Castellani Art Museum marks a decade of its 'TopSpin' series with a 10-year retrospective exhibition

'TOPSPIN 10: The Ten Year TopSpin Retrospective' opens Aug. 5

Ten years after its inaugural TopSpin exhibition, the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University is mounting a retrospective exhibition featuring all 29 of the artists who have exhibited in the series over the past decade. "TOPSPIN 10/The Ten Year TopSpin Retrospective" will open with a 2 p.m. reception on Sunday, Aug. 5. Many of the featured artists will be on hand to talk about their work.

The museum's TopSpin series features a broad range of visual expressions, varied in media as well as message, and focuses mainly on new and emerging artists. Tops Friendly Markets has sponsored the series since its inception.

"Gallery space can be scarce in Western New York. Providing exhibition opportunities for regional artists was a main motivation when the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University inaugurated its TopSpin series in 2003," said museum director Kate Koperski. "The series was initiated by Eric Jackson-Forsberg, currently the executive director of the Western New York Book Arts Center, during his tenure as curator of collections and exhibitions at the Castellani Art Museum. The TopSpin series has flourished under the stewardship of Michael Beam, the museum's current curator.

The TopSpin exhibition series provides exhibitions for three artists annually. For many of these artists, the Castellani Art Museum is their first opportunity for a solo exhibition and publication with a major museum. A highly competitive program, artists are selected from approximately 100 applicants each year. The Castellani Art Museum reaffirmed its commitment to focusing on new and emerging artists for the TopSpin series in 2007, and in 2013, will include an MFA show as one of the series' three annual exhibitions.

Beam noted, "from the series' first exhibitor, Jonathan Rogers, to its most recent, Betsy Potter, the artists participating in 'TOPSPIN/10:The Ten Year TopSpin Retrospective' reflect the diverse backgrounds, influences and artistic messages of the Western New York arts community. Each talented artist represents and builds on the artistic renaissance Western New York is currently experiencing."

This retrospective exhibition is also a salute to the ongoing support Tops Friendly Markets provides for some of Western New York's most engaging artists.

Artists in the exhibition: Diane Baker, Edward Bisone, Scott Bye,Wendell Castle, Jason D'Aquino, Deborah Dohne, Matt Duquette, Sandra C. Fernandez, Dotty Fitzgerald, Amy Greenan, Carrianne Hendrickson, Tom Holt, Ani Hoover, Tom Hughes, Richard Huntington, Nancy Jurs, Felice Koenig, Robert Lynch, Mark McLaughlin, Gerald Mead, Lillian Méndez, Joseph Miller, James Montford, Betsy Potter, Jonathan Rogers, Kurt Treeby, Michael Veit, Amanda Wachob and Christine M. Walsh.

"TOPSPIN 10: The Ten Year TopSpin Retrospective" will be on display through Feb. 17, 2013. The Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information about this exhibition, contact Beam at 716-286-8286.

TopSpin Exhibitions at the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University

2003-2012

*"Jonathan Rogers: Multiple Spirit"

June 14 - Aug. 10, 2003

*"Diane Baker: Refuse, Reuse, Redeux"

Aug. 23 to Oct. 19, 2003

*"James Montford: African + Indian = American: Performance and Exhibition"

Nov. 8, 2003 to Jan. 3, 2004

*"Nancy Jurs: Armor Series"

Feb. 1 to April 15, 2004

*"Gerald Mead: Inch by Inch: A 15 Year Survey by Gerald Mead"

May 1 to July 15, 2004

*"Sandra C. Fernandez: What Lies Beneath"

Aug. 1 to Oct. 17, 2004

*"Deborah Dohne: Capturing the Ethereal"

Nov. 5, 2004 to Jan. 15, 2005

*"Carrianne Hendrickson: Contemporary Narratives in Clay"

Feb. 4 to April 24, 2005

*"Wendell Castle: What Pluck!"

May 6 to Sept. 18, 2005

*"Edward Bisone: Paintings"

Oct. 7, 2005 to Jan. 10, 2006

*"Lillian Méndez: Lily's Funky Parade"

Feb. 3 to May 14, 2006

*"Ani Hoover: Flow"

June 2 to Sept. 24, 2006

*"Joseph Miller: Figures, Power and Vulnerability"

Oct. 6, 2006 to Jan. 21, 2007

•"Christine M. Walsh: Tangelment"

Feb. 2 to April 22, 2007

•"Robert Lynch: Drink Orange Juice and Hang Out with the Horses"

May 4 to Sept. 16, 2007

•"Dotty Fitzgerald: New Paintings"

Oct. 5, 2007 to Jan. 20, 2008

•"Kurt Treeby: Fuzzy Memories"

Feb. 1 to April 20, 2008

•"Michael Veit: Unity Park"

May 2 to Sept. 14, 2008

•"Richard Huntington: Thus I Passe By - Selections from 1970-2008"

Sept. 21, 2008 to Jan. 18, 2009

•"Amy Greenan: Nothing was about to Happen"

Feb. 1 to May 17, 2009

•"Tom Holt: Test for Echo"

May 31 to Sept. 13, 2009

•"Tom Hughes: We All Know the Words"

Sept. 27, 2009 to Jan. 17, 2010

•"Felice Koenig: Color Crush"

Jan. 31 to May 23, 2010

•"Amanda Wachob: Exploring the Black Line"

June 6 to Sept. 19, 2010

•"Mark McLaughlin: Stolen Souls, Willing"

Oct. 3, 2010 to Jan. 16, 2011

•"Scott Bye: Method to My Madness"

Jan. 30 to May 22, 2011

•"Jason D'Aquino: Old Possum and the Fantasticals"

June 5 to Sept. 18, 2011

•"Matt Duquette: Vessels"

Oct. 2, 2011 to Jan. 15, 2012

•"Betsy Potter: Breaking Nature"

Feb. 5 to May 20, 2012