Original Artwork Brightens College Campus and Increases Scholarship Funds

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: February 19, 2008

CONTACT: Lisa Saunders

(845) 574-4244

Original Artwork Brightens SUNY Rockland Community College Campus and Increases Scholarship Funds

Suffern, NY—Thirteen original acrylic abstract paintings by noted artist Alan Levine are enlivening SUNY Rockland Community College campus buildings as well as enriching the scholarship fund.

Levine is now donating half the proceeds from any sales made through the College to the RCC Foundation Scholarship Fund.

Levine's paintings, which hang in Brucker Hall and the Technology Center, are unnamed, as he wants viewers to experience his work in their own way without giving directions. "There's too much written about abstract paintings," he said. "People should just stand in front of art and enjoy the color, the shapes as they play against each other, and the feeling that two or three dimensions can be experienced by the way the painter placed a very pale color next to an intense color. The bottom line for an artist is to create a sense of unity throughout the entire canvas."

Sam Draper, Professor Emeritus, was the first in line to purchase one of Levine's 36" by 48" paintings on campus, which range in price between $1,500 and $2,000. As a "bonus" for being first, Levine donated the entire purchase price to an RCC program of Draper's choice. Any further purchases through the College will be split between the artist and the RCC Foundation Scholarship Fund.

Levine, 70, of Monsey, is a retired schoolteacher from Spring Valley High School where he was chairman of the art department. He developed the school's oil painting program. He says, "I worked my whole life so now I can afford to paint what I want to paint. I give away to charity more than I sell." He is currently a member of the Piermont Fine Arts Gallery. His work can be viewed on the web at www.piermontfinearts.com/Levine.htm.

For information about purchasing the art, contact Don Cairns, Executive Director of the RCC Foundation, (845) 574-4576.

###

Rockland Community College, a unit of the State University of New York, is located 25 miles northwest of NYC. The majority of its students transfer to four-year colleges, and many find immediate employment upon earning their associate's degree or certificate. The College also offers others, from preschoolers to senior citizens, the opportunity to simply learn something new. Quality education...at a price you can afford.