Woodmere native and artist Michael Albert wants to stimulate people

Woodmere native and pop artist, Michael Albert will have a modern art retrospective exhibition at Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library through April 7.

Over the past 35 years, Albert has created thousands of original works of art including collages and wax oil drawings. Albert went through the Lawrence school district attending the Number Six School in Woodmere (now the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach), Lawrence Junior High School (now called Lawrence Middle School) and Lawrence High, where he met his wife, Erynn, an Atlantic Beach native.

Albert’s interest art began in his junior year at New York University, where he was majoring in business. His family had a lumber company that his grandfather started and his father, uncle and older brother worked. While Albert wasn't planning on continuing the business, he thought he could learn about business and be helpful if necessary.

“When I was graduating, my father said, ‘before you think to come here, go out into the world and get a job and work hard and see where that leads,” he said.

Albert ended up getting into the food business with two college friends when he graduated from school. He co-founded a specialty food distribution business with his schoolmates where the three began distributing Wild Lingonberry Juice and other specialty groceries to specialty food retailers throughout the greater New York Metropolitan area. After a number of years in the business, running around to different stores, and selling a different variety of products, he realized that he needed to have his own brand.

“I wanted to put my energy into something that I could build for myself,” he said.

In 1993, he founded ‘Sir Real’ Fruit Juice Company, a brand of organic fruit juices & natural foods, which he runs to this day. He came up with recognizable and unique fruit head characters wearing tuxedos, based on the famous surrealistic art of greed, to represent his brand.

“The ultimate thing is that it is my own product,” said Albert. “The one thing nobody can take away from me is my art.”

Albert is known now for collaging using cereal boxes and consumer packages. He received a book deal in 2008, an artist's autobiography written for young people, which ended up in libraries all over the country. 

Since the publishing of his book, titled, "An Artist's America" by Henry Holt, Albert has developed a traveling Pop Art Enrichment Program & Hands-On Collage Workshop for kids, teens, and adults and a multi-generational event called the "Modern Pop Art Experience" which he has brought to more than 1,000 schools, libraries, museums, art festivals in most of the United States and in Europe.

His exhibition has been in the works for several years after it was originally set to take place two years ago but was put on hold due to Covid. 

“I've been going to libraries all over the country, but it's super special to be able to come back to where I grew up, show the community what I've done and interact with the community,” said Albert, who lives in Westchester.

The exhibit has 35 pieces to represent 35 years of work. He hopes those who attend his exhibition can take away inspiration.

“I want people to see it and find it interesting,” Albert said. “Since I'm from Woodmere, I think it would be great if some people said wow, look at what this guy did. He was born here, went to school here, and went out to the world and did all this. Then they go out into the world and do some crazy interesting thing themselves.”