Current Exhibitions

March 8–April 6, 2025

Gallery 1: Poetry of Place, Karen Allen and Jenn Wiggs

Gallery 2: Passages, BAU Gallery Artists

Beacon Room: Translucent Hues, Eileen Sackman

Opening Reception: Saturday, March 8th, 6-8 pm.

Live musical performance: Chris Dingman, Saturday, March 8, 7:45 pm.

Artist talk: Karen Allen, April 6, 5 pm. 

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Gallery 1: Poetry of Place, Karen Allen and Jenn Wiggs

Poetry of Place is a painting conversation between two artists, Karen Allen and Jenn Wiggs. The affinities Allen felt with Wiggs led her to collect her work, study with her, and finally curate this dual exhibit. Allen paints with oil, acrylic, and mixed media materials in abstract figuration.

Her intuitive process opens her to possibilities and meanings balanced with the formal qualities each piece challenges her with. Jenn Wiggs is an expert with gouache and watercolor. Her paintings are metaphors for connections, both conscious and unconscious. The elements of her landscapes are primarily about space and color. The mature voices of these two artists are uniquely their own yet harmonize with each other in this selection of their work.

About the artists

Karen Allen is a member artist of BAU. She holds a BFA from Syracuse University in painting. She has had a career in the arts working in advertising and publishing as well as continuously having her work in local, national and international exhibitions.

Jennifer Wiggs is a painter specializing in abstract works featuring simple shapes in subtle and complex color harmonies. She studied at Indiana University (BFA) and Washington University, St. Louis, MFA. She maintains an active studio at Orr Street Studios in Columbia, Missouri.

Chris Dingman is a vibraphonist and composer known for his distinctive approach to the instrument: sonically rich and expansive, bringing listeners on a journey to a beautiful, transcendent place. He has done significant work with legendary artists Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter as well as next generation visionaries such as Linda Oh, Ambrose Akinmusire, Steve Lehman, and many others, performing around the world.

Press

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Gallery 2: Passages, BAU Gallery Artists

Passages brings together a diverse group of artists whose works traverse the boundaries of medium, material, and meaning. Featuring painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, mixed-media sculpture, and photography, this exhibition explores the concept of transition—moments of change, flux, and becoming.

Each artist in Passages offers a unique interpretation of transformation, drawing from themes of memory, movement, and materiality. Vibrant paintings and prints reflect shifting emotional landscapes, while sculptural works and assemblages delve into the interplay between form and formlessness. Together, these varied practices create a dynamic dialogue, bridging the personal and the universal, the tangible and the intangible.

The exhibition invites viewers to consider the ways we navigate thresholds—between ideas, identities, and experiences. It celebrates the power of art to illuminate the spaces where the old gives way to the new, where boundaries dissolve, and where possibilities emerge.In Passages, the richness of artistic expression becomes a lens through which we can experience life's transitions, encouraging us to embrace the journeys that shape us all.

Participating artists

Current gallery artists in this exhibition are: Bob Barry, Daniel Berlin, Eileen Sackman, George Kimmerling, Ilse Schreiber-Noll, Joan Harmon, Joel Brown, Karen Allen, Kelly M O’Brien, Linda Lauro-Lazin, Nansi Lent, Nataliya Hines, Pamela Zaremba, Robin Adler, and Soli Pierce. Please visit the artists tab for details on each artist.

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Beacon Room: Translucent Hues, Eileen Sackman

Translucent Hues presents a collection of hand-carved porcelain reliefs enhanced by the use of celadon glazes. Exploring the interplay of light and shadow, delicately carved flora and fauna motifs interact with the translucency of the glazes. The subtle variations in color and texture are highlighted as the light filters through the translucent layers, revealing the depth and intricacy of the sculpted forms. This exhibition celebrates the beauty and versatility of celadon glazes, drawing inspiration from their rich history in ceramic art, while showcasing the expressive power of porcelain relief.

About the artist

Eileen Sackman earned her MFA in Ceramics at SUNY New Paltz, a MA in Sculpture from Adelphi University, and a BA in Sculpture from Hunter College. In addition to her studio practice, she is an Instructor at The Art School at Old Church, Nassau Community College and Monmouth University.