GWL Public Library to exhibit the art work of Joe Sweda during February

GREENWOOD LAKE — Greenwood Lake Public Library’s Art Gallery will present the work of Joe Sweda for the month at February.
Sweda considers himself self-taught, influenced with education in art, engineering and life experience. He attended the prestigious Brooklyn Tech High School, where he was taught by, among others, the American painter William Beckman. Beckman, known for his figurative painting and landscapes, taught his students to “think big.”
The idea that the size of your art matters resonated with Joe and his work universally reflects that idea.
After spending time in the Merchant Marines, Sweda embarked on his career as an engineer, working behind the scenes in a variety of venues that house great and important art.
From 1993-1997, Sweda was an engineer in the CUNY (City University of New York) system. During this time, he was a part of the Fashion Museum at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) and maintained mayoral archives for LaGuardia College.
When LaGuardia College found out Sweda was an artist, they asked him to put up some of his work. They were so impressed that they then asked Joe to display his art in the lobby of the school. This was the first time he began to show his work publically.
Sweda continued to work in the engineering field. He was the house engineer for the Guggenheim Museum. That experience exposed him to a great deal of artists and architects (as well as religious and political leaders from around the world).
He was the start-up engineer for The Neue Galerie New York, a museum of early twentieth-century German and Austrian art and design located in the William Starr Miller House at 86th Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City.
From 2006-2016, Sweda was one of the house engineers for the Schubert Organization, America's oldest professional theatre company and the largest theatre owner on the Broadway. During this time, Sweda was maintaining up to 17 Broadway shows at a time.
Since retiring in January 2018, Sweda has been devoting his time to his art full time. He has two different styles to his work. The first (which will be on display this month) is a hard edge look that he calls “line and color at play.”
His other style of pieces are called “space” and can be exemplified in his star paintings. Sweda has written poetry to accompany some of his work as well.
The library is located at 79 Waterstone Road in the Village of Greenwood Lake.