Fall is creeping over Long Island, and the Nassau County Museum of Art is ready with a host of events and exhibitions for the upcoming season.
Executive Director Charles Riley said he was excited for the Manes Family Art and Education Center, named for museum trustee Dr. Harvey Manes of Old Westbury, to host classes and an exhibition series called Master Class.
The first installment features the work of artist and teacher Josef Albers alongside some of the pieces from his students. Albers’ students include Robert Rauschenberg, Richard Serra, Eva Hesse, Audrey Flack, Robert Mangold, Sol LeWitt and many more well-known artists.
“There are certain times in art history when a great artist was a great teacher, and that great artist had amazing students who then became art stars,” Riley said. “When you look at the roster of his pupils, it’s this amazing list of people who became stars.”
Riley said future installments will focus on Auguste Rodin, Hans Hoffmann, John Baldessari and Stan Brodsky, among others.
Adult classes will be offered in the center’s two classrooms on a wide variety of subjects, including watercolor painting, fiber arts, iPhone photography and portrait drawing.
Classes for children include the art of drawing, stop-motion animation and iPad drawing as well as a class about building a portfolio for high school students to send to colleges and a kids sampler course, which combines traditional art making and technology.
The center will also offer courses for children and young adults with Autism with Mollie Bassett. A full schedule of classes can be found online.
The schedule, Riley said, has been printed in both English and Chinese and he is working on a Korean version as well.
While the outside of the center is currently a drab white, former graffiti artist turned international star Kenny Scharf will be livening up the exterior with spray paint Oct. 26 through 29.
Visitors are welcome to watch the work during the three days, which will take place on two exterior walls of the building, but are asked to respect Scharf’s space.
Super Family Sundays will run through Nov. 5 with a special Halloween event Oct. 29. During the Enchanted Forest event, the museum’s grounds are transformed into a family-friendly Halloween wonderland from 1 to 4 p.m.
The museum will also offer Sketching in the Galleries from 1 to 2 p.m. Oct. 24 and a brown bag lecture with museum docent Riva Ettus discusses the New York, New York exhibit, running through Nov. 5, which features a 3-D model of a Manhattan alleyway complete with delivery truck and trash can fire.
“It’s different artists takes on how to get New York on a canvas or into a sculpture,” Riley said. “It’s a very vibrant show with all kinds of history and art history in it. It’s a lovely show for a lot of people who aren’t the typical artsy kind of people.”
