Michelangelo lecture, tours Sept. 19 highlight SU’s Homecoming + Reunion Weekend

Michelangelo lecture, tours Sept. 19 highlight SU’s Homecoming + Reunion WeekendSeptember 02, 2008Rob Enslinrmenslin@syr.edu

People wanting to learn more about “Michelangelo: The Man and the Myth” and to experience, first hand, the acclaimed Syracuse University exhibition are invited to a special two-part program, Friday, Sept. 19. Gary Radke ’73, the exhibition’s scholarly advisor, and Domenic Iacono, SUArt Galleries director, will deliver a joint lecture at 10:30 a.m. in Shemin Auditorium of the Shaffer Art Building. The lecture will be followed by guided tours of the exhibition at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the SUArt Galleries. The program, which is free and open to the public, is part of “Rethinking Michelangelo: A Series of Lectures, Concerts and Special Events” and the 2008 Homecoming + Reunion Weekend. Registration for the tours is required and is available at http://homecoming.syr.edu.

Radke and Iacono spent several years organizing the exhibition, in association with Pina Ragionieri, guest curator and director of the Casa Buonarroti in Florence, Italy. The show includes more than a dozen original drawings and writings by the Renaissance master, some never before seen in the United States. “This exhibition provides a rare opportunity to explore the many sides of Michelangelo’s career. As such, it will educate students and the public alike to broaden their appreciation and understanding of this great genius,” says Radke, Meredith Professor and Dean’s Professor of the Humanities.

Adds Iacono: “This exhibition stands alone, in my mind, as the most notable in Syracuse in years. Already, we’ve had thousands of visitors.”

“Michelangelo: The Man and the Myth” runs through Oct. 19 on the SU campus and from Nov. 4-Jan. 4 at the University’s Palitz Gallery in New York City. For more information about the exhibition and “Rethinking Michelangelo,” visit http://michelangelo.syr.edu.

Homecoming + Reunion Weekend is Sept. 18-21 and features a variety of cultural, educational and athletic events throughout campus. The weekend concludes with a free recital by soprano Anita Johnson Sept. 21 at 2 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel. The program, titled “From Sonnets to Spirituals,” includes settings of Michelangelo sonnets by Franz Schubert, Hugo Wolf and Benjamin Britten.