FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 16, 2025

ARDEN KLEMMER & PAUL CHRISTOPHER CONTICELLI
Gonna Build a Heaven From a Little Hell

One of two “GARNER Tenant Exhibitions” to be on view this summer
Opening Reception: Saturday, June 28, 5-7PM

GARNERVILLE – Hope rises from despair in new GARNER Arts Center Exhibition by Arden Klemmer and Paul Christopher Conticelli.

GARNER Arts Center is proud to present Gonna Build a Heaven From a Little Hell, a multidisciplinary exhibition by GARNER Historic District resident artist Arden Klemmer and member artist Paul Christopher Conticelli, on view this summer in the Ned Harris Gallery at Building 35.

With Gonna Build a Heaven From a Little Hell, Arden Klemmer and Paul Christopher Conticelli envision a future of hope rising above despair, beauty overtaking destruction, and liberation born from entrapment.

Thematically, the exhibition grapples with juxtaposing natural and artificial visions of the world, from dystopia to utopia. The exhibition encompasses a range of mediums, including realist botanical painting, gestural abstraction, collage, sound, interactive elements, and text-based work. Together, these forms create a layered experience that invites viewers to reflect on the tensions between destruction and renewal—within society, nature, and ourselves.

Gonna Build a Heaven from a Little Hell is timely in its message of hope, responsibility, and resilience. It aligns with GARNER Arts Center’s commitment to fostering artistic ideas that emerge as a response to societal and environmental influences.

The exhibition was selected from an open call for GARNER Arts Center’s inaugural Juried Tenant Exhibition. “With so much talent and creativity surrounding us, the idea to open our gallery even more so to the GARNER tenant community came naturally,” says Heffler, “We found Arden and Paul’s proposal to be confident, imaginative, and soulful, showing excellent potential for a striking exhibition.” The selection was conducted by GARNER’s exhibition committee, co-chaired by resident studio artist and board member James Tyler, along with Director of Programs and Operations Jesse Heffler. Fellow voting committee members include curators and resident studio artists Brett DePalma and Joe Fusaro, as well as artist Bel Falleiros.

A separate jury-selected exhibition of works, Lucretius by GARNER tenant artist Gordon Fearey, will run concurrently with this exhibition in Building 35’s Main Gallery. Both will run during “Upstate Art Weekend,” July 17 – 21.

You’re invited:

School and community groups are invited to schedule a special tour of the exhibition with the artist or curator. Please call Jesse Heffler at (845) 947-7108 for more information.

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ARDEN KLEMMER & PAUL CHRISTOPHER CONTICELLI

Gonna Build a Heaven from a Little Hell

Exhibition Run: June 28 – August 3
Opening Reception: Saturday, June 28, 5-7PM
Gallery Hours: Fridays, 2-5PM, Saturdays and Sundays 1-5PM

WHERE: The Ned Harris Gallery at Building 35, GARNER Arts Center
ADDRESS: GARNER Historic District, 55 West Railroad Avenue, Garnerville, NY 10923
CONTACT: Jesse Heffler, Programs & Operations Director, (845) 947-7108; jesse@garnerartscenter.org

FOR APPOINTMENTS: (845) 947-7108 / info@garnerartscenter.org

https://garnerartscenter.org/exhibitions

For High-Resolution images and further information, please contact:
Jesse Heffler, Programs & Operations Director, (845) 947-7108; jesse@garnerartscenter.org

FOR PRESS:
Support for GARNER Arts Center is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, Rockland County Tourism, The Village of West Haverstraw, The Town of Haverstraw, the GARNER Historic District, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.