SUArt Galleries’ ‘Vice and Virtue’ exhibition, drawn from SU Art Collection holdings, on display at Everson Museum through late May

SUArt Galleries’ ‘Vice and Virtue’ exhibition, drawn from SU Art Collection holdings, on display at Everson Museum through late MayFebruary 06, 2008SU News ServicesSUnews@syr.edu

SUArt Galleries presents “Images of Vice and Virtue from the Syracuse University Art Collection,” a selection of paintings, prints and sculpture at the Everson Museum of Art in downtown Syracuse through May 25. The exhibition, curated by David L. Prince, associate director and curator of the SUArt Galleries, investigates how artists from different cultures and time periods visualized themes of good and evil. A talk by Andrew Saluti, SUArt Galleries exhibition designer, is scheduled for April 13 from 2-4 p.m.

Early civilizations enacted codes of conduct believing that individual behavior benefited from these guidelines. As societies evolved, these rules were often incorporated into religious doctrines to further influence a person’s actions. Western society’s growing secularization, from the late 18th century onward, broadened the range of available subjects and gave artists greater freedom in their depiction. Works from the 20th century illustrate how artists began to voice their own opinions about religious and social issues.

The Syracuse University Art Collection contains nearly 45,000 objects and is housed in a modern, environmentally controlled area of Sims Hall, adjacent to the SUArt Galleries. Individual objects and entire exhibitions that are a part of the department’s Traveling Exhibition Program are made available to other institutions and museums for their exhibition programs.

The project shows SUArt Galleries’ continued commitment to Scholarship in Action by partnering with Central New York arts organizations in integrating exposure of the University’s art collection with community-based learning opportunities and public engagement.