Display of art from fourth edition of Stone Canoe journal opens Jan. 6

Tuesday, January 5, 2010, By Eileen Jevis

Artwork from the fourth edition of Stone Canoe: A Journal of Arts and Ideas from Upstate New York will be on display Jan. 6-24 at the XL Projects Gallery, 307-313 Clinton St., Syracuse. The gallery is open to the public Wednesday–Sunday from noon – 6 p.m.

The fourth annual art exhibition features the work of 25 artists with ties to Upstate New York, ranging from those with international reputations to those who have not previously published or exhibited their work.

“The College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University is proud to be hosting this year’s Stone Canoe exhibition,” says Andrew Havenhand, assistant professor of painting and program exhibitions coordinator in VPA. “The work selected by curator Kim Waale represents a broad and diverse cross-section of contemporary artistic practice galvanized by its exemplary consistency.”

Havenhand says the variety of media and conceptual approach will afford the viewer a lively and engaging experience. “We are really excited about presenting an interdisciplinary show of this caliber,” he says.

“In this Stone Canoe, one will see work by artists who are clearly working in–and out of–the Upstate region,” says visual arts editor Kim Waale. “There are artists who turn to contemporary culture and treat it as a place or destination.”

Waale says that when selecting work for Stone Canoe, she found herself drawn to creative work that shows evidence of sustained interest in the investigation of what it means to be human in relationship to place.

Awards for previous editions of Stone Canoe include a 2007 Bronze Medal from the Independent Publisher’s Book Awards; a 2007 Certificate of Excellence for the Mid-Atlantic Region of the University Continuing Education Association (UCEA); a 2008 Silver Medal from the Independent Publisher’s Book Awards; a 2008 Gold Medal from the UCEA National Conference; and a 2009 Silver Medal from the UCEA National Conference.

Stone Canoe is published annually by University College of Syracuse University. The fourth edition of the Stone Canoe will be available in bookstores in early February.

For information about the publication, contact Allison Vincent at 443-4165 or advincen@uc.syr.edu.