Best in Show — Viewpoint Gallery, national juried exhibition, Schenectady, NY

Full text

Photographed by Matt Sesow from his press packets, October 18, 2026; text transcribed from the photos by Claude.

The 4th Annual Viewpoint Gallery 2002 ACQUISITIONS EXHIBITION by Artists with Disabilities

Awards...
Key Bank 2002 Best of Show Award
Juror's Choice
Matt Sesow

The artist presents us with works of formidable figures that emerge from the depths of a thick painterly ground. The invigorated surface Mr. Sesow sweeps and churns across the canvas take us through the passages and color-soaked highlights of his three painted canvases. Sesow's "Before and After" confronts physically challenging situations with unflinching directness that is both fresh and honest. Pulling back his brush, Sesow gently pushes forth with unspoken anguish that grows with warmth and compassion. There is vigor and soulfulness in his work that speaks of a passionate embrace of life's struggle.

- Sharon Bates, 2002

Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital
1270 Belmont Avenue
Schenectady, New York 12308
(518) 382-4500
www.sunnyview.org

Full text

Photographed by Matt Sesow from his press packets, October 18, 2026; text transcribed from the photos by Claude.

The 4th Annual
2002
Viewpoint Gallery
ACQUISITIONS EXHIBITION
by Artists with Disabilities

[Cover images, clockwise from upper left per inside credits: Matt Sesow, "Before and After"; Gayleen Aiken, "Me the Artist Gaylee..."; Jay Petersen, "Mouths to Feed: Africa"; Allison Merriweather, "History of the World"]

[Left page]
"Indeed, artistic insight does not depend on physical characteristics, and passion is something that does not require a particular physical container to thrive in."

John Hockenberry, June 18, 2001
Meet the Photographers Forum
National Press Club

Front Cover Artists' Credits: (Clockwise from upper left)
Best in Show, Juror's Choice: Matt Sesow, Before and After, 2001, oil on watercolor board, 40" x 30"
Juror's Choice: Gayleen Aiken, Me the Artist Gaylee..., 1994, oil on canvas, 16" x 20"
Jay Petersen, Mouths to Feed: Africa, 1998, mixed media on poplar, 10" x 22"
Juror's Choice: Allison Merriweather, History of the World, 2001, oil on masonite, 11" x 14"

[Right page]
Welcome to...

The 4th Annual
ViewPoint Gallery
2002 Acquisitions Exhibition
by Artists with Disabilities

On behalf of Sunnyview's board of directors, staff, volunteers, and Auxiliary, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the ViewPoint Gallery's 4th Annual Art Exhibition.

When Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital embarked on this project more than four years ago, we did not know how ViewPoint Gallery would evolve. Although it is true that we have witnessed tremendous growth in both the quality and quantity of artwork, what is perhaps more important is that we have been able to showcase the artwork of people who face physical challenges in their day-to-day living. These are people who have refused to let their physical problems interfere with the creative process, who have overcome many obstacles to continue their artistic vision so that they share it with others.

Some might say that these artists are fortunate to have a forum for their creativity here at Sunnyview. Some might say that the artwork is phenomenal, and that the artists are the ones who benefit from having their works on display in the ViewPoint Gallery. Actually, all of us are the fortunate ones. These works help us to go on a journey through the eyes of someone who deals daily with the challenges of a physical disability. We are fortunate to be able to take that ride with them.

The American Hospital Associations News once reported on the triumph of artistic expression over disabilities at the New Jersey-based Matheny School. Steven Proctor, Matheny's CEO, noted that when a person with a disability exhibits work at a museum or a gallery, it can do tremendous things for one's self-esteem. "It shows just what you can achieve," he says. "The students," he adds, "experience opportunities rather than limitations."

The same can be said about our artists. If you look at the works on display at Sunnyview, you do not see disabilities; rather, you see extraordinary abilities.

This is Sunnyview's mission: to enrich the lives of persons with disabilities and the lives of their families through greater independence. What better tribute exists to the possibilities of persons with disabilities than the visual banquet we have before us in this exhibition?

Eleanor Roosevelt once pointed out that before he was stricken with polio, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had never been forced to become a truly great man – had never been forced to develop those habits of infinite patience and persistence, without which life cannot be fully lived. Her comments were revisited when the country dedicated a statue of FDR depicting him as he lived on a daily basis: as a wheelchair user.

Our artists live with their disabilities day in, day out. Yet their vision of creative warmth and inner strength shine through their works.

Robert J. Bylanik
President/CEO
Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital

About Viewpoint Gallery

ViewPoint • Gallery

The mission of the ViewPoint Gallery is to serve as a catalyst in efforts to develop and implement ways of incorporating creative expression and all its benefits into the fabric of Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital and the community it serves.

Each year the Gallery organizes a national call-for-entry for artists with disabilities. An eight-month-long project, the "call" initiates activities that culminate in the Annual Acquisitions Exhibition by Artists with Disabilities and An Evening of Art at Sunnyview. Our annual event gives these artists the opportunity to participate in a professionally organized exhibition, one that offers the possibility of sales and inclusion into the ViewPoint Gallery's permanent collection.

As in any national exhibition of this kind, ours is a wide-angle view into the world of contemporary American art. The artists, from the self-taught to the educated professional, beautifully articulate many aspects of the human condition with astute observation and well-developed methods of articulation. Whether a work of art is executed by an artist whose method is to clench a paintbrush between his teeth or shoot a camera from a wheelchair, it is obvious when viewing the exhibition and collection that the substance of creative intent is not diminished by disability.

Ruth Hall Daly
Curator

Awards...

Key Bank 2002
Best of Show Award
Juror's Choice
Matt Sesow

The artist presents us with works of formidable figures that emerge from the depths of a thick painterly ground. The invigorated surface Mr. Sesow sweeps and churns across the canvas take us through the passages and color-soaked highlights of his three painted canvases. Sesow's "Before and After" confronts physically challenging situations with unflinching directness that is both fresh and honest. Pulling back his brush, Sesow gently pushes forth with unspoken anguish that grows with warmth and compassion. There is vigor and soulfulness in his work that speaks of a passionate embrace of life's struggle.

– Sharon Bates, 2002

Sunnyview Hospital
Inspirational Award
"Cosmos II" by Gary Bachers

Gary E. Bachers, New Boston, Texas, is a family physician, accomplished pianist, woodworker, artist and landscape designer. In 1987, Gary suffered a massive stroke that left him with aphasia (the loss of expressive language) and hemiplegia (paralysis of the right side of his body). Physical therapy eventually helped him regain his ability to walk with the use of a cane. Along with this therapy, Gary induced a kind of self-therapy, and, in an effort to train his left hand to hold a pencil, he executed small sketches. To this day, his preferred medium is Prismacolor pencil on mylar. Sunnyview's Art Selection Committee chose "Cosmos II" for the 2002 Inspirational Award because of his perseverance and dedication to maintaining his creativity despite facing tremendous physical challenges.

[...end of previous artist's entry] received a bachelor of arts degree in art from the American University in 1971. "By the grace of God, prayer, meditation and biofeedback, I now have relapsing/remitting multiple sclerosis at the present time," she notes. "As well, I have been blessed with four fine children." She works in a variety of media, including oil, acrylics and pencils. "Art swallows all my anxieties and sanctions serenity," she says.

Matt Sesow, Washington, DC, began painting in 1994 when he was 28 "for fun." Despite the fact that he had no formal training, he quickly developed a mature voice and clear understanding of how to put it to canvas. When he was eight years old in Nebraska, he was hit by a landing propellered airplane, which resulted in the amputation of his left hand below the elbow. This was particularly difficult, since he was left-handed, and had to learn to use his right hand. "I started to paint themes that related to my disability and feelings about being disabled," he writes. "Now I am a full-time artist trying to live off the sales of my paintings." He has a bachelor of science degree in computer science and has worked full-time jobs at IBM, AOL and Netscape. "I am a self-taught artist and I paint every day," he says. "I like to use intense colors and sharp lines to tell a moving story. I like the way cardboard holds oil paint and the way canvas burns my fingers and sands my nails as I scratch the surface. I enjoy the smell of linseed oil and turpentine as they fill my studio space. Painting takes all my energy and effort. It is the most important thing I do." Matt's works are in a number of private collections throughout the United States. He has exhibited his works through VSA, as well as at Hofstra University on Long Island, at the San Jose Art League Gallery in California, at the outsider art fair in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and at the Ninth Life Fine Art Gallery in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. He was selected to participate in "Revelations and Reflections of American Self-Taught Artists" for ExhibitsUSA Museum, running through 2005 at various locations across the country, including Nashville, Orlando, Little Rock, Portsmouth, Ohio, and Loveland, Colorado.

Donna Smith, Colchester, Connecticut, was injured in a diving accident in July, 1991 and is now a quadriplegic. She completes her work by holding the brush in her mouth, and one of her pieces, "Winter in the Garden," is included in the ViewPoint Gallery's permanent collection. She notes that she has been a student in the Mouth and Foot Painters' Association fore more than seven years, "which pays for materials and lessons." She has won two awards in previous exhibitions.

Ken Smith, Riverside, Washington, relies on Japanese aesthetics and traditional philosophy as the ongoing influence in his work. "My still life work centers on subject matter from nature," he says. "Over time I have become aware that imbued within the subjects I choose to work with are the recurring themes of impermanence and change. For me, the [...] and the arrangements I create from them show simple truths and ultimate [continues, cut off]

2002 Honorary Committee

Joan* and Arnold Amell
Dr. N. Balasubramanian
Robert and Sarah Bojdak
Dr. and Mrs.* Richard M. Breault
Gregory and Mary Therese Bucher
Don and Marion* Clapsaddle
Patricia Cocca
Sandy and Leonard Coffman
Joy Coneway
Richard* and Nancy Cummins
Rosann DeMeo
Maude H. Dunlap
Eastern Office Supply Company
Fred Erlich, Living Resources
Mr.* and Mrs. Robert Fazio
William X. Fischer, M.D.
Brian Foster
John D. Fulco, M.D*
Sarah Gage
Gallery 100
Mr. and Mrs. Norman C. Gittinger
Mrs. Annemarie Gleason,* Kings Way Arms
Wally* and Addy Graham
John P. Halstead
Joel L. Lindy, Harris, Beach LLP
Ms. Goldie Hoffman
Dr. James E. Holmblad*
Mr.* and Mrs. James J. Hunter
Karen B. Johnson*
Mrs. Charlotte Kiggins
John and Margaret Mackey
Dr. and Mrs. Joseph E. Milano
Mrs. John Moore
Nan and Hugh Murphy
Dr. and Mrs. James W. Nelson
Drs. Lynne Nicolson* and Douglas Hamilton
Dr. and Mrs.* Carl A. Paulsen
Richard E.* and Barbara J. Roberts
Emily Ross
Jack* and Charlotte Savage
Drs. Kenneth L. Shapiro and Joan Dacher
Edna M. Scheper*
Dr.* and Mrs. James M. Strosberg
Moya K. Viertl
Jan and Gary Weitzman
Mr. and Mrs.* John C. Westcott

Special thanks to the following who contributed to the art event

Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Delisle
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Eisenman
Susan Edelheit
Mrs. Elizabeth H. Foye
George Gifford
Mrs. Dorothy E. Graham
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Hoopes
Alice A. Kelley
Franklin Longo, M.D.
John Riccitello's Restaurant
Mr. and Mrs. David D. Raycroft
Bettina A. Pels-Wetzel, D.D.S.
Lois and Semour Zeitler (In memory of "Duke" Skelton)

* Sunnyview Hospital and/or Foundation Board

This event is made possible in part with public funds from the NYS Council on the Arts Decentralization Program, administered in Albany and Schenectady Counties by the Albany/Schenectady League of Arts Community Arts Connection. Matching funds up to $2,500 from the Lutheran Brotherhood Branch 8846.

Special Thanks to Our Event Sponsor

KeyBank

BENEFACTOR
The Lutheran Brotherhood Branch 8846

PATRON
BBL Construction Services
Clover Capital Management
das Design Studio
The Golub Foundation
JERSEN INDUSTRIES, Inc.
Sampson's Prosthetic and Orthotic Lab

FRIEND
BLAKLEY-REA FAMILY FUND
La Torre Orthopedic Laboratory
Prosthetics & Orthotics
MVP Health Care
The Troy Savings Bank Charitable Foundation

THANKS TO OUR JURORS
Sharon Bates
Director of Exhibitions and Programs, Albany International Airport, Albany, NY
Amy Williams
Vice President for Programs, The Art Center of the Capital Region, Troy, NY
Jim Richard Wilson
Director, Rathbone Gallery, The Sage Colleges, Albany, NY

SPECIAL APPRECIATION TO
Panza's Catering
Total Events
Experience and Creative Design, Ltd.
Melissa Esposito
Sunnyview Auxiliary and Volunteers
Sunnyview Dietary Staff
Sunnyview Environmental Services

...How to Purchase Art

Every year, the ViewPoint Gallery reserves for purchase art works that Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital would like to add to the permanent collection.

Viewers are able to purchase these reserved pieces and donate them to Sunnyview. Any piece on display that is not reserved for Sunnyview may be purchased for one's personal collection. Any piece on display that is reserved and is not purchased for the collection will become available for private purchase. Please let us know if you are interested in any of the reserved pieces and we will contact you if and when they become available.

Volunteers and Auxiliary members are present to help you with your purchases and donations. We accept personal checks made out to the Sunnyview Foundation, Visa and MasterCard.

Price List: 2002 Acquisition Exhibition for Artists with Disabilities

Name/Last | First | Title | Date | Medium | Size | Price
Ahrens | Janet Hudnut | Fantasy Landscape | 2001 | acrylic on clay | 10" x 10" | $75.00
Ahrens | Janet Hudnut | Poetry of Life | 2001 | acrylic on clay | 10" x 10" | $75.00
Aiken | Gayleen | A Nickelodeon Music Box | n.d. | oil on canvas board | 11" x 14" | $700.00
Aiken | Gayleen | Me the Artist Gaylee... | 1994 | oil on canvas board | 16" x 20" | $900.00
Bachers | Gary | Cosmos II | 2001 | color pencil on mylar | 18" x 24" | $1,400.00
Bebeau | Loretta | Yellow #12 | 2001 | mixed media on sheet rock | 12" x 12" | $500.00
Bebeau | Loretta | Words Saved | 2001 | mixed media on sheet rock | 12" x 39" | $500.00
Bebeau | Loretta | Yellow #13 | 2001 | mixed media on sheet rock | 12" x 12" | $500.00
Burke | Myra Jean | Climbing a Mountain, 6/33 | 2001 | giclee print | 12" x 9" | $175.00
Burke | Myra Jean | Sunny Side Up, 2/33 | 2001 | giclee print | 12" x 9" | $175.00
Cantarella | Virginia | The Bent Wood Chair | 2001 | acrylic and pencil on canvas | 30" x 24" | $800.00
Cantarella | Virginia | The Umbrella | 2001 | acrylic on canvas | 22" x 38" | $600.00
Carle | Luis | Brighton Beach Summer Storm | 1998 | sepia toned B&W photoprint on watercolor paper | 20" x 30" | $1,200.00
Carle | Luis | Getting Dressed/Brighton Beach | 1998 | photoprint on watercolor paper | 12" x 18" | $1,000.00
Carle | Luis | Running from the Storm/Brighton Beach | 1998 | photoprint on watercolor paper | 12" x 18" | $1,000.00
Densmore | Merrill | Untitled (poodle) | 1997 | acrylic on board | 16" x 24" | $180.00
Densmore | Merrill | Untitled (snow scene) | 1997 | acrylic on board | 12" x 16" | $90.00
Densmore | Merrill | Untitled (street scene) | 1998 | acrylic on board | 16" x 24" | $180.00
Ferguson | Laura | Crouching figure with visible skeleton, 15/75 | 2000 | Iris print | 15½" x 12" | $450.00
Ferguson | Laura | Dark twisting figure | 1998 | mixed media on paper | 12¾" x 10¼" | $2,000.00
Ferguson | Laura | Dark twisting figure with visible skeleton | 2002 | mixed media on paper | 12¾" x 10¼" | $2,000.00
Ferguson | Laura | Pelvis study for Dark twisting figure | 2002 | mixed media on paper | 10" x 8" | $1,600.00
Ferguson | Laura | Ribcage study for Dark twisting figure | 2002 | mixed media on paper | 11¾" x 9" | $2,000.00
Gannello | Carmelo | Let There be Light | 1983 | oil on canvas | 16½" x 13½" | $500.00
Gersten | Sue | Buddies | 1996 | color photograph | 11" x 14" | $150.00
Giddens | Kathleen | Canoe Trip on Loxahatchee | 1998 | oil on canvas | 20" x 30" | $500.00
Giddens | Kathleen | Georgia Creek | 1995 | oil on canvas | 18" x 24" | $500.00
Goldin | Scott | Bubblebath Lady | 1999 | acrylic on canvas | 49" x 57" | $290.00
Goldin | Scott | Ernest Hemingway and Muriel | 2000 | acrylic on canvas | 49" x 45" | $270.00
Grossman | Brian | Shadows of Illumination | 2000 | Colorado alabaster | 19" x 16" x 16" | $5,900.00
Grossman | Brian | Spontaneity | 2001 | Colorado alabaster | 13" x 12" x 12" | $3,900.00
Halverson | Harold | Lady | 2000 | wool, silk, and felt | 20" x 26" | $200.00
Harrison | Gayle Nord | Living with Art in the 21st Century: Tribute to Van Gogh | 2001 | needlepoint tapestry | 32" x 26" | $3,700.00
Harrison | Gayle Nord | Living with Art in the 21st Century: Tribute to Max Beckman and American Jazz Artists | 2000 | needlepoint tapestry | 26" x 32" | $3,500.00
Innmon | Tara Arlene | Empty Cell | 1997 | pastel on paper | 16" x 20" | $750.00
Innmon | Tara Arlene | In Line at the Fair | 1992 | pastel on paper | 24" x 19" | $1,500.00
Innmon | Tara Arlene | Orphanage is Flooding | 1997 | pastel on paper | 16" x 20" | $750.00
Knapp | Carol | Madonna and Child | 1996 | pencil on paper | 36" x 24" | $500.00
Kulmeshkenov | Serik | Breakfast for Two | 1999 | ink on paper | 5" x 11" | $400.00
Kulmeshkenov | Serik | Twofaced | 2001 | ink on paper | 12" x 17" | $400.00
Lee | Tom | Jesus Saves | 2001 | B&W photograph | 14" x 11" | $175.00
Lee | Tom | New Mexico Church | 1999 | B&W photograph | 11" x 14" | $175.00
Lesnick | John | Carousel | 2001 | Iris print | 17" x 21" | $600.00
Lesnick | John | Nightmare | 2001 | digital inkjet print | 8" x 5¼" | $100.00

[Note: in the lower part of the printed sheet the date/medium/size/price columns sit slightly offset from the name rows; rows above are aligned by order as printed.]

Name/Last | First | Title | Date | Medium | Size | Price
Martinez | Raul | Javilin Thrower | 2002 | glazed ceramic tile | 28" x 26" | $400.00
Martinez | Raul | Racer | 2002 | glazed ceramic tile | 38" x 26" | $400.00
Merriweather | Allison | History of the World | 2001 | oil on masonite | 11" x 14" | $500.00
Merriweather | Allison | Strolling Gator | 2001 | oil on masonite | 11" x 14" | $500.00
McGarithy | Tom | Seasonal Progression | 2001 | oil on canvas board | 24" x 36" | $350.00
wa Nairobi | Safi | Keys to My Heart: Eric Reid | 2001 | silver gelatin print | 24" x 20" | $875.00
wa Nairobi | Safi | Keys to My Heart: Brush | 2001 | silver gelatin print | 20" x 24" | $880.00
Panasci | Sal | Nantucket Jewel | 2001 | watercolor on paper | 18" x 24" | $600.00
Petersen | Jay Kyle | Mouths to Feed: Africa | 1998 | mixed media on poplar wood | 10" x 22" | $500.00
Ross | Gloria | Landscape | 2002 | bark, hornet's nest, straw on recycled paper | 28½" x 27" | $1,500.00
Schultz | Phillip | Hardly Planned | 1999 | oil on cheapside board | 24" x 29" | $500.00
Seekins | Nora | Help Me! | 2001 | pencil on paper | 12" x 12" | $200.00
Seesow | Matt | Before and After | 2001 | oil on board | 40" x 30" | $1,000.00
Seesow | Matt | Closer to Balance | 2001 | oil on cardboard | 46" x 25" | $1,000.00
Seesow | Matt | Self Portrait | 2000 | oil on archival cardboard | 40" x 30" | $1,000.00
Smith | Donna | Aloe Alley | 1999 | oil on canvas | 17" x 13" | $175.00
Smith | Ken | Leaves | 2001 | toned silver print | 19⅝" x 14¾" | $650.00
Smith | Ken | Seed Bough I | 2002 | archival pigment print on watercolor paper | 17¼" x 27" | $800.00
Smith | Ken | Stems | 2001 | toned silver print | 19½" x 14¾" | $650.00
Springston | Marcia | Horse Teapot | 2001 | stoneware | 5½" x 10" x 5½" | $140.00
Springston | Marcia | Teapot | 2001 | stoneware | 10" x 6½" x 8" | $140.00
Valliere | Frank | Carry that Weight | 2000 | oil pastel on paper | 14" x 17" | $4,000.00
Valliere | Frank | Old Yeller | 1999 | oil pastel on paper | 14" x 17" | $3,000.00
Valliere | Frank | Twiggy Lives | 1999 | oil pastel on paper | 14" x 17" | $1,500.00
Williams | Linda | The Processional | 2001 | mixed media on handmade paper | 7½" x 31" | $900.00
Walwyn | Charlotte | Buildings | 2001 | acrylic on canvas | 48" x 50" | $300.00
Wilczewski | Thomas | Approaching Storm | 2001 | watercolor on paper | 11" x 15" | $175.00
Wilczewski | Thomas | Breakers at Nazare Portugal | 2002 | watercolor on paper | 11" x 15" | $185.00
Winters | Peggy Joan | Stars and Bars Forever | 2000 | watercolor on paper | 32" x 36" | $1,900.00