On View September 11-October 4, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, Sept 12, 6–8 pm
John Cote, Alison Palmer and Eileen Sackman
Philozoic Gestures
Philozoic Gestures unites three distinct artistic voices to explore our deep, enduring connection to the animal kingdom. Through atmospheric-fired ceramics and narrative painting, the exhibition examines how the form, spirit, and historical footprint of animals shape our visual language. Where Palmer’s vessels capture playfulness and fluid grace, Sackman's wood-fired pieces provide a soulful, urgent reminder of our responsibility to protect the planet's most vulnerable species. Cote’s narrative paintings honor individual species that have left an unforgettable mark on our collective consciousness. Philozoic Gestures invites viewers to reflect on our profound and complex interactions with the animal world.
About the artists: John Cote recently transitioned from a 40-year career as a storyboard artist to focusing primarily on painting. His most recent solo exhibition was at the Croton Free Library, and he has shown regionally, most notably at Silvermine Arts Center, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, and Arts Center of Northern Westchester. Alison Palmer has a BFA in ceramics from California College of Arts and Crafts. She hosts professional ceramic workshops and the annual Clayway tour. Hudson Valley ceramic artist Eileen Sackman exhibits her hand-carved ceramics nationally and teaches ceramics at both the university and community arts levels. She curates national and international ceramic exhibitions and recently was invited to the Tenth Annual Sugar Maples Pottery Festival at the Sugar Maples Center for Creative Arts.
Eileen Sackman, Chimpanzee, wood fired stoneware, 12 in. x 10 in. x 10 in.
Joel Brown and Joseph Squillante
Landforms
This two-person exhibition brings together the ceramic sculpture of BAU Gallery artist Joel Brown and the dynamic photographic work of Joseph Squillante. An architect for 40 years, Brown takes the process of making work as his sculptural focus, rather than beginning with an image or narrative. His pieces are coiled, paddled, cut, and wood fired. After completion, the array on view here reminded Brown of the Carrara marble quarries photographed by Edward Burtynsky, hence the title Quarry. In Landforms, acclaimed Hudson River photographer Squillante steps beyond the Hudson to explore landscapes near and far: the Grand Canyon, Susquehanna River, Point Lobos, and Sardinia, capturing compositions of individual forms to create a visual balance and gentle rhythm. Squillante hopes the exhibition allows viewers to stop and look slowly, feel the landscape’s quiet architecture, and enter a shared act of seeing.
About the artists: Joel Brown’s ceramic design is rooted in his study with Stanislawa Nowicki at the University of Pennsylvania over 50 years ago. His undergraduate degree was followed by a master's in architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. For his ceramic influences he credits the Peters Valley School of Craft, workshops with Peter Callas and Joyce Michaud, and Steven Hill’s Journey Workshop. He gained wood-firing experience at the kilns of Roger Baumann, Dan Greenfeld, Kristin Muller, Peters Valley, and others. Joseph Squillante has photographed the Hudson River since 1975 in fine-art and documentary style, capturing the river’s beauty, challenges, and champions while raising public awareness for the river as a critical natural resource. In 2026 ArtsWestchester honored Squillante with its Artist of the Year award and in 2025 the Hudson River Museum celebrated his 50-year milestone with the retrospective exhibition Lens on the Hudson.
Joel Brown: Quarry, 2026, wood fired ceramic, 12 in. x 58 in. x 38 in.;
Gallery Artists
Experiments and Discoveries
Trying something new and seeing what comes of it is how we expand, even break, the boundaries of what we understand and create. We draw on what we know, but in an endless passion for inquiry, we throw in a new variable just to see what happens, and in doing so we learn, grow, and change. Experiments might fail, but they almost always offer insight, and hopefully we share that with a broader community of colleagues, students, viewers, and others. In that spirit, the artists in Experiments + Discoveries offer works in drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, and photography that represent experimental moments in their practice, moments when they discovered something new about their work, how to make it, and what they offer viewers in the process.
Participating Artists: Robin Adler, Karen Allen, Bob Barry, Dan Florin, Nate Hill, Nataliya Hines, George Kimmerling, Linda Lauro-Lazin, Nansi T. Lent, Síle Marrinan, Soli Pierce, Eileen Sackman, and Ilse Schreiber-Noll. Visit https://www.baugallery.org/artists-current for artist information.
Clockwise from top left: George Kimmerling, Americans Will Always Fight for Liberty (Bayard Rustin, 1963), 2026, archival pigment print, 24 in. x 16 in., 1/5; Dan Florin, Slit With Sky with Bramble, 2026, 16 in. x 20 in. Gelatin Silver Print; Karen Allen, Sampling, acrylic, paper, fabric on wood