Taylor Banner – mixed media collage
Analise Sonney – ceramicist
Weekend Exhibit Dates – Friday, October 2 to Sunday, November 8
Wine and Cheese Opening Reception – Saturday, October 24, 5 to 7:00 pm –
Before the 7:30 Lincoln Hall concert of The Fabulous Blues Brothers Show Band and Revue Tickets: $20 Beer / Wine Sold. Dancing at the back of the hall. Reserve: 724-659-3153. Cash/Check
Weekend RBG hours are: Fridays, 1-6 PM; Saturdays, 11 AM to 7 PM; and Sundays, 12 noon to 5 PM. For appointments outside of regular hours, call 724-659-3153. The Red Brick Gallery and Gift Shop is located at 17 Main Street, Foxburg, PA 16036.
An old photograph, a dried leaf, a cup held in the hand: ordinary things can carry a remarkable sense of connection. In a new exhibit at the Red Brick Gallery, Taylor Banner’s mixed media collages and Annalise Sonney’s ceramics invite visitors to consider how history and tradition live within the objects of everyday life.
The exhibit runs Friday, October 2, through Sunday, November 8, at the Red Brick Gallery & Gift Shop in Foxburg. An opening wine and cheese reception will be held Saturday, October 24, from 5 to 7 PM, before the 7:30 PM Lincoln Hall concert and Halloween dance featuring The Fabulous Booze Brothers Show Band and Revue.
A Red Brick Gallery cooperative artist, Taylor Banner works with old family photographs, vintage papers, found objects, textiles and dried botanicals. She layers these fragments into imagined narratives, giving new presence to people and moments that might otherwise be forgotten. Her family history—and particularly the experiences of women who came before her—runs through the work. Houses recur as places of warmth and protection, but also as containers for private lives and untold stories.
Guest artist Sonney begins with clay, a material drawn from the earth, and shapes it into vessels made to be held and used. Forms, textures, sketches and glaze colors draw on the natural world. Her ceramics also honor the long tradition of pottery as a practical craft: she wants each piece to be pleasing in the hand and sturdy enough for daily life.
Seen together, the artists’ work moves between memory and use. Banner finds stories in objects that have survived; Sonney creates objects that can gather stories of their own. Both give attention to the beauty and richness of familiar things.
Taylor Banner
Taylor Banner is an artist and educator from Clarion, PA. She received her BS in Art Education from Edinboro University in 2005 with a concentration in printmaking and ceramics.
Taylor relocated to North Carolina to begin her art teaching career in the Charlotte metro area. While living in North Carolina she also taught ceramics, painting & printmaking at an art studio aimed at serving underprivileged youth.
In 2009, Taylor moved back to Pennsylvania to become the visual arts teacher at Clarion Elementary School. She has continued pursuing her exploration of the fine arts through studio courses, workshops and experimentation.
Taylor served as the Vice President of the Clarion County Arts Council for four years. Her work with the council included creating and curating community art exhibits such as the annual Fiber Show and the Women’s Art Show.
Taylor has had her work exhibited in various locations in North Carolina, Virginia and Pennsylvania including the NODA Arts District, Lynchburg, the Red Brick Gallery and Michelle’s Café. Her current concentration is in mixed media works, digital collage and assemblage. Taylor has been with the Red Brick Gallery in Foxburg, PA since 2022
Artist Statement
As an artist, I enjoy working with a range of mediums and applications. I am most drawn to collage, mixed media and fiber.
I find inspiration for my work in vintage and found imagery, as well as family photographs. Each picture captures one brief moment in time and carries with it a fragment of a life story. Working with collage allows me to create layered surfaces that rewrite that narrative and tell a new, imagined history.
I am also drawn to old, abandoned structures and forgotten items. I imagine a time when they were filled with life and the memories they hold. Much of my recent work reflects upon the lost past, human connection and the melancholy of nostalgia. My work is heavily influenced by these themes along with my own personal experiences.
Anyone interested in having Taylor do custom work using your personal photos and memorabilia may contact her via her website.
Annalise Sonney
Annalise graduated from Clarion University with a BFA. After school she completed a ceramic residency at Cub Creek Foundation and an internship with ceramic artist Justin Rothshank studying wood fired pottery processes. She has also worked as a production potter for Cloud Terre. Along with ceramics she also dabbles in drawing, printmaking, and metal smithing. She currently lives in western Pennsylvania. Her work can be found at J Lauren Design in Tidioute, Pennsylvania.
Artist Statement
My ceramic work is an exploration of clay as a medium that is directly taken from the earth. I have always thought that it is amazing that we are given everything that we need in nature.
My goal is to harness this aspect and create vessels that mimic the natural world in an aesthetic way. I like to depict this by using certain forms, textures, sketches, or glaze colors.
I also want these vessels to be very utilitarian in function. There is a great history of traditional craft that encircles pottery.
With my pieces, I want to ensure that the history and tradition lives on. I strive to ensure my pieces are enjoyable to hold and use as well as sturdy enough to handle daily abuse.
Experience Foxburg – Where Nature and Art Meet!
Weekend RBG hours are: Fridays, 1-6 PM; Saturdays, 11 AM to 7 PM; and Sundays, 12 noon to 5 PM. The Red Brick Gallery and Gift Shop is located at 17 Main Street, Foxburg, PA 16036.
And while at the RBG, be sure to save time to shop for that special gift from the first floor offerings of talented Cooperative Artists from the region.
Discover Foxburg!
When planning your trip to Foxburg – plan to take a brisk walk in the gorgeous afternoon along the Allegheny River trail or rent bicycles or have a scenic pontoon tour on the Allegheny River with Foxburg Tours!
Before or after the concert, plan to dine overlooking the Allegheny on the deck of The Allegheny Grille.
For lighter fare, soup, salads, sandwiches and amazing pizzas including the pizza of the month – plus now serving beer and wine – AND their spectacular tiramisu dessert at Foxburg Pizza.
Or have a wine tasting or enjoy a bottle of wine inside or on the patio of the remodeled Foxburg Wine Cellars.
When you become an ARCA member at the $100 level, receive a 10% discount on up to 6 bottles of wine on the day of an ARCA concert.
Make it a weekend on the beautiful Allegheny – having a romantic overnight at The Foxburg Inn, where every room has a river view – and seating on the patio is the perfect place for reading or resting after a walk or bicycle ride.
As an ARCA member at the $100 level, you receive a 5% room discount any time of the year and a 10% discount from Friday to Sunday on concert weekends. You may utilize the hotel website or calling directly (724-659-3116) and showing your membership card at check-in.
