The Broome County Arts Council’s (BCAC) newest shows showcased two very different kinds of art, merged into a single space.

The opening receptions for both exhibitions were hosted this past Friday, April 5 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m in the galleries at 223 State Street. In the Artisan Gallery, the BCAC hosted the second stop of the inaugural exhibition for the Studio Art Quilt Associates’ (SAQA) NJ/NY region. “byCONTRAST” was juried by Massachusetts mixed media and fiber artist, Merill Comeau of Concord, Massachusetts, and featured the quilt of 33 artists. Previously hosted at the View Arts Center in Old Forge, New York, and later going to the Bethany Art Community in Ossining, New York, the works were organized around the concept of contrast.

“Contrast is a powerful tool used by artists to enhance the visual impact and overall quality of a work,” according to the exhibition brochure. “By juxtaposing elements of obvious elements or concepts of striking dissimilarity, contrast creates visual interest, drama, emphasis and adds depth to a composition.”

The works were chosen by Comeau according to three main characteristics — visual appeal, connecting to the theme of contrast and whether the viewer wanted to know more about and engage more deeply with the work after seeing it. Comeau also added positive notes when artists used particularly interesting or challenging quilting methods, as well as compelling and relevant social messages.

“With several works, I noted and appreciated makers’ social justice messages as an expression of care for others and the world around us,” Comeau wrote in the juror’s notes. “Overall, artistic talent, personal expression and skilled craftsmanship rang out loud and clear.”

While having to narrow down on the works selected was challenging for Comeau, she nonetheless considered it a fruitful and enjoyable experience.

The exhibition came to Broome County by coincidence after SAGA member Jean McCreary, who has previously had her work shown by the BCAC, suggested the show to the council, who approved it and began organizing it with NJ/NY representative Lisa Maria Noudéhou of Mount Vernon, New York, and New York regional representative Linda Stern of Somers, New York.

“We were really happy to find a venue in Binghamton, because it’s really important to us to show this work across New York [state],” Noudéhou said.

They spoke of their love for the space and the possibility of returning.

“First of all, the venue’s beautiful,” Stern said. “It’s got stunning light. It’s got really good spaces. Big enough walls to hang quilts. So we really appreciate this space. And the people at [the BCAC] have been fantastic working with us to get publicity and just to make sure it goes smoothly. It’s been very well-received. We would look forward to coming back in two years.”

Eva Gindlesberger, a student at Vestal High School and volunteer with the BCAC, spoke about her appreciation for the quilts shown in the gallery having been surprised by them when she came to help hang them on the gallery walls.

“When I first walked in on the day that I had to help set it up, I was like, ‘Wow! I like these. I like the difference,’ because I’m used to walking into galleries and seeing paintings or photographs,” Gindlesberger said. “But I liked [that] it was all quilts, and I thought that it was kind of interesting how it’s different.”

Colette Chermak’s second solo show, “Slivers,” was shown in the BCAC’s Artist in Residence Studio. A native to Binghamton, Chermak is an interdisciplinary painter and photographer who recently graduated from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Focusing on quick and fleeting moments, Chermak is inspired by the work of Claude Monet and works to capture the beauty and fragility of nature, translating the sublime to confront humanity’s role in our current environmental crises.

“One of my major influences is Claude Monet,” Chermak said. “I just really enjoy how individual brushstrokes are the focus of that artistic period. Not mixing colors, but just placing them in proximity with each other and using color theory to manipulate what the image looks like.”

The work that the title of the exhibition comes from, the silhouette of tree branches against a dusky, gray sky, investigates the relationship between painting, reality and perception, with her process including taking pictures of quickly passing moments and later putting them to paint.

“When I take photos on a device of any kind, I’m looking through that thing at the scene,” Chermak said. “I can, in the moment, look away and actually perceive it directly with my own eyes. But through a machine, our perception is always being manipulated in some way … and also taking a real thing and translating it into paint in itself it’s not, say, a tree anymore. It’s painting, it’s image, it’s object, it’s all these things that it wasn’t originally before, even though I’m trying to depict it as I saw it. In a way, it’s thinking about how our hands, as humans, influence our world.”

“byCONTRAST” will be on display at the BCAC Artisan Gallery from April 2 to April 27, and “Slivers” was on display in the Artist in Residence studio on April 5 and April 6.