NAPLES, NY — Nearly four decades after his death, a longtime Naples artist and teacher renowned for his paintings of landscapes and landmarks in the Bristol Hills and Naples will be remembered with an exclusive exhibition of dozens of his original paintings in a show that opens with a free lecture on his life and art.
Ira Randall “is a local legend,” said Naples historian Kenton Poole, who spent months researching Randall’s career and assembling the exhibition of his art on loan from collectors.
Poole will open the exhibition with a lecture at 7 p.m. Sept. 18 at Bristol Hills Historical Society’s Grange Hall, 6457 State Route 64, Bristol Springs.
His talk and the exhibition are jointly sponsored by the Naples Historical Society and the Bristol Hills Historical Society.
An example of the work of Naples artist Ira Randall, whose works will be on exhibit Sept. 18-21 at the Bristol Hills Historical Society’s Grange Hall.
Why is Naples artist Ira Randall a ‘local legend?’
“The amount of history he lived through is incredible,” said Poole, who will use his talk on Randall’s life from 1903 to 1986 as a window into life in Naples and the Bristol Hills in the early and mid-20th century.
Randall, who taught in Naples schools for 30 years, was a self-taught artist. Hundreds of his paintings from his prolific career decorate the homes of people throughout the region. In talking to Randall’s family, friends and other collectors of his paintings, Poole obtained permission to exhibit dozens of Randall’s paintings.
“Ira did his paintings en plein air, meaning on the scene outdoors, usually all in one day, so there are hundreds of paintings in existence,” Poole said.
Ira Randall
In his later years, Randall served as art director at the Woodcroftery Shops in Wayland, where he made decorative bowls and baskets.
More about the Naples artist Ira Randall exhibition
The Randall exhibition opens from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 18. Poole’s lecture will take place at 7 p.m.
The exhibition will continue from 5 to 8 p.m. Sept. 19, and 10 a.m. to noon and 3 to 6 p.m. the weekend of Sept. 20-21.
Poole’s lecture and portions of the exhibition will take place in the Grange’s second-floor auditorium, which is not handicapped accessible. Some of the paintings from the exhibition will be on display on the accessible first floor.
More about the Naples Historical Society
The Naples Historical Society promotes an interest in the history of Naples and the surrounding area by maintaining and displaying historical collections and exhibits, and by providing educational programs.
It preserves, maintains and operates the Morgan Hook and Ladder Building as the focal point for exhibitions and educational activities.
Its website at naplesnyhistoricalsociety.org, Facebook page at facebook.com/naplesnyhistory, and Instagram feed @naples_ny_historical_society provide more information on its work and events.
More about the Bristol Hills Historical Society
The Bristol Hills Historical Society preserves and teaches about the history of the towns of Bristol and South Bristol, and of the Bristol Hills overall. It was formed in 2020 through the merger of the historical societies of Bristol and South Bristol.
It cares for two of the region’s most distinctive historic buildings, the 1923 Grange Hall in Bristol Springs and the 1846 Methodist Episcopal Church in Bristol Center.
The society’s website at bristolhillshistory.org, Facebook page at facebook.com/bhhistorical, and Instagram feed @bristolhillshistory provide calendars of upcoming history presentations and other events.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Ira Randall’s paintings: See exhibition of Finger Lakes artist work
