Faculty exhibit paintings in library - 2009-03-16

PAUL SMITHS –"Botanicals from the Northern Forest," an exhibit of paintings by two Paul Smith's College faculty members, will be on display at the school's library through the first week of April.

The paintings are by Lee Ann Sporn, a biology professor at the college, and Meg Bernstein, an art instructor.

Sporn says that since joining the college's faculty in 2003, she has grown fascinated with aspects of biology that can be seen – as opposed to biology that can't be seen, which is her background. "I often sit in the woods and gaze at these plants for hours," Sporn says of her watercolors in the exhibit. "The paintings just sort of happen!"

Bernstein is a member of the Adirondack Artists Guild in Saranac Lake. In addition to needlework, weaving and other fiber media, especially appliqué, Bernstein is interested in evolution and the way elements of the natural world behave and grow.

The exhibit, in the Joan Weill Adirondack Library, is free and open to the public. The library is open from 7:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 7:30 a.m.- 7 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday; and 1 p.m.-10 p.m. Sunday. (During the week of March 16, the library will be open from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., and closed Saturday; normal hours resume Sunday, March 22.)

At Paul Smith’s College, it’s about the experience. The college, whose campus is on the shores of Lower St. Regis Lake, is the only four-year institution of higher education in the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park of New York State. Our programs, in fields including hospitality, culinary arts, forestry, natural resources, entrepreneurship, the sciences, and many others, draw on industries and resources available in our own backyard while
preparing students for successful careers anywhere.

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