Juried Art Program
“Changing the Subject: Two Artists Explore New Directions” by Marion Schneider & Sherri Paul
Exhibition is on display October 3, 2026 to November 7, 2026.
About the Artist:
Artist statement: “Changing the Subject” Marion Schneider
The city has been an inspiration for many of my paintings over the years. I have been inspired by the energy and mood of the city, its people, shapes, buildings, and shadows. I started with taxis moving through the city; then, people, crowds, buildings, museums, and the overall color and design of the city. Recently, since the Pandemic, I have been going into the city less often. I continue to love and paint the city, but have also focused on other subjects that express my love of color, shape, and most of all DESIGN. Exhibited here are many city inspired paintings and other subjects: floral studies, abstracts that have evolved from buildings in the city, and more recently total geometric abstracts.
Artist Bio: Sherri Paul, an award-winning artist, studied at Penn State under acclaimed graphic artist Harold Altman. In her New York series of paintings, she explores the City and its world of unlimited possibilities in a style called “urban realism.” These cityscapes and portraits capture the color, light and moods of the City and the variety of its inhabitants. The paintings, all in oil, record fleeting moments in time with a snapshot quality and quirky humor. In a review in Gallery & Studio, Maureen Flynn wrote that Sherri Paul’s paintings “resonate poignantly in compositions as notable for their abstract virtues as their skilled realism.” In her
landscapes, color harmonies bolster the snapshot quality of the scenes with underlying formality. These seasonally inspired paintings feature natural elements such as water, air and light. Sherri’s paintings are in numerous private and public collections.
Marion is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Syracuse University School of Art with a major in Advertising Design and Illustration. Her artistic career began as a freelance illustrator in New York before working in Advertising for many years and then at Pepsico as a Sr. Art Director for 20 years. She studied film making at the San Francisco Art Institute, painting at SUNY Purchase and Pastel at the Silvermine Guild in CT. Her strong design background has formed a basic structure and way of seeing the world that dominates her work. Her intense love of color, pattern, edge playfulness, and extreme light and shadow are strong themes that are always evident in her paintings. The city has been her main inspiration for her paintings and pastels, but more recently she is exploring abstract, oral subjects, and landscape. Marion is a member and past President of the Mamaroneck Artists Guild, a member of the Rye Art Center, The Greenwich Arts Council, and the Westchester Arts Council. She has exhibited in all of these venues in addition to Lever House Gallery in NY, the Catherine Lorillard Show in NY, and many other galleries in the Connecticut, New York area. Her award winning work is in many private collections in Westchester, New York City, the Hamptons, San Francisco, and Florence, Italy.
Exhibit Art at the Library
Artists who are interested in exhibiting at the Harrison Public Library, Bruce Avenue, Harrison, NY for approximately one month during 2027 are invited to submit samples of their artwork for review by a Juried Art Committee sponsored by the Harrison Council for the Arts.
Twelve artists will be awarded one person shows by our jury, with three alternate artists chosen as well, should unexpected circumstances prevent artists from exhibiting according to schedule. Submissions are open to active artists, ages 18 and older. Given the exhibit space, the committee will not accept artwork which depicts nudes. Group shows (2, 3 or 4 persons) will also be considered provided these artists register and submit work together. Please note for group shows, all entrants must be chosen.
If you are interested in competing for one of these shows, please bring samples to the Community Room, Harrison Public Library, 2 Bruce Avenue, Harrison, NY on Friday, May 15, 2026 between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. All artists must pick up their samples on Saturday, May 16, 2026 between 12:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Two-dimensional art only is eligible and the samples must be in the form of two different pieces of the actual art (preferably framed), 12 additional works of art in the form of photos, prints, or on a USB stick (all different/representational of the artist’s work), and a resume.
Please review the Art Exhibit Guidelines and Agreement. If you choose to participate, you will be notified of the jury’s decision by e-mail no later than June 30, 2026. If awarded exhibit time, you will be asked to call Kenji Kaneshiro at the Library and provide him with three choices for a monthly exhibit in 2027 (first come-first served). If Kenji is not available when you call, please leave a voicemail message with your three choices 914/835-0324. Kenji will confirm your exhibit date by mail and at that time you will be asked to sign the Art Exhibit Agreement which must be returned immediately. The applicable fee is due three months prior to the exhibit date (see the Guidelines). After having been accepted and exhibited, you will need to wait four years before you may apply again.
If you have any questions, please contact Anaiz Reynoso-Roberts at the Library 914-835-0324 areynoso-roberts@harrisonpl.org.
To be considered as an exhibitor, your work must be reviewed and approved by our distinguished jury formed by invitation from the Harrison Council for the Arts:
TRACY GILMAN, a B.F.A. and M.S. graduate of Pratt Institute, currently teaches Studio Art and Ceramics at Harrison High School. Prior to teaching in Harrison, Ms. Gilman taught in various museums and alternative educational settings, joining the New York City public school system in 1999. She has been a working artist since 1995, having shown her work throughout Westchester, New York City, Detroit, Sweden and Japan. Ms. Gilman was a founding director and exhibiting member of the Rider Project, a mobile art gallery in New York City, as well as an original member of Fakework, an Artist Collective. Ms. Gilman is a Board Member of the Harrison Council for the Arts, the Castle Gallery of New Rochelle, and maintains active memberships in the National Council of Education for the Ceramic Arts, the National Arts Education Association and the New York State Art Teachers Association.
ANGIE MARTINETTI was born and raised in Harrison, New York. They are currently living in New Rochelle, working as an art teacher in the New Rochelle City School District. They graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2020 with a BFA in Film and Animation, and hold their MFA in Visual Arts Education from Hunter College. Angie’s foundations are in the 2D fine arts and digital media with extensive work in character design and self-produced short films. Their illustrative work leans towards topics of identity, reflection, and the visualization of emotions. More recently, Angie has been introduced to the world of prop and costume design for live theater. They have created large-scale, functional props for Harrison High School’s 2023 musical Into The Woods and Mamaroneck High School’s 2024 musical Newsies.
MICHELLE SCHWARTZ is an artist, abstract painter, and educator with over 10 years of teaching experience across New York City, Westchester, and Rockland. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland and her Master’s degree from the School of Visual Arts, where she continues to serve as faculty in the Saturday Young Artists program. As a practicing abstract painter, Michelle’s work is driven by color, emotion, and experimentation, often using unconventional tools and materials to apply paint in unexpected ways. Her artistic practice embraces process, movement, and the expressive power of mark-making, reflecting her belief that art is both deeply personal and transformative. Coming from a family of artists and educators, Michelle’s passion for art began early and naturally evolved into both a lifelong creative practice and a career in education. She currently teaches K–5 art at Harrison Avenue School, where she is passionate about helping students recognize that they are artists in their own unique way. By encouraging creative risk-taking, self-expression, and exploration, she helps young artists build confidence in their abilities and trust in their own artistic voice. Beyond the classroom, Michelle is committed to supporting the next generation of artists by auctioning her artwork to raise funds for charities that help student artists pursue their creative journeys.