MCC’s Mercer Gallery Makes Pittsford Teen Artist’s Dreams Come True
June 6, 2023
Claire McLaughlin, wearing a blue top and purple leggings, stands in front of her 74-inch-by-98-inch crayon drawing, titled “Stained Glass in a Chapel” (2023), displayed on a wall.
WHAT: When 18-year-old School of the Holy Childhood student Claire McLaughlin expresses herself through her art, her favorite style is to work with a 20-foot-by-20-foot blank canvas. She calls her creative process “van Gogh-ing.” McLaughlin, an artist with Down syndrome, will exhibit her artworks in her inaugural show, “Colors from the Stream of Time,” at Monroe Community College’s Mercer Gallery, with an opening reception scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 15.
Claire McLaughlin in pink attire.
The art pieces are her interpretations of pictures from ancient Egypt, Greece, the Renaissance, Impressionism and pop art, said her father, John McLaughlin. Her preferred medium is crayon.
WHERE: Mercer Gallery on MCC’s Brighton Campus, 1000 E. Henrietta Road; parking for the reception is provided in lot F. (See campus map.)
WHEN: Opening reception is held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 15; the exhibition is free of charge and open to the public Monday, June 12, through Thursday, June 22, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitor parking is provided in lot V in front of the campus or at metered parking throughout the campus.
2023 Victor High School graduate Isabelle Bright will perform selections on her violin at the reception.
DETAILS: John McLaughlin approached a Pittsford art gallery in hopes it could display his daughter’s art, but the pieces – some approximately 7 or 8 feet by 5 to 6 feet – are too large for the space. When the search for gallery space led to a conversation at Monroe Community College, Mercer Gallery Director Jason Flack said he “was all in to help Claire achieve her dream of an art show.”
Flack is also Visual and Performing Arts Department chair and associate professor.