Published: June 25, 2008 04:00 am         

On the Bright Side: 'Wick professor named arts chair

Hartwick College Professor of Art Katharine Kreisher has been named chairwoman in the arts for the Arkell Hall Endowed Foundation in Canajoharie.

Kreisher, of Schenevus, said she was "absolutely amazed and so honored" to receive the award, which will give her "the time and money to focus on her art and to highlight the interrelation of her professions as a teacher and an artist."

During her three-year tenure, Kreisher is expected to create photographic images, installations and videos related to the concepts of self-definition and avenues to peace.

"(The Arkell Hall Foundation) are unique in that they support the work of artists, leaving room for the process of invention and discovery and all the things that go into making art," Kreisher said. "There's a flow to that, which they seem to understand, and that's incredibly liberating and focusing at the same time."

Her goal is to annually create a new installation, to film and edit a video and to exhibit on campus, including at least one gallery talk or lecture series, according to Jennifer Moritz, Hartwick spokeswoman.

"I was originally a painter and a printmaker and have been working for many years in photography, which is the focus of my teaching at Hartwick," Kreisher said. "My recent work has been done with a large slow pinhole camera, and the exposure times are often 40 minutes long."

Kreisher said her first project will be a solo exhibition at Cooperstown Art Association that opens from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 5.

The title of the show is "Circles of Confusion" and it includes a group of pinhole photographs from Kreisher's "Contemplating Peace" series, as well as a new installation called "Dream Cloak."

Moritz said the position was created in 1979 and has been held by Hartwick Professor Emeritus of Art Roberta Griffith since its inception.

Griffith resigned this spring in conjunction with her retirement from Hartwick College, Moritz said. Phone calls to Griffith for comment were unsuccessful.

"I'm very, very pleased to be following Roberta in this position," Kreisher said. "She was able to do incredible, professional projects, and she set the standard for what I have to achieve."

Kreisher said she plans to complete a Round House Press project and will donate a print from the edition to Hartwick's public collection. Her other goals include exhibiting in the community, a museum and outside the region during each of the three years.

Moritz said the Arkell Hall Foundation was formed in 1940 to serve the central Mohawk Valley through a variety of programs and activities. In 2004, the foundation partnered with the Canajoharie Library and Art Gallery to create the Arkell Museum.