Cynthia von Buhler: Show & Tell Solo Exhibit at The Staten Island Museum, New York City
For Immediate Release
Contact: Kamillah Hanks
Coordinator – Special Projects
Staten Island Museum
75 Stuyvesant Place, Staten Island, NY 10301
Voice: (718) 727-1135 ext. 117
Fax: (718) 273-5683
Email: khanks@statenislandmuseum.org
Web Site: www.statenislandmuseum.org
(Staten Island, New York – March 2007) – On Friday, April 27, the Staten Island Museum will unveil Cynthia von Buhler: Show & Tell. The exhibit will run from April 26, 2007 – September 23, 2007 (Extended due to popular demand). The surreal three-dimensional works blend Renaissance inspired portraiture and messianic figures with natural objects. Cynthia von Buhler’s enigmatic paintings impart their meaning through symbol, design, and narrative. In von Buhler’s art, butterflies, snakes, birds, and plants are set into cages, boxes, and peepholes to serve as metaphors for the human condition. The layered gouache paintings and their sculptural, performance, and audio accoutrements are at once poignant and mischievous. Show and Tell is akin to a trip down an ornate rabbit hole.
Cynthia von Buhler states: “I am a story teller who enjoys revealing the hidden. We all have our outward stories of who we are, how we make our living, what we wear, how we want to be perceived - but what truly interests me are the stories we normally choose not to tell.” Her work focuses on three-dimensional using objects such as insects, fruit, or frog skeletons dangle provocatively in shadowy recesses. Live and taxidermy birds can be found seated in cages within the pieces, demonstrating trapped emotions. Ms. Von Buhler raises pet doves and all of the taxidermy doves in her work have died of natural causes.
The exhibit will include sculpted characters and press proofs from von Buhler’s recent children’s book, The Cat Who Wouldn’t Come Inside. The children’s book was released by Houghton Mifflin in September 2006. The book was chosen as “Teacher’s Pick-Best Books of 2006” by Parent & Child and a “Children’s Pick, Winter 2006/2007” by Book Sense.
Cynthia von Buhler is an internationally exhibiting visual artist, illustrator and author living in New York City. Her work has appeared as the cover feature of New York Arts, New York’s Gallery Guide, Communication Arts, Step by Step Graphics, The Boston Globe, The Boston Phoenix, and many other publications. Art & Antiques named Ms. Von Buhler as “one of the top contemporary surrealists” in 2006.
Ms. von Buhler has won the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at the Society of Illustrators Los Angeles, and the Gold Medal from the Visual Club. Her work has been published frequently in the Society of Illustrators Annual, Communications Arts Illustration Annual, and American Illustration, each of which feature the best and most cutting-edge illustration in the country.
Upcoming Related Events:
September 23, 2007:Closing Reception will take place on Sunday, September 23rd at 2PM.
August 11, 2007: Cynthia von Buhler Artist’s Talk will be held on Saturday, August 11th at 1:00 p.m. Von Buhler’s Renaissance inspired portraits hold hidden secrets, butterflies, snakes, and birds---while cages and peepholes serve as mischievous metaphors. The Artist’s Talk is part of the Artists/Ideas Series: Supported by JP Morgan Chase. Free with museum admission.
August 25, 2007: The Cat Who Wouldn’t Come Inside Family Workshop and Book Signing with Artist and author Cynthia von Buhler will be held on Saturday, August 25th at 2:00 p.m. Participants will meet the artist and find out how she created her new book with dollhouse charm and a message about patience and giving. A cat figurine workshop for children is included in the program. Admission is $5 per child. Admission is free for children under 12. Copies of the book will be available for sale at this event.
General Museum Information
For now 125 years, the Staten Island Museum (Staten Island Institute of Arts & Sciences) has been fostering and sustaining scientific and cultural heritage on Staten Island. Founded in 1881, New York City's only general interest museum explores the arts, natural science, and local history through permanent and changing exhibitions and welcomes over 65,000 adults and school children to a comprehensive array of programs.
The Museum’s History Archives & Library is open to the public by appointment and houses a large collection of Staten Island related materials, including 55,000 photos, 6,600 postcards, 3,100 maps, and 15,000 books. Photographic reproduction and research services are available for those who are unable to visit.
The Museum Store offers a selection of New York City and Staten Island related souvenirs, postcards, books and maps. Look out for magnets and mugs featuring the Staten Island Ferry.
Permanent installations include Above the Molding, a selection of unique paintings of New York Harbor and the Staten Island Ferry; The Lenape: The First Staten Islanders, featuring arrowheads and artifacts dating back to ca. 10,000 B.C.; prized specimens from the Museum’s vast insect collection at the Wall of Insects; and the Fluorescent Mineral Room, a glow-in-the-dark display of minerals. And since October 2005 we celebrate one of New York City’s icons in The Staten Island Ferry: The First 100 Years.
Changing exhibitions include the presentation of both established and emerging regional artists, in depth exploration of natural history such as the geology and biodiversity of Staten Island, and periodic displays based on compelling subjects of local history.
Museum Building
75 Stuyvesant Place
Hours:
Sunday – Friday 12:00pm - 5:00pm;
Saturday 10:00am – 5:00pm;
Admission: Adults: $2; Children, Students, Seniors: $1; Children under 12: free
The museum building is wheelchair accessible.
