SU students curate ‘Toon Time’ at the Lowe Art Gallery

SU students curate ‘Toon Time’ at the Lowe Art GalleryDecember 09, 2004Amy Schmitzaemehrin@syr.edu

Who needs the Sunday comics when you have Syracuse University’s Joe and Emily Lowe Art Gallery? The Lowe Gallery will present a survey of cartoons, comics and caricatures in an exhibition titled “So, What’s so Funny About the Funnies?”, which will run from Dec. 10, 2004-Feb. 13, 2005. It includes a broad selection of original works from SU’s collection, and is free and open to the public.

“So, What’s So Funny About the Funnies?” includes works by 17th century artist Jacques Callot, 18th century artists William Hogarth and Francisco Goya and 19th century artists Honore Daumier and Thomas Nast. The 20th century is well represented with works from the comic strips “The Yellow Kid,” “Hazel” and “Beetle Bailey.” The show will also feature the comic strips “Prince Valiant” and “Terry and the Pirates.”

The exhibition is curated by students in SU’s advanced curatorship course under the direction of Edward A. Aiken, director of the Lowe Gallery and professor in SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. The show was installed with assistance from students in the graduate program in museum studies.

“This exhibition has presented the museum studies students with a fabulous opportunity to sort through the University’s extraordinary collections of cartoons, caricatures and comics to develop a wonderful exhibition for the public,” says Aiken.

The Joe and Emily Lowe Art Gallery is open Tuesday and Thursday-Sunday, noon-5 p.m., and Wednesday, noon-8 p.m. The Gallery is closed on Mondays and is handicapped accessible. For more information, call (315) 443-3127.