NEW YORK – The Stathakion Hall of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York was filled with fellowship, creative energy and the works of community artists at the Spring Art Exhibition and Sale of The Greek Artist’s Guild on April 25.

Flowers, faces and places presented in vibrant colors and assorted media made strong impressions on the guests, which included the Consul General of Greece, George Iliopoulos with his wife, Anthousa, and the Greek Consul Manos Koubarakis and his wife, Georgia.

Magdalen Mavroudis is the president of the organization she helped found with people including community activist George Delis, Efterpe Giatrakis, Marianthe Raptis and musician Billy Chrissochos. His rock opera based on Greek and Byzantine history premiered on May 3 at Carnegie Hall, manifesting yet another of the powerful artistic streams of the community.

“This event is an art show that celebrates Greek culture,” Mavroudis told TNH.“The members of the Guild created an organization to unite, help and promote Greek artists and their artistic aspirations on the art scene of New York,” she said.

Among their goals is to help with the creation of a Greek art museum that will carry Greek and culture to the younger generations.

Mavroudis expressed appreciation for all the participants and guests “and to the Federation and especially its president, Petros Galatoulas, for helping us with every aspect of this show, and all the members of the guild for working hard to prepare the show.”

The artists who exhibited, along with Mavroudis, included Giatrakis, Raptis, Irene Tsiaris, Matina Botulas, and Maria Theophanoudi, who aslo presented fine jewelry created by her mother Efstathia Theophanoudi Fragou.

The canvases of Mavroudis, whose love of flowers was born with her in village of Chrysohorafa near Serres, were a veritable botanical garden in the Stathakion, but she also loves to paint abstract art.

She has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Queens College and currently works part-time as an artist and in her husband Chris Gardner’s financial consulting business.

Raptis is from Dolo Pogoniou in Epirus and she too expresses her love of flowers in her art, adding to the aesthetic of nature that predominated, but the surrealism Leonidas Gelalis uses to explore political, mythological, and historical themes gave the exhibit an intellectual flavor.

Gelalis, who has roots in Larisa and grew up in Astoria, was joined by his proud parents, Bobby Gelalis and Chrissy Maistrelis and his sister Kiki.

The works of Irini Tsiari, a young actress from Athens, were also presented but she could not attend. Her friend George, a mathematician with an appreciation for art, was showing her works depicting nature and religious themes created on various media including canvas, glass and marble.

Photo caption (R-L) Matina Botulas, Marianthe Raptis, Efterpe Giatrakis, Amb. George and Anthousa Iliopoulos, Manos and Georgia Koubarakis, Maria Theophanoudi, Magdalen Mavroudis, Leonidas Gelalis, Chrissy Maistrelis, Bobby Gelalis, and Maria Bouliakoudi at the Stathakion.