The Gold Coast Arts Center (GCAC) will be hosting an opening reception for the new exhibition, Lost & Found: The Art of Assemblage, to celebrate the work of artist, sculptor and former Great Neck Mayor RJ Rosegarten on Sunday, Jan. 22, from 4 to 7 p.m.
Rosegarten combines disparate objects and breathes new life and meaning into “the old” with his art that involves assemblage, the thoughtful combination of elements to create something new and original. Each process differs significantly when materials are chosen, collected and combined with one another, synthesizing materials to produce cohesive results. Lost & Found showcases three-dimensional assemblage pieces alongside one another to create a complex language.
According to a section of Rosegarten’s artist statement: “Flea markets, garage and barn sales are entertainment in the country and have become an essential part of my new work with found objects. One day, I might find a rusted scythe with a broken wooden handle; the next day a box of glass dolls’ eyes or a red View-Master. I put the material in labeled boxes and store them to be rediscovered,” he stated. “When I select objects for a new composition, I may sit with them for days, moving them around like pieces on a chessboard until they take shape. Placement and balance are key. I remove pieces; add others, balancing shadows, shapes, textures and color until I know instinctively that the work is completed: the new composition has taken on another dimension, a unity of its own and gained strength and character.”
Founder and Executive Director of the GCAC Regina Gil said, “In this latest chapter of his creative life, RJ Rosegarten draws upon the rich fabric of his imagination, strong art and design skills, and solid knowledge of carpentry that lets him execute what he already sees in his mind fully formed. And the results are impressive.
“He is an artist in the fullest sense of the word. Not only are his technical skills the very best; but his thoughts, ideas and vision are on display, inviting the viewer to enter his carefully constructed world; challenging the viewer to understand his point of view, to embrace it or to disagree. A lifetime of thinking and living, of humor and wit, of deep, serious emotion and also of playfulness; the full range of the human experience in a construction of wood and found objects,” Gil continued. “As a longtime friend, I am delighted to see RJ “Bob” Rosegarten come home to Great Neck. Without his friendship and assistance, mentoring another dreamer through the shoals of politics, fundraising and community engagement, it is doubtful that this Gold Coast Arts Center could have found its home here. It seems fitting that we honor him with this exhibit that introduces the people he served as mayor to the man he is now—the artist.”
Rosegarten’s exhibition will be on display through March 12 at 113 Middle Neck Rd.. For more information, call 516-829-2570 or visit www.goldcoastarts.org.
