Lavern Kelley never intended to make a living as an artist. He probably never could have explained why he picked up a pocketknife and began carving and recreating the life he saw around him at the family farm in Oneonta, NY; he just felt compelled to do it.  

He had never heard of Thomas Hart Benton, or Grant Wood, or the other artists of his time who were also famously depicting the life of the American worker and farmer. He didn’t know he was part of a Movement. 

Lavern Kelley’s sculptures and drawings are not only a time capsule of farm life in rural New York in the early 20th century. It is also part of a larger arts movement that helped bring a nation out of its Great Depression. 

Gallery hours at the CAS Arts Center are Thursdays – Saturdays 11am–6pm, Sundays 11am-3pm, and Mondays 11am-6pm. The CAS Arts Center is wheelchair accessible.  

July 1, 2017 – Artist Talk and Opening Reception  

CAS will host an Artist Talk with curator Sydney Waller on Saturday, July 1 at 3pm, followed immediately by a free Opening Reception from 4pm to 6pm. All are welcome and light refreshments will be served.