Allied Artists Showcases Contemporary American Art with New Exhibition at the Canton Museum of Art

Don't have the time or money to visit galleries in New York City? Canton Museum of Art (CMA) will save you the expense with "Allied Artists of America: 100 Years," an exhibition featuring over 60 extraordinary works in contemporary American art, opening April 24, 2015 and on view through July 19. A special Opening Night Party for Museum members will be hosted on Thursday, April 23, from 6:00 - 8:00pm at CMA. Members can make reservations for the opening by calling 330.453.7666, ext. 104. A limited number of tickets are available for non-members at $10/person and can be reserved by calling the Museum.

Allied Artists of America is one of the nation's premier visual art societies founded in 1914 in New York City. Allied Artists attracts the best and most celebrated artists in the country. Allied Artists recently celebrated their 100-year anniversary and now consists of artists in all genres of oil, water media, pastel, graphics, and sculpture from across the country. Their subjects are diverse, and their mediums and techniques are varied from the traditional to contemporary. This vast range of subjects is organized to bring audiences to a greater connection with the visual arts in their own lives.

"The testament of time has assured Allied Artists of America, a permanent place in the history of American art societies as well as unquestionable relevance throughout the art community from coast to coast," said Gary T. Erbe, president emeritus of Allied Artists of America. "This exhibition celebrates a very special art society and marks the beginning of the next 100 years of continued growth and success."

"The Allied Artists exhibition brings a great and diverse treasure of American art into the Museum," said Max Barton, executive director. "It is an outstanding selection of work, and we are thankful to our friend Gary Erbe for bringing this exhibition to Canton. As a Museum that celebrates American art, this exhibition is a shining star."

The invitational exhibition will showcase the work of over 60 members of Allied Artists, whose works have been exhibited around the world and are held in numerous museum and private collections. Among the Artists featured are:

· James Toogood is a watercolor artist, teacher, and author who paints the people, places, and things that he encounters in everyday life. He's known for capturing light to create a realistic sense of place through underpainting and layering.

· Mitzura Salgian was born into a family of artists in Romania. Seeking artistic freedom she established herself in New York and became an American citizen in 1984. Using oils, her style blends the minute detail of the Dutch Old Masters technique with the complex projections drawing from the depth of Surrealism. Her paintings convey a sense of magic and poetry.

· Rae Smith is a master pastel artist and teacher. She has been following her passion for painting most of her life. Smith's work is about emotion, mood and atmosphere.

· Gabriela Gonzalez Dellosso is a native New Yorker who specializes in realistic, richly detailed oil paintings. There is a strong suggestion of a narrative in her work and she wants the viewer to realize that things are not always what they appear to be. Dellosso teachers figure drawing and painting at the National Academy in New York.

· Elizabeth Torak is a leading figurative painter whose work encompasses a broad range of subject matter from still life to figure compositions with mythological reach. "More than anything else, I want my paintings to be alive, to breath new life and new energy into the air that surrounds them."

· Thomas Torak is inspired by the common place, those familiar everyday objects that surround him. He paints with enthusiasm for both his subject matter in a straightforward and direct manner with minimal brushstrokes. Torak considers himself a modern master painter working in the classic tradition.

· Thomas Valenti is the current president of Allied Artists who works seamlessly between watercolors and oils. Hailing from the Bronx, Valenti finds inspiration and motivation in the belief that beauty is everywhere in everything. He is a well-respected artist, teacher and juror.

This exhibition is on view in conjunction with "Mystery & Magic: The Trompe l'Oeil Vision of Gary T. Erbe." General admission prices include entry into both exhibitions.