What is A(tm)?
and who started it?
Hungry for a supportive, challenging, inspiring environment, Long Island artists Rob Goldman, Roseann Nicotra and Christine Benjamin have opened the doors to this much needed venue for creation, exhibition, education, exploration and celebration. ART (that matters) will showcase the work of established and emerging artists from the Metropolitan New York area. Exhibiting Members' work will be included in group shows several times a year and be considered for solo shows every 1-2 years. In addition, there are ongoing photography classes and workshops, and monthly artist gatherings where artists network, brainstorm and critique one another's work.
Goldman, Nicotra and Benjamin bring three unique, yet complimentary perspectives to their shared vision:
Rob Goldman is the founder of Stepping Stone Gallery in Huntington, New York and spent fifteen years as an internationally published advertising and magazine photographer. He has established himself as an imaginative and progressive artist and teacher, offering ongoing classes that focus on how the many facets of the photographer shape and affect his/her art and vision. His unique style encompasses a variety of holistic and supportive strategies, encouraging all levels of talent and experience. He is currently pursuing his Masters degree in interdisciplinary art at Goddard College.
Roseann Nicotra brings more than thirty years of invaluable commercial savvy to ART (that matters). A Long Island business owner, Nicotra possesses outstanding interpersonal skills. A talented photographer herself, Nicotra's portraits are imaginative and her photo shoots warm and playful. With intention, she has a passion to connect with and capture the essence of the human spirit. She believes that a portrait is a work of art of a person.
Christine Benjamin holds a master's degree in clinical social work and has practiced for fifteen years. Benjamin began studying photography under Rob Goldman as a means to explore the important social issues that affect and move her. Currently she is working on her award-winning project, 'i Of The Beholder,' a book that features her portraits of nude breast cancer survivors. She is a portrait photographer whose expressive work reflects a willingness to explore her vulnerabilities, sensitivities and passions.
Goldman, Nicotra, Benjamin, and artists like them, dream of belonging to a local community of like-minded people who understand and support one another's work and lifestyles. They dream of a place where their talents and visions are safe, nurtured and celebrated. Shared, fed and featured. Their dream is now a reality at ART (that matters).