Art in the Library

Leslie Bender

March 2 – April 30

Artist Talk: Tuesday, March 31, 7:00pm
Registration required.

Leslie Bender has been a working artist since earning her BFA at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, in 1975. While continuing her own painting, she worked with schools and communities to design, direct, and paint public murals in New Jersey, New York City, and the Hudson Valley, including the P.E.A.CE. Mural Project at the Family Partnership Building in Poughkeepsie in 2001. She has had many solo art exhibitions in the Hudson Valley, and her political prints have been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Downtown in Manhattan.

In 1995 Bender earned her degree in theater scenic painting at Cobalt Studios in White Lake, NY, and worked as a set designer and scenic artist for regional theater and dance companies, including Ulster Ballet. She is a master printmaker and has worked in lithography, etching, monoprint, and silkscreen since the 1970s. In 2009, she earned her MFA in printmaking from SUNY New Paltz.

Bender has loved drawing musicians in orchestras and quartets since she was in her 20s, sketching and painting them for decades. Following a hiatus, in 2024, yearning to leap back into the excitement of listening to music composed by brilliant, creative minds and to express her joy through paint, she applied for a grant from Arts Mid-Hudson to do so, and the artworks in this exhibit are part of this musical oeuvre.

Now that the Passionate Pairings project has reached its conclusion, Leslie Bender is back to painting in her Kingston studio, teaching students, and exploring the mystical, quantum realms in her art and her energy healing work.

Jen Radicone: Look Close

January 14 – April 7
Boardman Road Branch Library

Pam Krimsky: Recent Landscapes and Figure Compositions
April 8 – June 23

Artist Talk: Wednesday, April 15, 6:30 pm
Registration required.

Regina Gelfer: Scenes from the Hudson Valley

March 1 – April 30

Regina is a graduate of Purchase College with a BFA in graphic design and a minor in art history. She began her career as a studio artist/penciler for Archie Comics and later became editor of Jughead’s Pal Hot Dog comic. She also was a penciler for Marvel’s Barbie Comic.

She continued her role as illustrator and graphic designer for companies including PepsiCo, AVAYA, Maryknoll, and the City University of New York. She has also mentored local high school art students through the Garrison Art Center’s Mentor Program. She currently teaches middle school art in Westchester County.

Regina’s first love has always been painting. She is a member of the Garrison Arts Center, the Putnam Arts Council, and several plein air painting groups. She was awarded first place in the Hudson Valley Plein Air Festival’s Quick Draw Competition in October 2024.

Website: gelfergraphics.com
Instagram: @regina_g_art