Lowe Art Gallery presents three concurrent exhibitions beginning Feb. 18

Lowe Art Gallery presents three concurrent exhibitions beginning Feb. 18February 13, 2006Jaime Winne Alvarezjlwinne@syr.edu

Syracuse University’s Joe and Emily Lowe Art Gallery will present three exhibitions — “Favorite Flix,” “Maysles Films: Christo & Jeanne Claude” and “Albert Maysles Photographs: 1956-1959” — concurrently from Feb.18-March 11.

The gallery will host an opening reception for the exhibitions Feb. 23 at 5 p.m. in the Shaffer Galleria. Kendall Phillips, associate professor of communication and rhetorical studies in the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) and author of “Projected Fears: Horror Films and American Culture” (Praeger, 2005), will speak about the growing role of film in broader culture. The exhibitions and opening reception are free and open to the public.

“Favorite Flix” is a traveling exhibition of works by artists from the Society of Illustrators, a national organization that promotes the art and appreciation of illustration, and its history and evolving nature. The society includes artists with close ties to SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA). For the exhibition, artists had the same, open-ended assignment?to illustrate a scene from their favorite movie?but tackled the project in a variety of ways using various media. From “Shine” to “The Shining,” “Frankenstein” to “Frida,” the 62 illustrations appeal to a diverse group of moviegoers and art lovers alike.

On Feb. 28 at 5:30 p.m., Murray Tinkelman, exhibition curator and professor of illustration in VPA’s School of Art and Design, will give a gallery talk on the exhibition. “Favorite Flix” is made possible through the support of the illustration program in VPA’s School of Art and Design.

At the same time as “Favorite Flix,” the Lowe Gallery will present two additional exhibitions, organized by the SU Art Collection, celebrating the work of SU alumnus Albert Maysles ’49 and his brother David: “Maysles Films: Christo & Jeanne Claude” and “Albert Maysles Photographs: 1956-1959.”

“Maysles Films: Christo & Jeanne Claude” will feature five films by Albert and David Maysles documenting the work of renowned environmental artists Christo and Jeanne Claude. Following several trips to Europe in the 1950s, the Maysles brothers began producing documentary films and were deliberate in guiding viewers visually through their films to communicate compelling stories without narration.

In the early 1970s, they began filming the environmental art installations of Christo and Jeanne-Claude. These films concentrate on the preparation, installation and realization of each of their projects. Featured works in the exhibition include “Surrounded Islands,” in which the artists covered 11 islands in Biscayne Bay with bright pink fabric, and the installation of an 18-foot high wall that stretched for more than 24 miles of northern California countryside called “Running Fence.” “Valley Curtain,” “Umbrellas” and “The Pont Neuf Wrapped” will also be included in the exhibition.

“Albert Maysles Photographs: 1956-1959” is a photo documentary of contemporary life in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union seen through Maysles’ camera lens. The exhibition includes 39 black-and-white photographs documenting contemporary life during the Cold War. In 1955, Maysles gained a tourist visa to enter the Soviet Union and began creating his photo documentary with images from mental hospitals. His camera often focused on children throughout his travels, as well as travelers asleep in public places. Maysles thought of himself as an observer and believed a camera had the freedom to capture lives without the cultural and personal prejudices of the 1950s.

The Joe and Emily Lowe Art Gallery is located in the Shaffer Art Building and is universally accessible. Exhibitions are free and open to the public Tuesday and Thursday through Sunday from noon-5 p.m. and Wednesday from noon-8 p.m. The gallery is closed on Monday and during major religious and national holidays. For more information, call (315) 443-3127.