Arts for All

Paintings of well-known Florida artist Nike Parton are on display at the Rye Free Reading Room until February 16. Parton, who recently passed away, led painting expeditions up and down the Florida West Coast for over fifty years. Many of her oil and watercolor landscapes are of views that have since been destroyed by development.

Parton, a driver in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II, used her G.I. bill benefit to attend the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Fla. She taught at the Art Center of Manatee and at her Siesta Key studio, taking students out on location to capture the bright Florida light and the warm and cool colors of the shadows.

For more information, visit nikeparton.com or contact sarapelgrift@aol.com.
“Heavens Above: Photographs of the Universe from the Hubble Space Telescope” opened earlier this week at the Rye Arts Center and runs through February 21.

This remarkable exhibition of 30 large-scale illuminated images teaches viewers about the wonders of the universe. Each photograph is a cosmic canvas of stars being born, stars at the end of life, swirling masses of galaxies and mysterious celestial clouds. Organized as a joint project between the Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art of the Midland Center for the Arts in Michigan and NASA’s Space Telescope Science Institute of Baltimore, “Heavens Above” is a rich sensory and educational experience.

In addition to the exhibit, the center is hosting Cosmic Pizza Night for teens and adults Tuesday, February 3, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The cost is $8 per person.
School groups are invited to visit The Rye Arts Center for a docent-led tour created for grades 4 -12. Tours are available every Wednesday for the exhibition. Call 967-0700.

Rye Nature Center’s Featured Artist for February is wildlife photographer Peter Berman, who has won rave reviews for his ability to capture the essence of the wild kingdom. His photographs of animals in Africa, Asia and the Americas—“Wildlife of the World” – will be on exhibit at the Nature Center beginning February 1. A reception for the artist will be held February 6 at 7 p.m.

Berman has traveled the globe on assignment for ABC-TV. He has decades of experience photographing public and private events, including Malcolm Forbes’ lavish birthday party, Princess Diana’s trip to New York, and the Placido Domingo/Luciano Pavarotti after-show party.