The Rise Gallery Hosts New Art Exhibit: "Unconfined"

SUNY Schenectady’s The Rise Gallery, in collaboration with the Hamilton Hill Arts Center and Black Dimensions in Art, Inc., presents Unconfined: Art by B.A. DiLella and Eric Treece. The exhibit, which explores individual empowerment through artistic expression, is on view in the gallery through Oct. 4, 2024, and kicks off with an Artists Meet-and-Greet on Thurs., Sept. 5, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. An Artists Talk with DiLella and Treece will take place on Thurs., Sept. 26, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

The Rise Gallery is located at the SUNY Schenectady Center for the Arts, 13 State St. across from the SUNY Schenectady campus.

Both events are free and open to the public. 

Gallery Hours
Monday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Saturday from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Artist B.A. DiLella in front of her piece, “Masc Off Time”

Artist Eric Treece in front of his pieces,“Windows” and “Please Don’t Shoot”

Beauty in the Chaos by B.A. DiLella

King Baobob by Eric Treece

Unconfined features 10 oil paintings by DiLella and 15 works of art (many of them mixed media) by Treece. They range from figurative to abstract styles of expression that are sure to touch the hearts and minds of many viewers.  

In a time when technology and society are rapidly changing, we are faced with determining the best ways to address these ongoing transformations. Through their creative imagination, both of these artists address the challenges of self and society and, in doing so, work towards resolving and transcending them.

Boys and Dandelions and Roses by B.A. DiLella

Genesis by Eric Treece

This is the second exhibit in The Rise Gallery since it first opened in the SUNY Schenectady Center for the Arts in March 2024. Students in the College’s new Art Concentration, part of the Liberal Arts A.A. degree program, take courses in the Center for the Arts, taught by award-winning faculty members whose work has been shown locally and internationally. Among them is Stephen J. Tyson, an accomplished artist and recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching, whose work has been exhibited at the New York State Museum, the National Black Fine Art Show, and the Mohawk Hudson Juried Regional, among many other venues. He was named Art Gallery Director and Curator last spring.

“The Rise Gallery of SUNY Schenectady is designed as a visual arts viewing space that complements the College’s new Liberal Arts Concentration, and brings attention to the many talented and promising visual artists within the College, Schenectady, the Capital Region, and beyond,” Tyson shared. “It fosters conversations that explore ideas about how the visual arts contribute to community-building. The Rise Gallery is pleased and honored to collaborate with two legacy institutions of the Capital Region (Hamilton Hill Arts Center and Black Dimensions in Art) in presenting the works of B.A. DiLella and Eric Treece. We are excited to share their works with the community-at-large and to engage their perspectives at our upcoming reception on Sept. 5 and at our Artists Talk on Sept. 26.”

About the artists:

B.A. DiLella is a working Artist in the Capital District, and a Painter/Special Needs Art Instructor with the Hamilton Hill Arts Center. Her subject matter mainly focuses on history and mythology. She particularly enjoys portraiture and landscape featuring elements of nature. B.A. was commissioned to create a mural series titled, "Through Our Mothers’ Eyes,” now on display at Jerry Burrell Park in the Hamilton Hill neighborhood of Schenectady. It depicts five mothers with their beloved sons, whose contributions were cut short by acts of racial injustice. This includes Jerry Burrell, who was a talented African American artist and activist, and program director at the Hamilton Hill Arts Center in the 1970s. She explains, “This mural series communicates that we are not who they say we are, we define ourselves for ourselves, we are loved family members making a contribution, defined by our mother's love.”

Eric Treese is an Abstract Artist/Expressionist born and raised in Troy, N.Y., shaped by the images of hard-working families from a melting pot of ethnicities, brick and concrete buildings, factories, and manufacturing plants. His art reflects his love of family, music, nature and dance, with a flare of color. Repurposed items such as electronic components, rocks, slate, sand, tree branches, and bark are commonly used in his artwork. His body of work includes an African-themed series called “The Motherland,” “The Human Body,” and “Nature.” Eric is a United States Marine Corps Veteran and often his work is influenced by his experiences while serving at home and overseas.