Mamaroneck Artists Guild Is Thinking Big at the Rye Arts Center

The Mamaroneck Artists Guild’s (MAG) members’ exhibition at the Rye Arts Center (RAC) invites audiences to explore art on a grander scale.

Think Big, presented in RAC’s main gallery, offers exhibiting artists something rarely possible in MAG’s Larchmont space: room to stretch both physically and creatively.

“Our space is pretty small,” says Cécile Roberfroid, president of MAG, who also has work in the show. “So if you’re a ‘big’ painter, you don’t have that much room. That was really the starting point for this show.”

The exhibition is on view March 2 through March 28 with an opening reception on March 6 and artist talk March 19.

The Impact of Scale

Working at a larger scale changes both how a piece is created and how it is experienced. With a minimum size requirement of 72 square inches — larger than MAG’s typical submissions, with many works far exceeding that threshold — Think Big encourages artists to treat scale as a central element of their work.

“It’s a different way of creating,” Roberfroid explains. “When a piece is big, you’re much more physically ‘in’ the painting. There’s more of your whole body involved than with smaller, more intimate works.”

For viewers, scale can be equally transformative.

“I’m always delightfully surprised by big work,” says Sarah Mackay, RAC’s Exhibitions Curator and Gallery Manager. “Sometimes you don’t see the detail from six feet away, but when you step in close, there’s this concentrated zone the artist wants you to lean into. It’s a very intentional way of guiding the viewer’s eye.”

The exhibition, expected to feature around 30 artists, includes a strong presence of abstract work, which often adapts naturally to larger formats. For example, Monique Robidoux’s Yes I’d Love to Dance, a 30” x 40” oil-on-canvas composition, relies on luminosity, layered depth and a sense of joyful movement rather than identifiable figures. Similarly, David Alge’s drawing Visitor #3, executed in pen, ink and marker on a 42” × 42” sheet of paper, suggests motion, emotion, and humor through energetic lines and shapes that allude to human presence.

Roberfroid notes that Realism presents distinct challenges: “If you scale a realistic subject up to a massive size, the illusion has to hold at a scale much bigger than the actual object.”

On the realistic front, painter Jim Maciel uses acrylics on a 34” × 56” canvas to capture the sweeping grandeur of Arizona’s Canyon de Chelly, emphasizing dramatic scale through towering 800-foot rock spires rising above verdant canyon floors. Brooklyn-born mixed media artist Jose Marti explores the energy of the NYC subway and its vibrant graffiti culture in an urban-themed work that combines spray paint, acrylics, airbrush, charcoal and graphite on a 48” × 60” surface.

Post-Pandemic Creativity and New Opportunities

According to Mackay, Think Big grew out of conversations about space and evolving studio practices as artists returned to communal work environments after the COVID pandemic.

“Post-COVID, people are back in their studios and back in art-sharing spaces,” she said. “Just having the ability to be out and about again gives artists the option to work larger.”

The exhibition also removes practical constraints that artists often face.

“That’s how we came up with the idea,” Mackay adds. “To give members a chance to display work without worrying whether it’s too big or exceeds size limits.”

In general, Mackay sees a trend in art exhibits showing larger works, and she attributes it in part to digital media: “We consume so much content day-to-day in 15-second Instagram reels, so creating a connection between artist, art and viewer has new challenges. And one way to master that is by going large.”

In this exhibit, Bronx-based mixed media artist Luis Fonseca employs the cyanotype process on watercolor paper to create Mine, a 5’ × 8’ piece depicting two young figures locked in a tug-of-war over a doll. Cool blue tones and soft textures heighten emotional tension while also suggesting attachment and innocence. In her colorful sculpture Puppy Love, Linda Negrin transforms an array of found objects—sneakers, cans, wood, a table, a straw hat, bolts, screws and paint—into a whimsical, larger-than-life figure measuring 36 × 22 × 46 inches. The work captivates viewers with its playful personality and commanding presence.

A Growing Partnership

Think Big is also the product of an expanding partnership between MAG and RAC, built on complementary strengths: the Guild’s active exhibition schedule and engaged membership alongside the Arts Center’s expansive gallery walls, classrooms and broader arts education mission.

Beyond exhibitions, the collaboration includes shared workshops and professional development opportunities, with reciprocal member pricing and access to facilities.

Some programming, Mackay notes, simply would not fit in MAG’s compact gallery.

“For example, we recently hosted a chemogram process workshop, and each participant needed a full table for supplies. That wouldn’t have been possible in MAG’s space.”

The partnership also broadens access to artistic resources.

“It’s very much a reciprocal relationship,” Mackay says. “MAG has opened their artist enrichment workshops to our members, often for free or at a discounted rate. That includes portrait parties or workshops on how to professionally photograph your artwork — professional development we really want to make accessible to our artist community.”

Equally important, she adds, is expanding public perception.

“There’s often a misconception that the Rye Arts Center is just for Rye residents. People are always delighted to hear it’s open to everyone. Partnering with MAG allows us to reach artists in other towns as well, expanding the community we serve.”

Rooted Locally, Open Broadly

All artists featured in Think Big are MAG members. While the Guild’s membership has no geographic or stylistic limits, the exhibition remains firmly grounded in the local arts community.

Most participating artists live in Westchester County, primarily between White Plains and New Rochelle, with additional members from Connecticut and Rockland County. Much of the work is new, reflecting a spirit of experimentation.

By offering artists — and audiences — the freedom to engage with larger-scale work, Think Big is a testament to what becomes possible when artists are given the room to truly think big.

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_{Images (courtesy of Mamaroneck Artists Guild (top to bottom): Jose Marti, Brooklyn Style mixed media- 48”x60”; Monique Robidoux, Yes I’d Love to Dance, oil on canvas, 30”x40”; Luis Fonseca, Mine, Cyanotype on Watercolor Paper, 5’x8’; David Greene, The Greens and Blues of Ireland, photo on metal, 30×45; Rose James, Harvest Ready, oil on canvas, 36”x36”; Artwork by Larry Gordon, 36″ x 36″}