Earlville Opera House is proud to present the next round of gallery exhibits opening on Saturday, September 21. Highlighted in the East Gallery is Lutz Scherneck. Our West Gallery boasts the talents of Genevieve Geer. Showing in our Arts Café is a special exhibition entitled “CATS…”, an eclectic collection of prints, photographs, and paintings curated over a period of 40+ years by Sherburne resident Chris Hoffman. (Submitted photo)

EARLVILLE - Earlville Opera House is proud to present the next round of gallery exhibits opening on Saturday, September 21 from 1-3 p.m. This series boasts the work of two incredibly talented artists representing diverse and unique forms of artistic media, with the addition of an exhibit in our Arts Café called “CATS…”, an eclectic collection of artworks curated over a 40-year period of time.

Come join us in celebrating amazing original artwork, also browse our Artisan Gift Shop and visit the 1892 National Landmark Theater. Gallery openings and visits are always free and open to the public.

Highlighted in our East Gallery is Lutz Scherneck who was born in Germany with his family emigrating to the U.S. in 1958.

They settled in a small town along the Mohawk Valley of upstate New York. Lutz graduated high school with Salutatorian Honors in math and sciences but exposure to the visual arts during his first year in college changed his focus. He studied at Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, receiving a BFA in painting. The influence of French Impressionist painters and contemporary American artists, Pollock, Rothko, Hofmann, Frankenthaler and Avery can be seen in his paintings and have received many awards of recognition.

According to Lutz, “The world is confusing. The arts can offer some clarity about what it means to be human. Artists are not unaffected by the disorder but when they experience something that is emotionally profound, a feeling of euphoria develops fueling the artists’ insatiable need to share that experience. A canvas has the potential to hold a chaos of color and form yet the artist finds some harmony in that mix and creates a work that is unexpected and makes sense of his euphoria. I can’t explain what it is for you to see in my work.

I don’t have the words. If the painting needed words, then it is a visual failure. A painting has to feel complete when it is seen. If you want to know what my work is about, ask the paintings. Take the time and gaze at them. They will tell their story.” Come view this amazing exhibit, “A Sense of Euphoria,” and find out more about Lutz at: www.flickr.com/photos/lsdyeman/collections.

Our West Gallery boasts the talents of Genevieve Geer with her exhibit “Calamity & Other Triumphs”. A born and bred New Englander who slowly zig zagged her way down the East Coast after high school, Genevieve attended Parsons School of Design in New York City and The Museum School in Boston.

She majored in portraiture, illustration, film and animation at various moments, and once released from the confines of education, embraced a life of experiences. Experimentation and mediums lit her path, seeking new mediums and skills became her reason. From embroidery to wood, from book binding to papermaking, from cake decorating to metal, she collected skills at a furious pace, always with the eyes and glee of a beginner.  

In 2007 glass snagged Genevieve’s heart, and so she began a life dedicated to A Most Fickle Mistress. The learning curve was steep, but the options were endless, so many processes, so many beautiful colors, so much amazement and such incredible frustration… Genevieve began her training by managing a glass studio in Philadelphia, then working as an apprentice for glass artists, then a two year stint at Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center where she lived and worked 24/7 as a glass assistant to fellows and the Center.

In 2013, Genevieve combined all of her experience and started Le Puppet Regime in Philadelphia, specializing in articulated, illustrated stained glass. With her business she traveled to shows up and down the eastern seaboard, and into the Midwest, attending craft shows and art shows with her famous blue puppet stage booth, selling her art. In 2018, she opened a Brick and Mortar in Philadelphia, and when the pandemic of 2020 swept through the world, she switched entirely to an online gallery approach. In 2022, Genevieve and her husband Sam Geer decided to leave Philly and purchase a 100 year old train station in Marathon, NY where they now live and work. Find out more about Genevieve at www.genevievegeer.com 

Showing in our Arts Café is a special exhibition entitled “CATS…”, an eclectic collection of prints, photographs, and paintings curated over a period of 40+ years by Sherburne resident Chris Hoffman, who was quite possibly a cat herself in a previous life. Specially designed cat bookmarks will be on sale throughout the show and are perfect for any cat lover. Join us for this exceptional display of our feline friends.

Earlville Opera House annually presents 12-15 solo exhibitions of regional and national contemporary visual artists in all media. Galleries also feature annual group shows highlighting talents of regional artists as well as an annual exhibition of contemporary and traditional quilt artists. Curators may also propose group exhibitions. If you would like to submit your proposal, please follow the guidelines on our website at www.earlvilleoperahouse.com 

This current round of exhibits is on display until November 2, with the “CATS…” exhibit up through December 15. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Friday 10-4pm and Saturdays 12-2:30 p.m. and are always free. We look forward to your visit.

Earlville Opera House Arts Center is located at 18 East Main Street in the charming Village of Earlville and is wheelchair accessible. The 1892 National Landmark Theater is equipped with a hearing loop provided by Hamilton Hearing LLC. Please check our website for information on our programs and services, also like us on Facebook and Instagram.

- Information from the Earlville Opera House