A new art exhibit featuring work by 35 Long Island women artists—including mosaics, photography, oil paintings, glasswork and sculpture—is on display throughout May at the BAFFA Art Gallery in Sayville. Titled Beautiful and depicting each artist's interpretation of beauty, the show is presented by the nonprofit Women Sharing Art.
Located at 47 Gillette Ave., just south of Main Street, the Bay Area Friends of the Fine Arts (BAFFA) gallery is open Thursday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
A reception for Beautiful will be held Saturday, May 3, from 1 to 4 p.m., according to the Women Sharing Art website.
“We are a group of women artists who are multi-talented in multi-media,” said Sue Miller, president of Women Sharing Art. “There's no one particular media. Our mission statement is that we share energy and explore artistic passions,” she told South Shore Press.
Women Sharing Art was founded in 2008 to provide the encouragement that artists need when juggling life’s responsibilities and their creative passions. As Miller explained, “There were many of us who had worked in other fields—many had full-time positions and had no time for their art or they had grown up wanting to do art and were never given the opportunity, given the time.”
With monthly activities such as meetings, workshops and guest speakers, Women Sharing Art joins “like-minded people, creative people together to grow,” Miller said of the Bayport-based nonprofit.
“I think that the camaraderie of women is different than it is with men, and this group in particular we have a reputation for being very supportive to each other,” she added. For some, this nurturing environment has sparked tremendous growth—“They have just become phenomenal artists,” she said.
Member Sheri Berman agreed that the right support network is key.
“Sometimes it’s a little difficult to find other women who share your interests. So, when we befriend each other, we have other people we can really discuss what we’re creating with,” Berman said.
In harmony with the exhibit’s title, Miller said, visitors will “see a beautiful assortment of artwork,” an estimated 45 pieces that showcase creativity through a variety of mediums. Also featured will be the work of four high school students recently awarded $500 scholarships from Women Sharing Art.
The BAFFA gallery is a “wonderful” historical setting that fits the exhibit well, Miller said. According to the BAFFA website, the Town of Islip offered the gallery space in the historic Gillette House in 1984. Miller appreciates “the venue for showing off this beautiful art.”