April 7 - May 13, 2023
Sam Morello Selected Works
As Buckham enters its 40th year as a nonprofit arts organization, we honor one of our founders, Sam Morello, with an exhibition of selected works from his career as an esteemed printmaker and artist.
"When Buckham Fine Arts Project was created in 1984, Sam Morello was at the center of the process - and that is where everyone involved expected and wanted him to be. The initial member artists knew him well and trusted him. He had been their instructor or art department chair at MCC, or was a faculty colleague, friend, fellow artist, or printmaking guru. If you had an idea, needed a recommendation, connection, or an honest opinion, he was the one to ask.
The surge of energy that transformed the space at the top of the narrow stairs at 134 1⁄2 Second Street was the work of many artists (some with sledgehammers). While it was exhilarating creating the type of space we only saw in larger cities, there was less knowledge about how to run it once the doors opened. Sam knew how to figure things out, how to talk to all kinds of people, how to secure funds, how to convey a vision. He was unmistakably someone people paid attention to with his ready smile, radio-worthy voice and confidence. And while he could wear a button-down shirt and command serious
attention, he always paired it with jeans – no one forgot he was an artist, too.
Participating in or viewing a Buckham show was especially meaningful for some artists because of their roles in creating the original gallery. The light-filled, expansive setting was a wonderful venue for Sam’s large woodcuts and watercolors and gave us the opportunity to see his work at that scale. Concurrent with exhibiting, he continued to guide and shape the gallery as a board member. Without his early and then steadfast involvement over time, we might not be looking at his art – or anyone’s - in Buckham Gallery 40 years later."
-Jan Murdock Hartranft
Sam Morello Selected Works will be on view at Buckham Gallery April 7 through May 13, 2023. Artist Reception for Sam Morello will be held Saturday, April 8 from 2 - 4 PM.
"When Buckham Fine Arts Project was created in 1984, Sam Morello was at the center of the process - and that is where everyone involved expected and wanted him to be. The initial member artists knew him well and trusted him. He had been their instructor or art department chair at MCC, or was a faculty colleague, friend, fellow artist, or printmaking guru. If you had an idea, needed a recommendation, connection, or an honest opinion, he was the one to ask.
The surge of energy that transformed the space at the top of the narrow stairs at 134 1⁄2 Second Street was the work of many artists (some with sledgehammers). While it was exhilarating creating the type of space we only saw in larger cities, there was less knowledge about how to run it once the doors opened. Sam knew how to figure things out, how to talk to all kinds of people, how to secure funds, how to convey a vision. He was unmistakably someone people paid attention to with his ready smile, radio-worthy voice and confidence. And while he could wear a button-down shirt and command serious
attention, he always paired it with jeans – no one forgot he was an artist, too.
Participating in or viewing a Buckham show was especially meaningful for some artists because of their roles in creating the original gallery. The light-filled, expansive setting was a wonderful venue for Sam’s large woodcuts and watercolors and gave us the opportunity to see his work at that scale. Concurrent with exhibiting, he continued to guide and shape the gallery as a board member. Without his early and then steadfast involvement over time, we might not be looking at his art – or anyone’s - in Buckham Gallery 40 years later."
-Jan Murdock Hartranft
Sam Morello Selected Works will be on view at Buckham Gallery April 7 through May 13, 2023. Artist Reception for Sam Morello will be held Saturday, April 8 from 2 - 4 PM.
