50th Anniversary Alumni Exhibition Showcases Multi-Talented Artists

Ranney School’s 50th Anniversary Celebration weekend was a resounding success judging by the hundreds of students, faculty, family and friends who came out to help celebrate this important milestone in our school’s history.

The kickoff celebration officially began with an opening reception of “Where the Arts Take You,” an Alumni Art Exhibition featuring the works of eight Ranney alumni. The exhibition, the first of its kind at Ranney, showcases an eclectic mix of photography, painting, multi-media, and fashion design.

According to Kate Greenberg, Fine Arts Department Chair, the program is designed to acknowledge the wonderful work our alumni are doing now and celebrate the alumni role in the development of the arts program here at Ranney. She adds the exhibition’s title speaks to the many different roads an arts education can take you and demonstrates to current students the wide opportunities available to those pursuing arts as an area of study and life’s work.

Among the alumni exhibiting works are Beth Rubin ’68 (Photographer), Jennifer Arnold-Delgado ’80 (Painter), Gabriela Gargano ’01 (Fashion Designer), Robert McCoid ’03 (Multi-Media Artist), Kate Fitzgerald ’07 (Student, Princeton University), Sarena Rabinowitz ’08 (Student, Pratt Institute) and Kristine Rodriguez ’08 (Student, Rhode Island School of Design).

Many of the artists on display have turned their love for the arts into a professional career. Beth Rubin, who graduated from Ranney more than 40 years ago, was thrilled to participate in the exhibition. “It’s always been a joy to come back to Ranney, and I’m honored Ranney asked me.” A variety of her photographs reflect her love for England inspired, she fondly recalls, by her European History class with former Ranney teacher Dr. Searle. Although she has been taking photographs for over twenty years, the Ranney exhibition marks her professional photography debut. Today, Beth operates her own business, “Digital by Beth Photography.”

Sarena Rabinowitz, a recent Ranney graduate, is now in her second year at Pratt Institute School of Architecture in Brooklyn, NY. She acknowledges the art classes she took at Ranney stimulated her interest in art, although she admits “I’ve always been curious about architecture, structure and the building process.” At Pratt, she has been exploring the juxtaposition of space and structure and her work reflects the concrete and abstract forms from which architecture can be created. Upon graduation, Sarena hopes to apply her expertise to developing low-income sustainable housing for underdeveloped areas in the United States and abroad.

Although Kate Fitzgerald is not pursuing art as a profession, she says art will always be an important part of her life. Now a junior majoring in Chemical Engineering at Princeton, Kate enjoys the elective art classes she is taking in college. Adds Kate, despite a demanding course load, “art is always fun, and my classes allow me to relax and remain stress-free.” While a freshman at Ranney, she worked primarily in black and white with sketchbook assignments. Today, her advanced drawing classes at Princeton have encouraged her to use color as evidenced by her bold and vibrant paintings now on display.

“Where the Arts Take You” will run from October 2 – October 22 in the Panther Hall Galleries East and North.

View the "Where the Arts Take You" Alumni Art Exhibit program and information on the alumni artists by clicking here.

For additional information on all Ranney School news, please contact the Communications Department at communications@ranneyschool.org.