Artastic Destination
Press Releases

Grand Opening September 20, 2008

 Released July 23, 2008

Contact: Claudia Markovich                                         FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tel: 631-424-7074
email: artasticdestination@gmail.com

Artastic Destination, a new gallery located at 372 New York Avenue in Huntington Village, will be hosting its Grand Opening celebration on Saturday, September 20th from 7 pm to 10 pm. The gallery, which is already open for previews, was started by local artist Claudia Markovich and features her work as well as the work of other local artists. 

On exhibit during the Grand Opening will be sculptures by Herb Schay, jewelry by Karen Sullivan and Nancy Golder, and paintings by Claudia Markovich. Herb Schay lives in Oyster Bay and teaches sculpture and hand building at Stony Brook University Craft Center. Karen Sullivan, originally from Berkeley, California and currently with a studio in Huntington Station, has been making beads and creating jewelry since the Sixties, and also works in clay and pottery. Nancy Golder has been the artist in residence at Stony Brook University Craft Center for the past two years and teaches pottery and jewelry making. Claudia Markovich grew up in New York City and moved to Huntington Village twelve years ago. She has been painting since childhood and uses her designs to create greeting cards; the cards and other items featuring her artwork are also available at the gallery.

After the grand opening, Artastic Destination will start a schedule of rotating exhibits on the south wall beginning with "Living Spaces, Imaginary Places" by Leonora Wolfeld from October 1st to October 26th with a reception on October 4th, 7-10 pm. Leonora Wolfeld has degrees from both Hunter and Queens colleges and has been involved in more than twenty-four solo and group shows since 1996, winning numerous awards. She will be exhibiting monotypes, linotypes and etchings as well as combinations of these printmaking techniques. Following will be an exhibit of paintings by Susan Bird, starting on October 29th and running through November 23rd with a reception on November 1st, 7-10 pm. Susan Bird is Huntington based artist who works with acrylic on canvas and has studied at the Nassau County Museum of Art. She is inspired by landscapes and seascapes with strong color, light and movement.

About Claudia Markovich

Raised in New York City by immigrant parents, Claudia Markovich was interested in the arts and becoming an artist from an early age. Claudia was painting and writing poetry while attending Hunter College High School and planned to study art in college, however her father, a Yugoslav immigrant who escaped Communism via political asylum in France, convinced her to get a practical degree. Claudia earned an Bachelors degree in engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and after college supported herself with various technical jobs while studying art at the Massachusetts College of Art and Art Students League. Many of her paintings from the time depict journeys and overcoming barriers, using perspective to illustrate her struggle to establish an artistic identity. It was only once she learned to use all her diverse skills in concert that she truly began to live an artist's life. In 2001 she created Claudiam Publications, Inc. and reproduced her art on cards and prints, as well as showcasing it on the Internet, bringing her artwork to the public on her own terms. Now with Artastic Destination she takes her project to the next step, creating a convenient venue where she can share her art and the art of other local artists with the vibrant Huntington community . More information is available on the artists web site: www.claudiam.com.

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Artastic Destination
372 New York Avenue, Huntington, NY 11743
631-424-7074 Fax: 631-629-4170
Open Weds, Thurs. & Sun. 1-8 pm, Fri. & Sat. 1-10 pm