“Synthesis,” an exhibit by New Hampshire artists Donna Catanzaro and Marian Federspiel, will be on display in New Hampton School’s Galletly Gallery from Wednesday, November 1 – Saturday, December 16, 2023. Please note the gallery will be closed November 18 – 25 for Thanksgiving break. The public is cordially invited to a reception for the artists on November 3, 5:30 – 7:00 pm.
Both artists create by combining elements of the old and new. Discarded old negatives become a statement on memories. The traditional landscape painting is given a new perspective through layers of colored pixels. It’s the synthesis of these materials that creates a new whole or a new reality.
Inside the Art
Donna is an interdisciplinary artist who experiments in various mediums sprinkled with a little humor. Lately, she’s been creating mixed-media pieces using items from around the house. During a pandemic cleaning frenzy, she discovered boxes of old negatives, slides, and photos from her past. She’s been up-cycling them into sculptures and tackling topics regarding memories, self-body image, and how we interpret and incorporate memories from our past into our present lives. She also creates humorous pop-up books and other mixed media pieces, often from a political and feminist perspective.
Marian is a landscape artist who paints with pixels. Through her chosen medium of digital paint, her compositions express a synthesis of traditional subject matter with modern media. For example, she renders narrow visual “slices” of her environment with a “totem pole” like a stack of water, land, and sky, compelling the observer to notice particular points of interest: color, texture, or light. Yet her images remain familiar scenes of local beauty.
Donna has a BS in Filmmaking from Empire State College and an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art from Goddard College. She worked as a Graphic Designer and taught Graphic Design at the college level for 14 years. She has shown her work widely around the state and in other areas of the country. You can see more of her work at www.donnacat.com and on Instagram: @donnacatanzaroartist.
Marian has a BFA in painting from the University of Connecticut and an M.Ed. from Lesley University. She worked as an art director and designer for 20 years in Hartford, Providence, and Boston before teaching digital art at Laconia High School for 20 years. Marian is now retired from teaching and works from her home studio. She exhibits work in several galleries in the area and online at mfederspiel.com.
See the Exhibit
This exhibit is free and open to the public. The Galletly Gallery is located on the second floor of New Hampton School’s Moore Center. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 4 pm and on Saturdays from 9 am to 11.
Founded in 1821, New Hampton School is an independent, co-educational, college preparatory school of 350 students who come from over 28 states and 30 countries. New Hampton School is an International Baccalaureate school that cultivates lifelong learners who will serve as active global citizens. Students benefit from an average class size of 11 and a student-faculty ratio of five to one. For more information, please visit www.newhampton.org.
