Cooperative Gallery
213 State St
Binghamton, NY 13901
(607) 724-3462

Gallery Hours:
Friday 3-6:00 PM
First Friday 3-9:00 PM
Saturday 12-4:00 PM

Members' Meeting:
Next meeting is Monday, February 11th at 7:00 PM

Current Exhibition: The Texture of Life Photographs by Peg Johnston Diversions Photographs by Bill Gorman April 18 – May 11, 2008 Opening Reception: Friday, April 18 from 5:30-8:00 PM Artists talk at 6:00 PM Musical Entertainment by Joshua Sperling on the One-String Guitar First Friday Art Walk: May 2, 3-9:00 PM Artists will be present from 6-9:00 PM Galleries can have opening receptions on nights other than First Friday. Peg Johnston, founding member, and Bill Gorman, long time member of the Cooperative Gallery 213 share the gallery space for an upcoming exhibit opening on April 18 and running through May 11. Peg Johnston explores subjects close at hand in “The Texture of Life” . “I really wanted to ‘feel with my eyes’ as a way of looking more deeply at my surroundings,” explained Johnston. She has also created a one minute podcast showcasing her show, on view at http://web.mac.com/pegjohnston.  Bill Gorman presents “Diversions”, a collection of photographs meant to momentarily divert attention from the more serious aspects of our lives. However, Gorman has included one photograph meant to question what he refers to as the “wasteful conflict” in Iraq and the terrible tragedy of war. Both photographers will give an artist’s talk at 6 pm at the opening reception Friday, April 18th from 5:30 to 8 pm. Joshua Sperling will provide musical entertainment on the One-String Guitar that he made by hand. The artists will also be present on First Friday May 2nd from 6-9 pm. The gallery is open Fridays from 3-6pm (3-9 pm on First Fridays) and on Saturdays, along with other State St. galleries from 12- 4 pm, and by appointment with the artists. The Cooperative Gallery 213, "a leader in the arts renaissance in Binghamton" since 2000, announces other related events: Third Thursday April 17th 7pm will feature the short video “Carnevale di Venezia” including discussion with Marla Altschuler and her Italian language and culture class and “Machere Walking” a slide show of Venetian masks with accompaniment by violinist Emil Altschuler. Artists Judy Salton and MaryRose Griffin are presenting this program in advance of their August 2008 Exhibition “Masks: Conception, Perception, Inception, Deception” which will invite artists to create masks. Broome Review, a literary journal edited by Andrei Guruianu and other local writers and artists, will launch its first issue at the May 2nd First Friday at the Cooperative Gallery 213 from 4:30 to 5:30 pm. There will be reading from the journal. The publication will be for sale at the gallery on First Friday. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The Cooperative Gallery 213 has been a pioneering presence on State Street which now is the hub of the arts renaissance in Binghamton and a popular stop on the highly successful First Friday Art Walks from 3-9:00 pm every month, sponsored by the Gorgeous Washington Association. The gallery is open every Friday from 3-6 pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 12-3 pm and by appointment with the featured artist or other members. For more information, visit www.cooperativegallery.com or call 724-3462.

Next Exhibition: Aloha nui loa Hawaiian Photographs by Mark Epstein Photographs of Ghana by Victor Elinoff May 16 – June 7, 2008 Opening Reception: Saturday, May 17 from 4-7:00 PM Presentation by the Elinoffs Thursday May 29, 7PM The bone setter of Atabu & the Shalom Women's Network First Friday Art Walk: June 6, 3-9:00 PM and introducing... Victor Elinoff, photographer  by Mark Epstein This is a long story, made short. 46 years ago at Central High School of Philadelphia, I sat in homeroom two seats from Victor. After four years as amiable acquaintances, we went our separate ways, only to meet again in 1975 at a medical meeting in JC. Thus began a deep personal and family relationship that now spans 33 years. Every year, Vic and I left wife and kiddies and headed off into the Adirondacks for a good start on our winter beards. I filled my portfolio with wilderness images. Vic, who'd previously neither backpacked nor photographed, is a patient learner. He looked through the lens as I set up the picture, asked why this and not that, and developed his own aesthetic. Over the years, his wanderlust far exceeded mine, as he and Cissy hiked the Alps and the Himalayas, studied ancient medicine in China, and visited their son in Africa. All the while, his visual sense matured. On a trip together to his son's wedding in India, I recognized that the pupil's eye was on par with the teacher's. Vic and Cissy have made two service missions to the Volta region of Ghana in the past two years. There they've met remarkable people and established working bonds that promise to grow into something wonderful and creative. Victor met Asafuaste, a bone setter and herbalist, who heals truly devastating injuries using traditional methods wedded to great patience. Victor's photographs capture not only the equanimity of this man, but also the respect he has earned from his quietly suffering patients. Victor used his own special interest in acupuncture to attempt to ease their pain. This has led each to a share his special skills and philosophy. When Vic returned to Africa to work together again, they expanded their service with blood pressure and diabetes screenings. Meanwhile, Cissy chanced upon Mary Afarari, an extraordinary woman who acts upon her belief that girls need strong, committed, capable women to serve as role models. To that end, Mary developed the Shalom Women's Network, teaching fabric printing, dressmaking, baking, and other skills that young women can use to support themselves and to secure some choices in life. In a part of the world where the government does little for you, she is slowly building a school to advance this work. Cissy is using her financial background to advise Mary and to try to develop a market for the products here in the US. Rather than assume that the “third world” situation is hopeless, Vic and Cissy have gone there and found that there are people who use their own resources to make a difference and who are open to new ideas. Look at the faces that Victor has captured: the joy, curiosity, determination, and dignity in them. Vic's connection with his subjects is strong and immediate. His photos and his and Cissy's work deserve to be seen and heard. It's a real honor and pleasure to be able to share this show with him.

- LET’S DIG INTO A CONVERSATION ABOUT ART! Van Gogh would have loved Third Thursdays Please join us on Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 7pm Is Andrea Bocelli an Opera Singer? Third Thursday at the Cooperative Gallery 213 will try to answer the question “Is Andrea Bocelli an Opera Singer?” Although there is no doubt Mr. Bocelli is a popular singer who has sold 60 million albums worldwide and that he has sung and recorded six complete operas, there is some critical dispute about the quality of his singing. Anthony Tommasini, the New York Times chief music critic, and the prominent New York Times music critic Bernard Holland have both questioned Mr. Bocelli’s technique. Is his popularity an indication of his greatness as a singer? Decide for yourself when former voice teacher Tom McDonald leads a discussion after pairing recordings of Mr Bocelli with those of tenors of the past. Third Thursday, free and open to the public, will be held on May 15th at 7 PM at the Cooperative Gallery 213, 213 State Street, Binghamton NY. THIRD THURSDAY, is a monthly discussion group open to everyone. A program introduces a topic followed by a salon style evening of conversation. Good dialogue, casual conversation, open floor for everyone to be involved.