NARROWSBURG, NY — The Ruffed Grouse Gallery celebrated its fourth anniversary on August 29th with an opening reception for an in-gallery show, the debut of realistic ceramic artist Lisa Gartner, and with a one-day pop-up from traveling artist Jo Cunningham.

Inside the gallery, attendees viewed the exhibit, "Lisa Gartner: Color TV," which featured a mattress surrounded by ceramics like a Hooters tank top, a nightstand with a condom and lines of cocaine, giant Russian dolls and more. The exhibit will be on display through November 1. 

Gartner told the River Reporter that many of the ceramics were inspired by memories. She said that her favorite was a two liter bottle of Pepsi.

”I made this for my dad. He only drank Pepsi. I never even saw him drink water,” Gartner said, smiling. “There was always a two liter of Pepsi on our kitchen table, so that’s probably my favorite.”

Gartner said that many of the ceramics on display were also inspired by marketing and products in the 70s and 80s, when she was growing up.

“My impression of it [the exhibit] changes sometimes. I’m like, 'Oh this is a girl staying here,' and then sometimes, I’m like, 'Oh no, it’s a guy,'.” she said.

Gartner, who’s been creating ceramics for seven years, said that there are a lot of things that can go wrong when creating her art.

"I wanted to paint with the glazes,” she commented. “It’s really hard to do. It’s like painting with chalk.”

That challenge was what pushed Gartner to continue creating new pieces. Gartner said her favorite part was the challenge of seeing whether she could actually create something or not, rather than finishing a piece.

According to Gartner, part of the reason art is challenging for her is because she has no formal education in art and started later in life, in her 40s. Gartner explained that she owns two bars in New York City, and that after her children had moved away, she wanted to find something new to do.

Though she has been working with ceramics for seven years, this was her first time displaying her work for others to see.

”It’s a good story for people that haven’t found their passion yet,” she remarked.

A wandering show

Outside the gallery, traveling artist Jo Cunningham could be found with her trailer and exhibit, "The Freak Family Roadshow."

The exhibit consists of a restored 1940s trailer, filled with a gorilla mother paper-mache figure cracking eggs, an alien father listening to music on a bed and a hybrid gorilla-alien daughter looking in the mirror.

Cunningham, who has been creating art from a young age, explained to the River Reporter that her exhibit was inspired by her artist father. He created comics called "Alien Metaphor," which were published in a magazine called Heavy Metal in the 90s.

”In his version, his baby looks kind of like a weird egg boy, and I wasn’t really that moved by his baby, so I made my own baby,” she said.

Cunningham added that her mom is a primatologist, so the gorilla mother was inspired by her mother’s gorilla-loving career.

”There’s something in there [the exhibit] for everyone in the family,” she said.

As for the trailer itself, Cunningham said that she bought it off Facebook Marketplace.  The man who helped her rebuild it, Jim Purvis, thinks that it is a home built trailer from the 1940s. She has traveled across the country with her exhibit for over a year now, visiting states like Arizona, Wisconsin, California and Louisiana. 

Cunningham said the reason she chose to display her work in a trailer is because she didn’t want it to stay in one spot, so it could be accessible to a wider audience. 

“I get to show people my art without making them come to me,” she said, beaming. “It was important to me that it’d be fun for all sorts of people, not just artsy types.”

While traveling cross country, Cunningham said she has seen many reactions, from fear to laughter.

”My favorite reaction is when people cry,” she said. “I just feel like the ultimate hope as an artist is to move people.”

Cunningham explained her passion for art stems from deepening a connection with herself.

”Making art makes me feel proud of myself and connected to something bigger than myself. It makes me feel connected to a part of myself that I really like,” she said.

Cunningham’s next stop will be at the House of Yes in Brooklyn, NY on September 20th, and she hopes to explore more of the five boroughs of the city with her installation before that. 

The Ruffed Grouse Gallery can be visited at 144 Main St.