INTERIORS

INTERIORS, A National Exhibition Juried by Wayne Lempka, Art Collections Manager at The Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz, on view September 5 – October 26, 2025.

Participating artists: Richard Arnold, Donna Faranda, Carl Grauer, Yona Gonen, Lonna Kelly, Pat MacDonald, Karen Maloof, Dan McCormack, Emilia Moritz, Mary-Anne Ramirez, Steven Rushefsky, Gerald Wein, Anna West, Amanda Wolf

JUROR’S STATEMENT:

To understand this exhibition, one must first contemplate the definition of the word “interiors”.

On a basic level this word refers to the spaces we live in, a home that has rooms consisting of four walls, windows and doors. If you ask a child to draw a room interior, in most cases this is what you will get. However, the meaning of ‘interiors’ is not an easy concept to isolate as it encompasses a broad sphere of emotional experiences, sensory perceptions, memories and feelings of nostalgia.

The works selected for this exhibition not only fulfill the basic idea of what an interior is but go beyond this concept due to how each artist approaches these spaces – as seen through unique interior or exterior vantage points. These works are not simply documents of what one holds dear in interior spaces but records a sense of life; a sense of being; and a sense of place.

Taken as a whole, this exhibition is meant to be a visual investigation into beauty, personal narrative, and memory. These paintings, mixed media pieces, and photographs provide one with a sense of humor, power, weakness, and mystery. As a viewer, you are asked to consider an entire range of visual and emotional experiences that room interiors invoke in each of us and then relate these experiences to one’s personal space.

– Wayne Lempka

Meet the JUROR: Wayne Lempka is Art Collections Manager of the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at the State University of New York at New Paltz where he is responsible for the care of over 9,000 objects in the museum’s permanent collection. He has also served as curator at The Dorsky for many exhibitions including Thoughts of Home, which explored not only how our living environments reflect who we are but how artists use this idea in their creative expression. Prior to his position at The Dorsky, Mr. Lempka held positions at Storm King Art Center, the Museum of American Folk Art, the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design, (Smithsonian Institute) the Chase Manhattan Bank Corporate Art Program, The Historic New Orleans Collection and the Barrett Art Center. Mr. Lempka is currently a lecturer in the Department of Art History at Marist University. He has also taught in the Art History Department of SUNY New Paltz. Mr. Lempka holds a BFA degree in Fine Arts and Art History from Pratt Institute, and a MA in Art History & Museum Studies from New York University. He is currently pursuing his PhD (ABD) at New York University. 

On view September 5 – October 26, 2025
Gallery hours: Friday – Sunday,  12 – 5 pm

Artist Reception: Saturday, September 13, 5 – 7 pm

Join us to celebrate the exhibition and meet the artists; small bites and light refreshment will be served. This event is free and open to the public.