NEWS

NEW Tim Atticus 4-week drawing class, Fridays, February 13th, 20th, 27th and March 6th, 4:00 - 6:30PM at BVACC

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Realizing Abstraction: Seeing, Thinking, Making

This four-week course invites students into the expansive world of abstract art, exploring abstraction not only as a visual language, but as a way of thinking, feeling, and responding to the world.

Each class begins with a slide-based visual lecture, tracing pivotal moments in the history of abstraction—from early spiritual and formal experiments to radical gestures that reshaped what art could be. We'll look closely at artists who moved away from representation to follow intuition, structure, emotion, chance, and material truth.

Through guided discussion and hands-on studio work, students will explore abstraction as process, action, and idea rather than as a fixed style. Historical and contemporary examples will serve as inspiration—not instruction—encouraging students to develop a personal, playful, and inquisitive relationship to abstraction.

Weekly Themes:

Week 1: Early Abstraction — Hilma af Klint, Kandinsky, Cubism (Cézanne, Picasso, Braque, Gris)
Week 2: The Absurd, Sex & Dreams — Dada & Surrealism (Tzara, Ball, Schwitters, Dalí)
Week 3: Art as Act — Abstract Expressionism (Motherwell, Pollock, Guston; with voices such as Dore Ashton and Clement Greenberg)
Week 4: Minimal & Hard Edge — Judd, Serra, Sol LeWitt

Studio Practice:

Students will work with accessible materials including graphite, charcoal, ink, and collage, emphasizing experimentation, risk-taking, and material awareness.

Who This Class Is For?

Open to beginners and experienced artists alike—no prior art history background required.
By the end of the course, students will leave with:

A broader conceptual and visual understanding of abstraction
New tools for approaching drawing and image-making
Increased confidence in intuitive and non-representational work
A body of experimental studies grounded in both history and personal exploration

For class registration and payment, please go to https://square.link/u/8hTvFV8t

Open Studio Thursdays have resumed their normal schedule 1:00 - 4:00PM on Thursdays. All are welcome to bring their own art projects to BVACC and work alongside other artists and crafters. Please come and enjoy the camaraderie of others.
BVACC announces a new partnership with The Gatehouse, located at 129 Main St, Morris, NY- details below

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NEW PARTNERSHIP
Butternut Valley Arts & Crafts Center is excited and pleased to announce a new partnership with The Gatehouse Coffee and Mercantile in Morris NY. The partnership will enable the Art Center to provide space for Tim Atticus, one of The Gatehouse owners and known artist, to conduct art classes. And, the partnership will offer scholarships for creative endeavors of Gatehouse staff involving youth. The scholarships are funded by a grant from the Otsego Community Foundation, solely for the purpose of expanding opportunities in the community.

Mr. Atticus plans to hold additional art classes in February 2026, more details to follow.

Timothy Atticus lives and works in New York State. His recent abstract art references form from nature and relishes the possibilities of paint as temporal, tactile and perpetually unfinished. Atticus' work is in numerous private collections worldwide and was first recognized nationally at the Whitney Biennial in 2008. He currently teaches drawing at SUNY Oneonta.

Mr. Atticus graduated from the Cooper Union School of Art. He holds a Master's Degree in Art History from SUNY Purchase in New York. He has won many awards, including TAM prize for Excellence in Fine Arts and the Neuberger Museum of Art Curatorial Fellowship, among others.

Go to our classes page to learn more about our great classes and to register.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

BVACC has an opening for an Arts Program Assistant.

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Arts Program Assistant Position
This flexible part-time position is funded by a grant from Otsego Community Foundation.

The BVACC Arts Program Assistant (APA) will support Art Center programs will participate in event planning and promotion, social media management, administrative support, class development and implementation, marketing and promotion and community engagement. The APA will work cooperatively with Board members in all endeavors.

Responsibilities include exhibition planning and implementation; workshop and class development, artisan markets and fundraising events management; social media support; general office tasks; volunteer management; calendar maintenance; and community engagement and outreach.

Qualifications: 18 or older; interest in and enthusiasm for art and art related fields and community engagement; possess organizational, communication and interpersonal skills; know how to use Microsoft programs and post on social media platforms; ability to work independently and as part of a team. Knowledge of nonprofit organization administration, event planning and/or arts programming is a plus.

To apply: Please send resume along with statement addressing why this position interests you to BVACC via mail (PO Box 409, Morris, NY 13808) or email (bvacc2150@gmail.com) no later than October 15, 2025.

BVACC has a new partnership with The Gatehouse in Morris.

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Mr. Atticus plans to hold additional art classes in February 2026, more details to follow.

More information about the class for Drawing may be found on Butternut Valley Arts Center's website at bvartscenter.org.