Twardowicz & Dodson: Artists in Parallel

February 6 - May 11, 2007

Emily Lowe Gallery, Lowe Hall

The Hofstra Museum is pleased to present Twardowicz & Dodson: Artists in Parallel, curated by Paul Kowalchuk. This visually compelling retrospective features the work of two of Long Island's most accomplished artists Stanley Twardowicz and Lillian Dodson. Twardowicz & Dodson: Artists in Parallel, an exhibition of painting and sculpture, will be on view at the Emily Lowe Gallery of the Hofstra Museum from February 6 through May 11, 2007.

Twardowicz & Dodson: Artists in Parallel follows the evolution of Stanley Twardowicz's artistry, beginning with some of his earliest paintings from the 1940s including Dresser (1944) and Man in Maine (1946). As the exhibit unfolds, it traces his artistic journey to the 21st century with compositions such as #9/00 (2000). Lillian Dodson's work showcases her beginnings with stoneware works including Bag of Onions (1976) and After the Picnic (1980) to recent works including Bound Iron (2003) as well as Interaction (2006).

Stanley Twardowicz is an acclaimed painter, photographer and teacher, as well as an important figure in the history of the Beat movement in America. He was close friends with Jack Kerouac during his years in Northport, NY. Twardowicz's exhibition history includes the Detroit Institute of Art; the Guggenheim Museum; the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. His work is found in the collections of the Hofstra Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Lillian Dodson's contributions as a potter, sculptor, painter, teacher, and fine arts craftsperson have earned her a reputation as a distinguished and well-respected artist, whose work has been exhibited in 12 one-woman shows and over 100 group exhibitions. Dodson's work is in the collection of the Heckscher Museum, as well as many corporate collections such as Geico Insurance Company, Newsday, and in the personal collections of Elaine Benson, Constance Mellon, and Jack Lerner Larson.

As husband and wife, both Stanley Twardowicz and Lillian Dodson have each established an artistic legacy that is more akin to being viewed as autonomous in its design, rather than that of codependent. They share 40 years together as a couple. While a steadfast and strong relationship intertwines their life experiences, each artist's body of work shows little, if any, resemblance to the other. Their use of media is sharp in its contrasts -Twardowicz chooses painting and photography, and Dodson opts for sculpture in clay, wood, and metal.

Despite the visual differences that characterize their work, Twardowicz and Dodson have carefully navigated their artistic visions together, while developing independently. Each artist has kept outside forces at bay and followed individual artistic paths, while still sharing a commonality of purpose. Abstraction, nature, and diversification are interpreted by each artist with respect to color, technical skill, and media.

Both Twardowicz and Dodson have been members of the Fine Arts faculty at Hofstra University.

Curator Paul Kowalchuk is a co-owner of TheDeepArchives Inc. (TDA), a firm that produces traditional and stop-motion animation films and specialty publications, while providing curatorial and archival services for galleries and museums. Mr. Kowalchuk is a graduate of Rutgers University, Newark, NJ.