2012 FREDDY AWARDS PHOTO RETROSPECTIVE to Open at State Theatre's Brown-Daub Gallery, 4/5

The State Theatre's Brown-Daub Gallery presents the 2012 FREDDY Awards Photo Retrospective and Welcome to the Dance: Sculptures by Rich Cook, both running April 5 - June 28.

Since 2007, the FREDDY Awards Photo Retrospective has been part of "FREDDY Season", highlighting the previous year's live performance with captivating photos by FREDDY Photographers Thomas Kosa and Wilson Black. The Retrospective of 2012 will run through June 28th. Photographs sold will benefit the FREDDY Awards programming, recognizing and rewarding outstanding achievement in local high school musicals of Lehigh, Northampton and Warren (NJ) counties.

WELCOME TO THE DANCE: SCULPTURE BY RICH COOK - Brown-Daub Gallery Annex

We can imagine neighbors, friends, and fellow employees of Rich Cook passing The State Theatre in Easton and seeing his name in lights on the marquee. Many in his hometown didn't realize that this 55 year old master carpenter (who lives only two city blocks from the theater) is a gifted artist who uses mostly salvaged wood and other found materials in his work. The form, color, and energy that drive his creations are indeed astonishing. There is no mistaking the high striding rooster, or the horse in mid-gallop that are among the featured objects here...and yet, the remarkable aspect of Cook's creatures are that they are entirely composed of discarded elements.

Cook has called himself a "receiver." He states that he is "the grateful recipient of...a gift, which I get to share with others. The universe has special tasks for all of us and mine is to help people see things differently, even an old and worthless piece of junk wood." And his work completes a cycle from beginning to end, and back around again.

Cook has noted that the essence of his sculpture is pure: it is, as he has said, "to make you feel good and help you to appreciate those things which are often taken for granted." This is the first ever exhibition for the Easton native, and he claims to have countless more sketches of creations that he intends to bring to life. Based on this initial grouping of 36 pieces,the prospects of more sculpted work of Rich Cook are exciting.

Cook claims that" If we look hard enough we can find the beauty, the real beauty, in the smallest, most insignificant pieces of our world and that maybe I can bring a smile to your face. That is how the universe wants it to be, and perhaps that is how it should be."