The Waseca Art Center held a opening reception for it’s new exhibits on Thursday, May 9.
Artist Eric Zuccola has his art in the Harguth Gallery of the Art Center while artwork from the center’s Art Appreciation Group is in the Beckmann Gallery. Both exhibits will run till June 8.
Art Appreciation Group
Every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m, the Waseca Art Center hosts an Art Appreciation Group. The group is open to anyone 16 and over from the public and is free.
While the group usually meets in the basement of the art center, the group sometimes meet outside and capture the beautiful landscape around Waseca when the weather is nice.
The group engages in a stimulating series of art activities in a relaxed environment of friendly camaraderie. They also teach each other about different artists or movements that they are drawn to and lead a drawing or painting session in the style of the lecture topic.
Grace Galvin, who partakes in the group, spoke about the art appreciation group at the may 9 reception. Galvin stated that Norman Rockwell was her mentor, as she loved to copy the Saturday Evening Post covers when she was younger.
“I really learned to paint portraits of people from the Saturday Evening Post,” Galvin said.
Galvin pointed out that members of the group have various talents when it comes to their artwork. They all have different experiences and they showcase that in their artwork.
Galvin noted that everybody is welcome to join the group, as it is a great opportunity to socialize and learn new things.
Eric Zuccola
Eric Zuccola, who is a teacher at Robbinsdale Cooper High School near Minneapolis, decided to pursue his interest in art further a few years ago.
“I’ve been a high school teacher going on 26 years now, but have always done my art on the side,” said Zuccola at the May 9 reception. “But after COVID hit, I realized, as many people did, that life is very short and to get out there in the world and kind of show what you’re doing on the side can sometimes be a really great thing to do.”
He did just that. He stated that he has been more proactive about putting his art pieces out into the world.
Zuccola’s primary art focus is collage work. Other than altering the size of photos in his collages, he does no photoshop work. Zuccola has always been a consumer of a lot of media, and one sheet movie posters and still shots from movies have been inspirations for his artwork.
Zuccola also credits his mother for him becoming an artists. She had a similar life as an artist to his son, as she was a baker and did art on the side. She then transitioned into being a full-time artist later in her life.
Zuccola’s hometown is Cleveland, Ohio, and his mother still resides there.
“Growing up, we spent a lot of time going to galleries and museums,” Zuccola said about his childhood with his mother. “Cleveland has a pretty internally famous art scene.”
Zuccola’s mother also introduced him to pop art and the works of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, two artists who have inspired Zuccola’s art greatly.
The Harguth Gallery at the Waseca Art Center is one of the many exhibits his work have been featured in. His work has also appeared in many publications, including the North Star Collage magazine and the national College Society’s annual calendar.
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