ROBERT JOHN HOLLAND RECEPTION
Sept. 26 | 6-8pm | SCA Olmsted Gallery | Free
Join us for a reception on Friday, Sept. 26th to view Face to Back with Reality: Robert John Holland Retrospective, enjoy refreshments, and tour the building.
Robert John Holland (1945-2022) was a multifaceted artist, preservationist, and environmental activist who grew up in Chaffee, New York. He majored in art and psychology at Buffalo State, where he was mentored by multimedia artist Julius Hubler. He went on to exhibit at the Albright-Knox, Burchfield Penney, Olean Art Gallery, and many other galleries.
Holland studied Seneca traditions on the Cattaraugus Territory with Twylah Hurd Nitsch, an elder in the Wolf Clan Teaching Lodge, and was certified and qualified to teach traditional Seneca ways of truth, which greatly influenced his art. He published a book based on this philosophy, “The Puzzle Has Four Pieces” in 1995.
He designed and managed a 53-acre research habitat for threatened and endangered species in WNY, established North America’s first aquatic horticulture research and award program at the Aquarium of Niagara, and was certified in environmental geology. He also campaigned to delay the introduction of industrial wind turbines in Arkwright and testified at the Chaffee landfill hearings in an effort to protect the aquifer that provides drinking water to the Southern Tier.
Holland’s most consistent theme in his art is his deep symbiotic connection to his surroundings. He aspired to bring viewers into that relationship so that they could become part of the unique connection that we have with our environment.
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