepreneurial community, which, despite the challenges of living in what he calls “an infamous slum,” comprises hard-working and peace-loving citizens who maintain the local economy. He represents them as expressive colorful figures that are painted on repurposed rust-colored metal. The metal represents the material often used for roofing in Kenya. Masava will be the Cooperstown area several weeks and will introduce his art and culture as a community artist-in-residence. He will be visiting schools and organizations – from pre-K at the Village Library organized with the Cooperstown Art Association, to elementary art students in Oneonta, to SUNY graduate students at the Cooperstown Graduate Program in Museum Studies and a presentation and more at Hartwick College. Organizations that wish to schedule a visit should contact the Art Garage at 607-547-5327. A European tour will follow Masava’s ‘Coming to America’ visit. Masava first showed his work in NYS last fall in a solo exhibition, Direct from Nairobi, that concluded the Art Garage’s environmental and social justice series, High Alert. The Art Garage will host a hybrid, limited-attendance Artist’s Talk April 13th at 5PM which will also be accessible via zoom. Pre-registration required. The exhibition will be on view through Saturday May 14. The gallery will be open Saturdays 11AM-1PM and daily with a call or text: 607-547-5327; 315-941-9607 (text). Refer to FBArtGarageCooperstown and theArtGarageCooperstown Instagram for more information.