Living Waters

One thing I love about North Country Public Radio is its constant attention to the arts. This morning I was intrigued, listening to Todd Moe and Hilary Oak, to learn of an upcoming exhibit at the St. Lawrence County Arts Council.

St. Lawrence County is geographically huge:"the largest county in New York State and the fifth largest ... east of the Mississippi." But of course, the population is relatively sparse, with 32 towns, 1 city, and 13 villages. In this context, the maintenance of a county-wide arts center is both essential and challenging. The SLCAC states as its goal "developing and promoting the arts in Northern New York". All sorts of arts - performance, visual, and literary - are supported, nurtured, and shared through the amazing efforts of the small SLCAC staff.

Creativity is like a spring of fresh water: it flows from deep within, carving a small pathway onto the surface; soon other springs join it; together, these mingled waters travel in new directions, fill riverbeds, flood thirsty plains, and attract life. People are drawn to them, sometimes without even knowing why. Pictured above is an image of the Thatcherville Spring, photographed by

Phil Gallos, which expresses the irrepressible energy and attractiveness found both in water and in the human creative urge.

SLCAC is a wellspring of creativity for the North Country, and as it has grown and diversified, it has drawn more people to quench their creative thirst. And just as a powerful river requires (and makes) more space to move than does a small spring, so the SLCAC needs to expand to a new, larger, multi-arts center.

To quote the SLCAC website:

We envision a center that provides affordable access to fully-equipped art studios, rehearsal rooms, and performance spaces. We want to create a place where people of all ages and abilities - from infants to seniors - can engage in the arts and share an array of cultural activities. The center will also serve as an incubator to foster arts businesses and organizations. A multi-arts center would attract new residents, encourage economic growth, and increase tourism for our region. Arts centers exist in rural towns across the country, where they play an active role in community revitalization.

To make such a space in St. Lawrence County is a magnificent goal, and an ambitious one. Such an effort needs broad support - many creative springs - to become real. But SLCAC is an arts center: who better to develop creative initiatives to draw forth and channel that support-?

And so they have. The exhibit of which Todd and Hilary spoke this morning is called "Limited Space" - an ingenius title indicating both the need (current SLCAC space is too limited) and the format: this is to be a show of small work. Artists are invited to submit work in any medium, but pieces must not be larger than 40 square inches - a two-dimensional equivalent of 5"x8". Artists are further asked to donate the pieces for the SLCAC to sell, with all proceeds dedicated to the Multi-Arts Center.

Perhaps the united effort of many creative springs will generate a great river of life and growth for St. Lawrence County and the whole North Country. For more information, contact the SLCAC: click the link provided above, or call (315) 265-6860, or contact their headquarters at 51 Market Street, Potsdam, NY, 13676.

Artists and Light Bulbs

Our regional wealth of creative people fuels many intitatives, big and small, private and communal.

Of course, not everyone is equally cognizant of the creative community around us. Some of us live within this environment much as we live in an oxygenated atmosphere - the arts are so constant in our lives that we take them for granted, and fail to see. Conversely, some people find the arts a foreign world, and never realize how richly they are surrounded.

But then there are those who, while living within the world of the arts, also observe that world with a journalist's eye, and draw the rest of us forth to share in it. One such observer is Phil Gallos, pictured above, a photographer, writer, and historian in Saranac Lake.

He is creating a project called, "How Many Artists Does it Take to Screw in a Light Bulb?" and subtitled, "Portraits from the Saranac Lake Area Creative Community". (Click the link to see the photos, which are best viewed in "Slideshow" format.) Begun in 2006, the project is scheduled to include a show at Bluseed Studios this August.

This is an organic project, both reflective of and participating in the natural expressive growth that flourishes in this region. Phil is connecting with artists whom he personally knows and wishes to work with; he knows a lot of people! Most of these artists live in or near Saranac Lake; in a few instances, he has traveled further afield to photograph people in other North Country communities.

Many of these images capture creators creating, whether playing a musical instrument, or processing film in a darkroom, or spinning yarns in the presence of the sheep who grew the wool. You see the blur as fingers fly, the light of channeled potency burning in the eyes. You see, too, the creator's environment, his or her milieu. In some pictures, background tools and props enrich the narrative, while in others, the artist appears almost as a self-contained world.

Then, too, a number of shots convey the contemplative quality of an inner dialog, the thoughtful energy of gathering strength and vision. It's like clouds mounting in the sky before a rainfall, or flower buds swelling with fresh promise. The product has not yet emerged, but you know it is burgeoning. In some of these images, you feel as though you are eavesdropping on a conversation between an artist and a muse.

As is so often the case, words cannot do justice to this portrait collection. Just as each participant creates from his or her unique vision, so does each set of photographs reflect a unique creative fire.

Unsung Photographer

One medium at which I have never felt quite adept is photography. Sure, I can snap a shot, and some of my shots are pretty good, but as a vehicle for self expression - well, I've never quite made it that far.

I once read that a photographer uses the camera as a painter uses a brush - but I have never had a brush with f-stop controls, light meters, apertures... I greatly admire those who master this medium.

Many fine photographers live and work in the Adirondacks, and many have deservedly won renown. But not all...

Phil Gallos is one photographer who deserves more acclaim. He has lived in Saranac Lake for years, and in the 70s worked as a photojournalist for our local paper, the Adirondack Daily Enterprise. I first knew Phil as a suave, very patient bookstore clerk when I was a gangly, graceless (and no doubt irritating) teenager.

I had not realized that for decades, Phil has turned his keen intellect and sharp eye to an examination of Saranac Lake's history -both human and natural. His knowledge is encyclopedic.

Phil was a founder of Historic Saranac Lake, and served several terms on their board of directors. His book, Cure Cottages of Saranac Lake: Architecture and History of a Pioneer Health Resort, should be required reading for anyone who wants to gain insight into our unique architectural and cultural heritage.

He has also written extensively on Adirondack venturing. He penned large chunks of Discover the Northern Adirondacks and Discover the Adirondack High Peaks as part of Barbara McMartin's series. Sadly, his earlier book, By Foot in the Adirondacks, is now out of print.

It is so easy to take for granted that which we have always known - places and people alike.

When I visited his website the first time, I was blown away. He photographs the North Country with nuanced, radiant lucidity. Who knew? The photo above is one of my favorites, titled "The Oldest Bridge in Town".

I believe that great art can enable us to see the familiar in new ways. Phil's work is consummate art.