601 Tully announces inaugural multimedia exhibition ‘The Butterfly Effect’

The gallery at 601 Tully, a center for engaged artistic practice located on the Near West Side of Syracuse, announces its inaugural multimedia exhibition, “The Butterfly Effect.” The show will run from Oct. 29-Dec. 9 at the gallery at 601 Tully St. The building’s hours are Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., or by appointment. The gallery will host an opening reception for the exhibition on Thursday, Nov. 3, from 5-7 p.m. at the gallery; members of the community are invited to attend. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

“The Butterfly Effect” presents a variety of interpretations of the butterfly structure and the butterfly as a symbol—as addressed by contemporary visual artists—and will include work by local artists, Syracuse University students and professors, and Syracuse youth. The centerpiece of “The Butterfly Effect” is a living butterfly habitat constructed by SU students using materials reclaimed from local sites. The interior butterfly garden provides the opportunity for exhibition visitors to observe living butterflies while surrounded by artworks that explore or feature the butterfly metaphorically.

Public programming aimed at Near West Side teens will introduce art-making processes less present in schools to participants (metalworking and casting) and create connections between area youth and local arts organizations. The exhibition and additional public programming will educate visitors about the life cycle of butterflies while engaging them as a whole community.

The gallery was developed by artist and professor Marion Wilson, director of community initiatives in the visual arts at the School of Education, along with a rotating collaborative team. It opened to the public in June 2011 as a site for meaningful exchange where artists, community members and scholars gather to work, teach, learn, talk and co-produce culture and socially/economically beneficial entrepreneurial ventures. The gallery at 601 Tully is built on a philosophy of interdisciplinarity, egalitarianism and collaboration.

The facility includes a contemporary art space, a classroom and community event space, a small bookstore featuring titles of regional and topical interest, a teaching garden and Café Kubal, a locally owned coffee shop that provides a casual neighborhood meeting space as well as employment opportunities for community members. At 601 Tully, members of the Near West Side community take classes in art, writing, nutrition, gardening, sustainability and barista certification, as well as attending and participating in a number of cultural and community events such as readings, lectures, art exhibitions and discussion groups.

The 601 Tully collaborative team, in its many iterations, consists of students from the School of Architecture, School of Art, School of Education, Creative Writing Program, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Fowler High School, a group of men enrolled in a workforce development program, many neighbors and the occasional passerby.

601 Tully is made possible by the support of the SU’s School of Education, The Kauffman Foundation, The Near West Side Initiative, Imagining America, Home HeadQuarters Inc., Say Yes to Education and National Grid.